Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

The lowest price
is almost always the highest cost.

01

You paid less. But over the years you have lost hours, changed suppliers, and lost the odd client who saw the office and thought “hmm”.

02

The true cost of a desk isn't the price tag — it's everything it generates (or fails to generate) over time: productivity, image, wellbeing, durability.

03

There's a calculation that serious professionals run before any major purchase. It takes two minutes.

Calculate your project's TCO →
+4%
PRODUCTIVITY PER EMPLOYEE

A well-designed workplace cuts distractions and signals respect for the people who work there. We assume +4% productivity — and staff are around 90% of operating costs (World Green Building Council).

-8%
DAYS LOST TO ABSENCE

Ergonomic, quality workstations reduce fatigue and minor injuries. In India 76% of workers report a work-related musculoskeletal disorder in a year (Journal of Occupational Health, 2024). We assume −8% on absence.

60%
PERCEIVED EMPLOYER BRAND

Well-kept spaces communicate company values. We estimate +60% in perceived employer brand: 67% of Indian office workers say office design influences their choice of employer (Human Spaces).

Compare two products

Choose a reference product and one to evaluate: we calculate the difference — how much more it costs and how much more it returns.

Select the brand, then the product on each side to compare them.

FAQ

What is total cost of ownership, and what does this calculator determine?
It is everything a piece costs after the invoice is settled: service life, replacement cycles, and the effect on the people who use it every day. The calculator does not price your project. It settles one question only: between two products, what does the difference cost, and what does that difference return over the years you intend to keep the furniture.
Which heads of cost and benefit are included?
Six, and each is shown separately in the result so that any one of them may be set aside: productivity, wellbeing, prestige, certifications, customisation and absenteeism. The separation is deliberate. A purchase committee that disregards prestige entirely can still work with the remaining five, which is far more useful than a single consolidated figure.
Why do the sector and the number of employees alter the outcome?
Because the estimated benefits are computed on the cost of labour, which differs between manufacturing, healthcare and a public body. The headcount determines how widely that effect is distributed: a conference room used by six people carries different weight from one used by sixty every week. Where the usage is genuinely mixed, the average is the prudent selection.
What horizon should be selected: three, five or ten years?
The period for which the furniture will actually be retained. Three years suits a short lease or premises due for change; five is the usual selection; ten is justified in owned premises and for products whose structure and warranty extend that far. One effect is worth noting: as the horizon lengthens, replacement cycles dominate, and that is precisely where an entry-level product loses the advantage it held on price.
May two of your own products be compared against each other?
Yes, and that is frequently the more instructive exercise. Two ranges from our catalogue seldom differ in appearance and almost always differ in structure, warranty and certification, and the calculator converts that difference into money across the horizon. It also reveals the cases in which the costlier option is not justified. Such cases exist, and we prefer to state them beforehand.

How to compare two products using the TCO calculator

Five entries and roughly two minutes: the reference, the alternative, the size of the requirement, the sector and the horizon.

Select the reference product
Category, brand and the item already carried in the quotation or the specification. Everything else is measured against it.
Place the alternative alongside
On the right, select the product under evaluation. To observe what a selection made without technical grounds or certification entails, use Market Benchmark: an entry-level market reference from the same family.
Enter quantity, headcount and years
Units per product, employees affected and the horizon in years. The horizon is the entry most often understated: it governs how many replacement cycles enter the computation at all.
Specify the sector
Benefits are computed on the cost of labour in the sector selected. The average is provided for requirements that are genuinely mixed in use.
Read the difference, not the totals
The foot of the page gives the additional cost, the benefits by head, and the break-even in months. Where the premium is not recovered within the horizon, the calculator states so plainly.

Guides & Insights

Sources: Journal of Occupational Health — Work-related MSDs in India, meta-analysis 2024 · Journal of Safety Research — Effectiveness of ergonomics interventions, 2008 · Gensler — Global Workplace Survey 2025 · Human Spaces — Interface, 2015 · World Green Building Council — Health, Wellbeing & Productivity in Offices, 2014. Percentages are prudent estimates, for indicative purposes only.