Steelcase Amia vs Think: Which Should You Buy?
Two Steelcase chairs one tier below the Leap, built for different bodies. The Amia leans soft and forgiving; the Think leans precise and adjustable. Here is how to choose between the Amia and the Think.
The Steelcase Amia and the Steelcase Think sit in the same price tier and the same rung of Steelcase’s lineup, one step below the Leap. Both are rated 4.0 out of 5 on SeatedLab, both carry Steelcase’s 12-year Limited Lifetime warranty, and both are widely available remanufactured through Crandall Office at a meaningful discount off new.
The difference is in what each chair optimizes for. The Amia has a softer, more adaptive seat with a flexible front edge, a wider stated fit range, and a lower new price. The Think has a more precisely specified lumbar and recline system, with a numeric adjustment range Steelcase publishes and the Amia’s own spec sheet does not, plus a “boost” tension setting on the V2 back.
The decision point that matters most is seat feel versus adjustment precision. If you want a chair that softens under you and forgives an imperfect setup, the Amia is built for that. If you want to dial in lumbar height and recline tension to a specific setting and keep it there, the Think gives you more to work with.
Buy the Amia if you want a softer, more forgiving seat with adaptive bolstering, a wide stated fit range (4’11” to 6’4″), and the lower new price. It is the easier chair to sit in without fine-tuning it.
Buy the Think if you want a more precisely adjustable lumbar (a stated 5.25 to 10.25 inch height range) and recline system, the V2’s extra tension “boost” setting, or the lowest remanufactured price of the two through the Think V1 route.
Choose the Amia or the Think?
Choose the Amia if you…
- Want a softer seat with a flexible front edge and adaptive bolstering
- Fall inside the stated 4’11” to 6’4″ fit range
- Want the lower new price of the two
- Prefer a simpler recline (tension control and upright lock, no numbered stops)
- Want a mesh back option (Amia Air) alongside upholstered
Choose the Think if you…
- Want a lumbar system with a published height-adjustment range
- Want the V2’s extra tension “boost” recline setting
- Want the cheapest remanufactured route of the two (Think V1 at Crandall)
- Want a choice of three back styles on the V2 (knit, quilted, or classic upholstered)
- Want arms with a stated depth adjustment figure, not just “4D”
Amia vs Think at a Glance
| Spec | Steelcase Amia | Steelcase Think |
|---|---|---|
| Price (new) | ~$999 Steelcase Amia on Amazon (~$999) |
~$1,193 Steelcase Think on Amazon (~$1,193) |
| Remanufactured | $549 Crandall Remanufactured Amia at Crandall |
V1 $439 / V2 $519 Crandall Remanufactured Think V2 at Crandall |
| Seat | Flexible front edge, adaptive foam bolstering, softer feel | High-density foam, firmer than the Amia |
| Seat depth | 15.8 to 18.5 in slider | 15.75 to 18.75 in slider |
| Seat height | 16 to 21 in | 15.5 to 20.5 in |
| Lumbar support | LiveLumbar, height-adjustable (approx. 4 in range) | Integrated LiveBack flexor, height-adjustable 5.25 to 10.25 in from seat |
| Arms | 4D (height 7.5 to 11.25 in, width 13 to 19.5 in, 30° pivot) | 4D (height 7 to 11 in, 30° pivot, 3 in depth travel) |
| Recline | Full recline range, tension control, upright lock | Weight-activated synchro, 96° to 120°, upright lock; V2 adds a boost tension setting |
| Fit range | 4’11” to 6’4″ (stated) | Not published by Steelcase |
| Weight capacity | 400 lb | 400 lb |
| Warranty | 12 years, Steelcase Limited Lifetime | 12 years, Steelcase Limited Lifetime |
| SeatedLab rating | 4.0 / 5 | 4.0 / 5 |
How They Compare
Cheaper New, or Cheaper Remanufactured
Buying new, the Amia is the more affordable chair, undercutting the Think by close to a fifth of its price. If a new-in-box chair with the shortest wait is the priority, the Amia gets there for less.
Flip to the remanufactured market and the order reverses. Crandall’s Think V1 undercuts the Amia’s remanufactured price by roughly a fifth, and even the newer-styled Think V2 still lands a little below the Amia. A buyer comfortable with a remanufactured chair and not tied to the Amia’s specific seat feel gets more Steelcase for less money through the Think line.
Soft and Forgiving vs Firm and Neutral
The Amia’s seat is built around a flexible front edge and adaptive foam bolstering, positioned by Steelcase as a softer-seated relative of the Leap. It is the more forgiving chair if your setup or your sitting posture is not perfectly dialed in, since the seat itself does some of the adjusting.
The Think uses a firmer, more neutral high-density foam seat without the Amia’s adaptive bolstering. That firmness is a plus for sitters who find soft seats compress unevenly over a long day, and a minus for sitters who specifically want a seat that gives.
Where Steelcase Publishes the Numbers
Steelcase’s own spec sheet gives the Think’s LiveBack lumbar a stated height-adjustment range, 5.25 to 10.25 inches from the seat, and a recline range of 96 to 120 degrees with an upright lock. The V2 back adds a “boost” setting for roughly 20 percent more tension. The Think’s arms also carry a stated 3-inch depth-adjustment figure alongside height and pivot.
The Amia’s LiveLumbar is height-adjustable across an approximate 4-inch range, and its recline is described as a full range with tension control and an upright lock, without a published degree figure. Its arms are 4D like the Think’s, with stated height and width numbers, but Steelcase’s own material does not publish an arm-depth figure for the Amia the way it does for the Think.
Who Each Chair Is Built to Fit
Steelcase states an explicit fit range for the Amia, roughly 4’11” to 6’4″, which covers most adult body sizes in a single chair. The Amia’s seat height also reaches slightly higher at the top end, 16 to 21 inches against the Think’s 15.5 to 20.5 inches, a small edge for taller desks.
Steelcase does not publish an equivalent stated fit range for the Think, though its seat height starts half an inch lower, which can help shorter sitters whose feet do not reach the floor on the Amia’s minimum setting. Both chairs share essentially the same seat-depth slider travel, so leg-length accommodation is close to a wash.
Where to Buy and What Is Covered
Both chairs carry the same Steelcase Limited Lifetime warranty, 12 years of parts and labor, whether bought new or remanufactured through Crandall’s own 12-year coverage. Neither is sold through a direct Steelcase affiliate link on this site, since Steelcase Direct is not currently a live affiliate program; both route through Amazon for new and Crandall for remanufactured.
The Think gives you one more remanufactured option to choose from, the V1 and the V2, at two different price points, where the Amia has a single remanufactured configuration. That extra rung makes the Think line more flexible for a buyer shopping strictly by remanufactured price.
Final Verdict
These are two of Steelcase’s better mid-tier chairs, one rung below the Leap, and the choice comes down to seat feel and adjustment precision rather than one chair being clearly stronger.
Choose the Amia if…
You want a softer, more forgiving seat, a wide stated fit range, and the lower price when buying new. It is the easier chair to get right without extra tuning.
Choose the Think if…
You want a lumbar and recline system with published adjustment numbers, the V2’s extra tension boost, or the cheapest remanufactured route between the two chairs.
If price when buying new is the deciding factor, start with the Amia. If you are shopping remanufactured and want the lowest entry price with a specified adjustment range, the Think V1 is worth a close look before you commit either way.
Keep Reading
Still weighing it up? These pages go deeper:
- Steelcase Amia Full Review. The softer-seated Steelcase, in depth
- Steelcase Think Review. V1 and V2 covered together
- Series 1 vs Series 2. The two budget-tier Steelcase chairs
- Leap V2 vs Series 2. Stepping up within Steelcase’s own range
- Gesture vs Series 2. Steelcase’s premium multi-device pick against its mid-range value pick
- Herman Miller vs Steelcase. The two brands compared across their ranges
- Best Office Chairs. Our full guide to the top ergonomic chairs at every price