Allsteel
Allsteel
Est. 1912
About
Allsteel is an American commercial furniture manufacturer that produces office furniture and workplace products for corporate, healthcare, education and other contract environments. Its catalogue spans office seating, desking and benching systems, private office configurations, storage, tables, architectural walls and accessories. The company operates as a brand within HNI Corporation, one of the larger office furniture producers in the United States. The company traces its origins to 1912 in Aurora, Illinois, where George Hurteau, Axel Nelson and Charles Lembcke each contributed roughly one thousand dollars to start a business originally called the Allsteelequip Company. In its early decades the firm manufactured custom metal objects, particularly for electrical equipment, before branching into kitchen cabinets and refrigerated food lockers in the 1920s. The name was changed to All-Steel-Equip Company in 1929. After acquiring the Aurora Metal Cabinet Company in 1936, the firm entered the metal file cabinet market, and following World War II it began producing steel office desks in 1947. By the mid-1960s it ranked among the largest producers of steel office furniture in the world. Ownership changed several times over the following decades. The company was acquired by C.I.T. Financial in 1966 and merged with a Canadian manufacturer, with its furniture divisions later renamed All-Steel Inc. and shortened to "Allsteel" by 1986. In 1998 the business was merged into HNI Corporation, the Muscatine, Iowa-based parent company whose portfolio also includes brands such as HON, Gunlocke and HBF. Today Allsteel operates as part of HNI's commercial furnishings group, with operations centred in Muscatine, Iowa and a presence in Chicago, Illinois. While the original Aurora, Illinois site is significant to the company's history, the brand's current corporate alignment sits with HNI in Iowa. Allsteel's product range reflects its evolution from a steel-fabrication firm into a broader workplace furnishings supplier. Its seating portfolio includes task chairs, conference and side chairs, stools and lounge furniture. Workspace offerings cover desking, benching, panel systems, reception and private office layouts, alongside storage products such as lateral files, bookcases, credenzas, lockers and shelving. The company also produces tables, architectural products and accessories including lighting, acoustic elements, and power and technology management components. Several Allsteel products are commonly cited in the office furniture market. The Acuity task chair uses a weight-activated mechanism the company calls AcuFit, which adjusts recline, lumbar support and posture in response to the user's body weight, with a flexible back intended to stay in contact with the lumbar region during movement. The Mimeo chair is a task seat built around what Allsteel describes as Intelliform technology, with a back that flexes during movement and 4D adjustable arms. The Aware line provides additional task seating options. In the architectural category, the Beyond system consists of movable, demountable walls designed to let organisations reconfigure interior space as needs change. As a commercial furniture manufacturer, Allsteel serves corporate offices, healthcare facilities, educational institutions and other contract settings. Its products are specified by architects and designers and supplied through a dealer network across North America, as well as through its official website. The company positions its workplace seating, systems furniture and architectural products around durability, ergonomic performance and adaptable office layouts, and it offers warranty coverage on its products, including a limited lifetime warranty on many items with shorter terms on specific components.
Specifications
- Categories
- officehealthcareeducationalstorage
- Price Range
- $$$
- Founded
- 1912
- Headquarters
- Muscatine, United States
- Certifications
- -
Resources
No public assets available.
Common Questions
Allsteel operates as a brand of HNI Corporation, which is headquartered in Muscatine, Iowa, in the United States. The company was originally founded in Aurora, Illinois, and it also maintains an office in Chicago, Illinois. Its founding location and its current corporate base are therefore in different cities.
The company was founded in 1912 in Aurora, Illinois, originally under the name Allsteelequip Company. It began as a maker of custom metal objects and electrical equipment before moving into office furniture in the 1940s. The "Allsteel" name in its current form was adopted in 1986.
Allsteel is known for commercial office furniture, including task and conference seating, desking and benching systems, storage, tables and architectural walls. Among its frequently referenced products are the Acuity and Mimeo task chairs and the Beyond architectural walls system. Its products are used primarily in corporate, healthcare and educational settings.
Allsteel is owned by HNI Corporation, a publicly traded company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker HNI. Allsteel was merged into HNI in 1998 and operates within the corporation’s commercial furnishings portfolio. Other HNI brands include HON, Gunlocke and HBF.
Allsteel products are sold primarily through its dealer network across North America, as well as through its official website and various online retailers. Buyers typically work with a dealer for contract orders covering office seating, systems furniture and architectural products. furniture.directory is an independent directory and does not sell furniture directly.
Allsteel provides warranty coverage on its products, including a limited lifetime warranty on many items. Certain components carry shorter terms; for example, the company lists 12-year coverage on items such as veneer and laminate surfaces, seating controls, pneumatic cylinders, casters and arm caps. Specific warranty details are published on the company’s official website.