Used cubicles are the biggest single purchase in most office fit-outs, and the one with the most moving parts. A cubicle is not one item. It is a system of panels, connectors, worksurfaces, and hardware that has to be complete to go back together in your space. This guide covers footprints and panel heights, what used, refurbished, and remanufactured mean on an invoice, the brands worth looking for, and the eight things to check before you commit to a system.
Key Points
What to know before you buy used cubicles
- Footprint comes first. Six by six, six by eight, and eight by eight feet cover most of what comes through our warehouse, and the footprint decides how many stations fit your floor.
- Panel height is the privacy dial. Around 42 inches keeps the office open, the low 50s give seated privacy, and the mid 60s block sight lines standing up.
- Buy a complete system, not a pile of panels. Connectors, top caps, end-of-run hardware, and the electrical are what make a used cubicle system go back together.
- Used, refurbished, and remanufactured are different products at different prices. Know which one you are being quoted.
- Save up to 70% off new retail on used cubicles from Herman Miller, Steelcase, Haworth, Knoll, Teknion, HON, Allsteel, and Kimball at our Denver warehouse.
Cubicle sizes and footprints, and how many fit your floor
Cubicle sizes start with the footprint: the floor space one station occupies, measured from panel to panel. Three footprints cover almost everything that comes through our Denver warehouse, and the right one depends on what the person sitting there does all day.
Six by six feet is the high-density option. One worksurface, one corner, room for a chair and a pedestal. It is the standard for call centers, open plans, and any office where headcount per square foot is the number that matters.
Six by eight feet is the standard full-time station. An L-shaped worksurface, an overhead bin, room for a second monitor, a pedestal, and a guest chair pulled in for a quick conversation. If you are not sure, this is usually the one.
Eight by eight feet is the manager or heavy-paper station. A U-shaped surface, more storage, and enough room that two people can work at it. Fewer fit per floor, which is why most offices mix a handful of these with a majority of smaller stations.
The footprint is the station, not the space it needs. Aisles, run ends, and egress add real floor to every station, which is why we lay out from your floor plan rather than from a station count. If you want a layout checked before you buy, our used office workstations team does that as part of the quote.
Cubicle panel heights, and what each one buys you
Panel height is the privacy dial. The panels are what listings call cubicle walls or office partitions, and manufacturers vary by an inch or two, but the industry settles into three ranges. Each one changes how the office feels.
Around 42 inches is seated-height. People see over it sitting down, light travels across the floor, and the room reads as open. It suits teams that talk constantly and offices where daylight is the point.
Around 53 inches gives seated privacy and standing visibility. You cannot see your neighbor’s screen while working, but you can stand up and find someone. This is the most common compromise and the height most of our inventory lands on.
Around 66 inches blocks sight lines standing up and cuts noise meaningfully. It is the closest a cubicle gets to a private office, and it also blocks light, so plan lighting and window placement around it. Add a door panel and it becomes what listings call a private office cubicle.
Most commercial systems let you step heights within a run: taller panels on the spine for acoustics, lower panels at the front so the office does not feel like a maze. Glass or frosted upper sections add height without losing the light, and they turn up in our inventory regularly.
Used vs refurbished vs remanufactured cubicles
These three words get used loosely in listings, and they mean different things on the invoice. Ask which one you are being quoted before you compare prices.
Used cubicles are sold as they came out of the office: original fabric, original surfaces, cleaned and inspected. This is the lowest price and the widest range of condition, which is exactly what the inspection below is for. A used system from a single office, in one finish, is often in better shape than a refurbished mix.
Refurbished cubicles are used systems with the worn parts addressed. Panels may be recovered in new fabric, worksurfaces refinished or replaced, and damaged hardware swapped. Prices sit in the middle, and the result can look new from a few feet away.
Remanufactured cubicles are stripped to the frame and rebuilt: new fabric, new surfaces, new hardware, and sometimes new electrical, usually with a warranty. They are the closest to new and priced the closest to new.
We inspect every system that comes through our warehouse and refurbish where it makes sense, so most of what we sell sits between used and refurbished. If you need a matched set in a specific finish and the budget allows, remanufactured is the safe answer. If you need 30 stations next week at the best number, a clean used system is usually the better buy.
Cubicle brands worth looking for, and how to identify them
Brand matters more when you buy used than when you buy new, because the brand decides whether parts still exist. Eight manufacturers built most of the systems in North American offices, and they are the eight we stock: Herman Miller, Steelcase, Haworth, Knoll, Teknion, HON, Allsteel, and Kimball.
The system names are worth knowing because listings use them. Herman Miller Action Office and Ethospace. Steelcase Answer and Montage. Haworth Compose and Premise. Knoll Dividends. Teknion Leverage. HON Verse and Accelerate. Allsteel Terrace. Kimball Cetra. If a listing cannot name the system, assume parts will be hard to find.
To identify a system, look for the manufacturer label. It is usually on the inside of a panel frame, under a worksurface, or inside an overhead bin. A photo of that label tells us more than a photo of the whole station.
Connectors are proprietary, which is why brands do not mix within a run. A Haworth panel will not connect to a Steelcase panel without adapters that rarely exist. Buy one system per run, and if you are expanding an existing installation, match the system before you match the color. Our used Haworth furniture page shows what that looks like for one brand.
Power, data, and what electrified panels mean
Most commercial cubicle systems carry power through the panels. A harness runs along the base or through a raceway, receptacles mount at each station, and the whole run is fed from a building connection at one end, called the infeed. Data cabling runs through the same raceways.
The electrical is the first thing to go missing in a teardown, because it is small and it comes out first. Confirm that the harnesses, receptacles, jumpers between panels, and the infeed are included and belong to the same system. A run without its infeed is a run without power.
The building side is a separate line item. The infeed has to be connected by a licensed electrician, and data has to be pulled to the run. Neither is part of the furniture price, and both are worth scheduling before install day rather than after.
The 8-point inspection for used cubicles
This is the check we run on every system that comes into our warehouse, and it is the one to run before you buy from anyone. It is faster on a standing system than on a pallet, which is a good reason to prefer inventory you can see assembled.
- Panel frames. Sight down the run. Panels should stand square with even gaps at the top caps. Racked frames, usually from being dragged loaded, never seat cleanly again.
- Fabric. Look for stains, tears at the corners, and fading on one side from a window. Fabric can be recovered, but the cost is real, so a system with clean original fabric is worth paying for.
- Connectors and hardware. Count them. Two-way, three-way, and four-way connectors, top caps, end caps, and wall starts. Missing hardware is the single most common reason a used system fails to go back together.
- Worksurfaces. Check the edges for laminate lift and the underside for the cantilever brackets and support legs. A surface without its brackets is a slab, not a desk.
- Overheads and bins. Open every flipper door and drawer. Check hinges, tracks, and locks, and ask whether the keys exist.
- Electrical. Harnesses, receptacles, jumpers, and infeed present and matching. Labels intact, no cut cords, no exposed wiring. If the electrical is missing, price it as missing.
- Completeness as a set. Same brand, same finish, same panel height within each run. Ask whether the system came out of one office. One source usually means one finish and one age.
- Count and drawings. Get a station count and a layout drawing or photos of the system standing. A system documented standing reinstalls in a fraction of the time of one photographed in pieces.
Not sure which system you need?
A cubicle system has more parts than anyone wants to count
You know how many people need a seat and roughly how much privacy the work needs. What you do not have is a spare week to learn the difference between a 53 inch and a 66 inch panel, or to find out at install that the run is missing its infeed.
That is what our team does every week. Tell us the headcount, the floor plan, and the feel you are after, and we will pull the systems that fit from what is standing on our floor. Complete, counted, and priced installed.
Cubicles vs benching vs open plan, and when cubicles still win
Why are cubicles not used anymore is a common search, and the premise is off. Cubicles never left. What changed is the mix. Open plans and benching took over the collaborative floor, and cubicles moved to the work that needs focus, privacy, or a phone.
Benching is a shared worksurface with low dividers or none, usually a long run of desks with screens between seats. It packs the most people per square foot, it looks current, and it is loud. We stock benching systems alongside cubicles, and plenty of Denver offices run both: benching for teams that talk, cubicles for people who need to hear a customer.
Desks with privacy screens sit between the two. A freestanding desk with a fabric or acrylic screen gives some visual separation without a panel system, and it moves easily. It does not carry power through the furniture, so every desk needs its own outlet or a floor box.
Cubicles still win when the work is on the phone, when the team is in three days a week and shares stations, or when the office has to absorb noise. Current systems with lower panels and glass uppers look nothing like the older generation, and most used inventory from the last decade is that newer kind.
What used cubicles cost, and where the savings come from
Cubicle pricing is quoted per station, and there is no single average cost of a cubicle, because the number depends on brand, footprint, panel height, condition, and whether delivery and installation are included. A new workstation from one of the major commercial brands is a real capital purchase per seat, which is why cubicles are the line item where used furniture saves the most.
Our used cubicles run up to 70% below new retail. As a recent example from our own floor, this summer we sold Haworth Compose stations at $1,350 each, delivered and installed in Denver, against a new price of about $4,650 per station. Pricing moves with each project, so treat that as a reference point rather than a list price.
The savings come from the source, not from a discount. Our inventory arrives through office liquidation projects across the Front Range, which means our cost basis is the removal, not the manufacturing. It is the same reason a used commercial system outlasts new residential furniture at the same price, which we cover in our guide to commercial grade office furniture.
Installation is part of the number and worth pricing as part of the number. Our own crew handles delivery, office furniture installation, and removal of what you are replacing. For what is standing on the floor this week, see our used office cubicles in Denver page, and if you are furnishing the rest of the space at the same time, start with used office furniture in Denver and we will put the whole order on one truck.
Ready when you are
Tell us the headcount and the floor plan
Send over your station count and a rough plan, and we will tell you which complete systems on our floor fit, what panel heights they come in, and what they cost installed. Most in-stock cubicle orders in Denver are delivered and installed within the same week.
Used cubicles, frequently asked questions
What sizes do used cubicles come in?
Used cubicles come in three common footprints: six by six feet for high-density seating, six by eight feet for a standard full-time station with an L-shaped surface, and eight by eight feet for manager or heavy-paper stations. Footprint is measured panel to panel and does not include aisles, so lay out from the floor plan, not the station count.
What panel height should I choose for cubicles?
Choose cubicle panel height by how much privacy the work needs. Around 42 inches keeps the office open and bright, around 53 inches gives seated privacy with standing visibility, and around 66 inches blocks sight lines and cuts noise. Most offices land on the low 50s, often with taller panels on the spine and lower panels at the front.
What is the difference between used, refurbished, and remanufactured cubicles?
Used cubicles are sold as they came out of the office, cleaned and inspected, at the lowest price. Refurbished cubicles have worn parts addressed, such as recovered panels or replaced worksurfaces. Remanufactured cubicles are stripped to the frame and rebuilt with new fabric, surfaces, and hardware, usually with a warranty, and are priced closest to new.
How much do used cubicles cost?
Used cubicles are priced per station and run up to 70% below new retail, depending on brand, footprint, panel height, condition, and whether installation is included. As a recent example, we sold Haworth Compose stations for $1,350 each installed in Denver against about $4,650 new. Pricing changes with each project, so ask for a current quote.
What should I check before buying used cubicles?
Before buying used cubicles, check the panel frames for squareness, the fabric for stains and fading, the count of connectors and hardware, the worksurfaces and their brackets, the overhead bins and locks, the electrical harnesses and infeed, whether the set is one brand and finish, and whether a station count and layout drawing exist. Those eight checks are covered above.
Can I mix cubicle brands in the same run?
Cubicle brands do not mix within a run, because panel connectors are proprietary to each manufacturer. A Haworth panel will not join a Steelcase panel without adapters that rarely exist. Buy one system per run, and if you are adding to an existing installation, match the system first and the fabric color second.
Do used cubicles come with power and data?
Most commercial used cubicles carry power through the panels, with a harness in the base raceway, receptacles at each station, and an infeed at the end of the run. Confirm the harnesses, receptacles, jumpers, and infeed are included, because they are the parts most often lost in a teardown. The building connection still needs a licensed electrician.
How many cubicles fit in my office?
How many cubicles fit depends on the footprint plus the aisles, run ends, and egress the layout needs, which is why a station count alone overstates capacity. We lay out from your floor plan and confirm the count before you buy, and we can often fit more stations by mixing a few larger footprints with a majority of six by six or six by eight stations.
Where can I buy used cubicles in Denver?
Used cubicles in Denver are stocked at Pear Project Services’ 50,000 sq ft warehouse, in six by six, six by eight, and eight by eight footprints with panel heights from 42 to 66 inches, from Herman Miller, Steelcase, Haworth, Knoll, Teknion, HON, Allsteel, and Kimball. Visits are by appointment, Monday through Friday.
Do you install used cubicles and remove the old ones?
Yes. Our own crew delivers and installs used cubicles across Denver and the Front Range, connects the run up to the point where the electrician takes over, and removes and recycles the system you are replacing on the same project. If the old system has resale value, it can count toward your buyback.
What should I do with old cubicles?
Old cubicles have three outcomes: resale, donation, or recycling. A complete system from a major brand in decent condition can be bought back, which turns a removal cost into a credit. Incomplete or damaged systems are broken down by material rather than sent to a landfill. Call before the teardown, because a system that is still standing is worth more than one on a pallet.
Are cubicles still used in modern offices?
Cubicles are still used in modern offices, alongside benching and open plans rather than instead of them. Offices put benching where teams collaborate and cubicles where people take calls, need focus, or share stations on a hybrid schedule. Current systems with lower panels and glass uppers look nothing like the older generation, and most used inventory is from that newer era.
One less thing to get wrong
Cubicles should arrive complete and go up once
Every other piece of furniture involves taste. A cubicle system involves counting, and counting is something we do before anything gets loaded on a truck.
Bring us the floor plan and we will bring the options. Forty years of Denver office projects means we have installed more workstations than anyone wants to admit, and we would rather get the count right before delivery than fix it after.
Ready when you are
Get the right system the first time
Call or send your headcount and floor plan. We will confirm which complete systems fit, what is standing on the floor this week, and what it costs installed, before anything gets loaded on a truck.
