Steelcase Leap Black Leather Chair
By Steelcase · Office Chairs · Home & Workspace · More from Steelcase
- Height: 38.5 to 43.5 inches
- Seat height: 15.5 to 20.5 inches
- Seat depth: 15.75 to 18.75 inches
- Seat width: 19.25 inches
- Weight capacity: 400 lbs
Price not listed
- SteelcaseView at Steelcase
- eBay (used) eBay: used, open-box, refurbishedView at eBay (used)
- eBayView at eBay
- AmazonView at Amazon (paid link)
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Summary
The Steelcase Leap is a heavily adjustable task chair — LiveBack back, height-adjustable lumbar with a lower-back firmness dial, 4D arms and adjustable seat depth — with a 400 lb capacity and a 12-year multi-shift 24/7 warranty. Check how you plan to buy it: the warranty does not transfer to used buyers, and 2026 roundups have dropped the Leap.
Strengths
- The adjustment set is deep: LiveBack, lumbar height plus a firmness dial, 4D arms and adjustable seat depth.
- A 400 lb standard capacity covers heavier users, and the Leap Plus goes to 500 lbs.
- Steelcase backs it with a 12-year multi-shift 24/7 parts-and-labor warranty.
- Leather and vinyl options suit buyers who prefer upholstery over a mesh back.
- Four recline stops plus an upright lock give more control than a plain tilt.
- LiveBack keeps lower-back support as the backrest moves through the recline.
Weaknesses
- Wirecutter now files the Leap as competition rather than a pick, saying nothing separates it from the Gesture or Aeron.
- The 2026 Tom’s Guide, CNET and PCMag roundups omit the Leap entirely.
- The warranty does not transfer to used buyers, which matters on the common used route.
- Squeaks, loosening knobs and cushion sag are the office-chair failure modes testers watch for.
- The black leather grade on this listing is not confirmed by any first-party page.
- Pneumatic cylinders are a common warranty component across Steelcase chairs.
Verified specifications
| Model | Steelcase Leap task chair, current generation. |
|---|---|
| Weight capacity | 400 lbs for the Leap, 300 lbs for the stool and up to 500 lbs for the Leap Plus. |
| Back | LiveBack contouring back, height-adjustable lumbar support and a lower-back firmness dial. |
| Arms | 4-dimensional arm support (height, width, depth, pivot); armless and height-adjustable-only options exist. |
| Seat | flexible seat edges with adjustable seat depth. |
| Recline | four recline stop settings with an upright lock, plus the Natural Glide seat glide. |
| Upholstery | Steelcase and Designtex fabric, leather, vinyl, 3D Knit and COM. |
| Frame finishes | Black 6205, Midnight 6259, Platinum 6249 and polished aluminum. |
| Overall dimensions (EMEA spec) | 1000 × 680 × 620 mm, about 39.4 × 26.8 × 24.4 in. |
| Warranty | 12-year multi-shift 24/7 parts and labor. |
| Adjustments are labeled in English and Braille; the chair has no electronics. | |
Full research notes and sources
Adjustments and recline
The Leap’s defining feature is LiveBack: the backrest contours to the spine instead of holding a fixed curve, and the lumbar support adjusts in height with a separate lower-back firmness dial. The 4D arms move in height, width, depth and pivot, and the seat depth adjusts as well. Recline has four stop settings and an upright lock, and the Natural Glide System slides the seat forward as you lean, keeping you near the desk. Adjustment labels are printed in both English and Braille.
Leather and finishes
Steelcase offers the Leap in fabric, leather, vinyl, 3D Knit and COM upholstery, with frames in Black 6205, Midnight 6259, Platinum 6249 or polished aluminum. This listing is the black leather version, but the exact leather grade — genuine or bonded — is not stated on any first-party page, so confirm it before ordering. Arm caps now use a flexible fin design with no single-use foam.
Buying used or refurbished
Wirecutter notes used Steelcase chairs turn up under $500 at office liquidators, but the warranty does not transfer, so a used Leap comes with no coverage. Steelcase runs a Remade remanufacturing program for used Leap chairs with its own warranty document. If you buy used, check the seat foam and the mechanism before you commit.
Is it worth it?
New at full price the Leap sits in Steelcase’s premium band: Wirecutter lists the Gesture at $1,599 from Steelcase, and Tom’s Guide cites the Karman from $846 to $1,578. CNET lists the Karman at $1,397 direct. Exact pricing for a black leather Leap is not published on a fetched page. Used or refurbished is where the Leap’s value is strongest, as long as you accept the warranty gap. Buyers who need the 400 lb capacity should compare the standard Leap with the 500 lb Leap Plus.
Which model this is
This page covers the Steelcase Leap task chair, the current generation also called the Leap v2, in production since the 2008–2009 redesign. The Leap Plus is a larger chair rated to 500 lbs with a bigger seat and back. Do not confuse it with the Leap Stool, the Leap 24/7 (an EMEA variant) or the earlier pre-2009 Leap v1. The Amazon listing for the black leather version is ASIN B006H1QXEI.
Sources
Manufacturer:
- Leap Office Chair & Workspace Seating — Steelcase
- Leap Ergonomic & Adjustable Office Chairs — Steelcase EMEA
- Warranty — Steelcase
Independent reviews:
- The Best Office Chair — Wirecutter
- Best office chairs of 2026 — Tom’s Guide
- The Best Office Chairs of 2026 — CNET
- The Best Office Chairs for 2026 — PCMag
Owner reports:
- No first-hand owner threads for this exact model were found.
