Lab Testing The Best Anti-Fatigue Mats
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Everything You Need To Know About Anti-Fatigue Mats For Standing Desk Users
A good anti-fatigue mat can triple the amount of time you can stand at your sit-stand desk in comfort every day. But searching for the right standing desk mat for your standing desk can be daunting. They come in all sizes, colors, and quality of construction—from flimsy residential kitchen & bath mats designed for short bouts of barefoot use to sturdy commercial-grade models designed for all-day use at a standing desk, wearing shoes, or even stiletto heels. Given the importance of your health and productivity (and the ergodynamics of an active workstation), we recommend focusing your search on the latter end of the spectrum.
WorkWhileWalking has been dedicated to reviewing anti-fatigue mats since 2013, and our staff experts have lab tested more of them than any other independent reviews site. More important than durometer readings and durability testing, we have our reviewers use new mats for weeks or months before concluding our review, in real-world office environments.
At the end of the day, immediate impressions and numerical statistics aren’t as important as how the mats perform over time, in terms of comfort, shape retention, and ultimately, medical benefits (e.g. reduction of spinal compression, increase in sit-reach flexibility retention and propriosceptor stimulation). And all that has to be balanced against the cost of the product and its warranty coverage (the latter being of utmost importance given the typical abuse standing mats must endure).
Most consumers start their search for the best standing mat by price range, but the relationship between quality and price is not necessarily linear with standing mats. In fact, there are as many expensive mats of poor quality (e.g. the Ergotron Workfit Floor Mat at $199) as there are exceptionally good mats at more affordable prices (e.g. the iMovR EcoLast Premium mat for as low as $79.95).
How Standing Desk Mat Construction Affects Quality
Anti-fatigue floor mats made with low-cost materials might as well be disposable; they’ll either start coming apart or lose their buoyancy within a year. These were originally designed for kitchen/home use and won’t last long in an office environment. Most consist of an outer layer of rubber, vinyl, or polyurethane, with one or more layers of inexpensive foam and/or gel inside to keep material costs down. Some of the more expensive mats are even made with multiple layers of foam inside (like the Imprint Cumulus9), and while this method sounds state-of-the-art, it just increases the cost without enhancing buoyancy or durability.
Commercial grade mats, on the other hand, are specifically designed for use at a standing desk, in dress shoes. Quality mats in this category will be much firmer and will maintain their buoyancy throughout the workday. They will also last many years longer and won’t be easily damaged by chairs or high heels. Through our research, we have found that the very best standing mats that will last the longest and never degrade in performance are made solidly of a material called polyurethane. For more details about how materials and construction affect mat quality, take a look at The Real Differences Between the Best Standing Mats and the Worst.
Spending hours each day on a proper anti-fatigue mat designed for use with a standing desk can even lead to improved balance, by providing more proprioceptor stimulation to the bone joints in the feet, as compared to the minimal stimulation we get from standing or walking on perfectly flat floors all day. =
An anti-fatigue mat also helps reduce ergonomic issues associated with prolonged standing, which can be just as onerous as those associated with sitting disease. Pharmacists, security guards, manufacturing line workers, grocery cashiers, window tellers, morticians, DJs and other people who have to stand for many hours at a time can suffer mightily from foot pain, low back pain, varicose veins and other maladies.
Calculated Terrain Mats For Standing Desks
Lo and behold, there’s a new wrinkle to the conventional anti-fatigue standing mat that goes beyond the usual expansion of colors, sizes, and designs. So-called calculated terrain mats (a.k.a. “non-flat standing mats” or “active standing mats”) are a subcategory of standing mats exploding onto the scene. Check out our new review category, Calculated Terrain Standing Mats to see how these mats stack up against one another.
The progenitor of this new style of mats for standing desks, the Topo Mat from Ergodriven, has quickly been knocked off its pedestal by the TerraMat from CubeFit, which offers more standing space and more engaging surface features (like the Balance Board) for your feet. See our comprehensive round-up of all Non-Flat Standing Mat Reviews.
Custom Area and Large Area Standing Desk Mats
You can now buy the same high-performance standing mats in extra long “runners” (2′-4′ wide, of varying lengths), and custom-area, puzzle-piece mats to fit any office or warehouse—even L-mats for kitchen areas. Learn about how Amazon uses puzzle-piece mats for entire rows of workers in their fulfillment centers to endure their long hours of standing, hundreds of feet long. Check out our comprehensive round-up of Large Area Standing Mat Reviews.
Custom-Branded Standing Desk Mats
Want to see your company’s logo in more places, consider having it imprinted on the standing mats that can be seen at every sit-stand workstation around the office. Great for corporate wellness initiatives, custom-logo standing mats signal to workers that their employer cares about their health and happiness while doing the smart things to boost worker productivity at the same time.
The Perfect Companion To A Standing Mat
Standing mats are decidedly passive accessories, but there’s also now an active standing accessory to complement them. See our detailed review of the Gymba Muscle Activation Board, which lets you split your time between passive and active standing, together reducing your sitting time that much more every day. By activating core and leg muscles while standing the user can stave off low back pain, swelling feet and even the propensity to develop varicose veins (particularly for women), while reaping all the health benefits of working unseated.
Standing Desk Mat Review Comparison
Below, you’ll find the abstracts of each product review. Click on the product name to read the full review.
1. iMovR EcoLast Premium Standing Desk Mat
Sizes: 2′ x 3′, 2′ x 6′, 3′ x 5′, 3′ x 6′ (3/4″ thick)
Construction: 100% polyurethane
Colors: Standard line offered in Black, Gray, Brown; Designer Granite line offered in Steel, Copper, Gold, and Onyx; Designer Linen offered in Midnight Blue, Bronze, Burnished Copper, Lagoon, Aztec Gold, Onyx, Slate, Sunset, Beach Glass, Sand Dollar, Antique Light, and Antique Dark
Warranty: Ten-year full-performance warranty; lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects
Summary: With its 100% polyurethane unibody construction, this is the best-designed mat on the market today for serious standing desk use. The Premium Standing Mat is durable enough to resist the wear and tear of dress shoes and office chairs, and it is 100% recyclable, made in the USA, and will never leech out odorous or harmful gases. Its industry-leading warranty is comprehensive, and this product should last you that long at least without any degradation in comfort or performance because it uses the best available material and is a robust 3/4″ thick. It is one of our two Experts’ Choice selections for the best standing mat you can find on the market.
Price: $89
2. iMovR EcoLast Economy Standing Desk Mat
Size: 18″ x 30″ x 5/8″
Construction: 100% polyurethane
Color: Black
Warranty: Five-year full-performance warranty; lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects
Summary: The Economy Standing Mat provides full standing support and comfort at a fraction of the cost of other high-end mats. It’s built from the same durable one-piece polyurethane construction but pared down in size and thickness compared to the more luxurious iMovR EcoLast Premium Standing Mat. Despite this, it still features the same anti-travel, anti-deterioration qualities that we’ve come to expect from EcoLast.
Price: $54.95
3. Kensington Anti-Fatigue Mat
Size: 25.5″ x 36.8″ x 5/8″
Construction: patented rubberized (polyurethane) gel foam
Colors: Black
Warranty: 2-Year Warranty and 90-Day Money Back Guarantee
Summary: The Kensington Anti-Fatigue Mat comes at a hefty price, so the natural question is whether it’s worth it? The patented material doesn’t improve on ergonomics of some of its competitors above. It’s got very modest style and offers only one size/color option. 5/8″ thickness doesn’t offer as much comfort as 3/4″. So, the short answer is: “No”. Read the long answer in our full lab review.
Price: $89.99
4. Ergotron Workfit Standing Desk Mat
Size: 24″ x 36″ x 5/8″
Construction: Medium density polyurethane; foam
Color: Black
Warranty: Five years
Summary: With a higher quality foam on the inside, medium-quality urethane membrane on the top, and crumbly foam layer facing the floor, you might expect this standing mat to sell on the high side of the foam-core mats, perhaps in the $60-$70 range. Not $199. We suspect this is someone else’s mat that Ergotron has private labeled and marked up significantly for distribution through their dealer channel. WorkWhileWalking is an Ergotron dealer, and we love their well-made, popular, and utilitarian monitor arms and desktop risers, but we wouldn’t recommend any standing mat in this price range that wasn’t made of 100% polyurethane. (The same size solid polyurethane EcoLast mat sells for roughly half the price and will easily last ten times longer.)
Price: $289
5. VariDesk The Mat
Sizes: 20″ x 34″ and 24″ x 36″ (3/4″ thick)
Construction: High-density foam
Color: Black
Warranty: 30 days
Summary: VariDesk first asked to have their standing desk mat included in our product reviews but then pulled out with no explanation, so caveat emptor—”let the buyer beware.” Marketing materials provided by the company seem to indicate this is a very low-quality product, and the measly 30-day guarantee cements this perception. We tried them out at a trade show and confirmed our suspicions that this is an extremely low quality standing mat.
Price: $65
6. Sky Mat Standing Desk Mat
Sizes: 20″ x 32″ x 3/4″
Construction: Foam
Color: Brick Red (or Wine Red), Indigo Blue, Midnight Black, Desert Khaki, Light Brown, Gray, Brown (colors may be inconsistent between orders and sizes)
Warranty: Lifetime Warranty
Summary: Sky Mat tries to conquer the home market of with a comfort anti-fatigue kitchen mat that can look equally great at your office, but poor quality, inconsistent service, and quick product wear makes it a poor choice regardless of where you’re planning to use it. After just months of use you’ll most likely see flaking of the outer shell and puncture wounds on the underside (if you have a habit of wearing heels). And we don’t even mention compression that comes with the soft type of foam material it’s made of, which makes standing less comfortable.
Price: $37.97
7. Genuine Joe Air Step Anti-Fatigue Mat
Sizes: 2′ x 3′, 3′ x 5′, 3′ x 12′, and 12′ x 60′ (3/8″ thick)
Construction: Vinyl foam
Color: Black
Warranty: Zip. Nada. Nothing.
Summary: The Air Step defines “disposable standing mat.” This mat is too thin for serious use at a standing desk. If you do buy this product, pick it up in a 2-pack, because you’ll be filling the landfill with these at least once or twice a year. Our advice is to look to more upscale products.
Price: $30
8. Comfort Stand HD Standing Desk Mat
Sizes: 2′ x 3′, 3′ x 4′, 3′ x 5′, 4′ x 6′, 24′ x 30′, 36′ x 30′, 48′ x 30′ (7/8″ thick)
Construction: Nitrile sponge and single layer cross link vinyl
Color: Black
Warranty: 1-year warranty
Summary: While it barely moves underfoot even on smooth concrete floors (not a common but very much needed feature for anti-fatigue mats), Comfort Stand HD Mat doesn’t provide pain relief because it lacks support factor. This means that the mat sinks to the floor level under your weight, becoming as hard as the floor, which puts pressure on your legs and heels. A wide variety of sizes and 7/8″ thickness do give the mat an edge over the competition, but low-quality construction renders it all utterly useless. You can rip through nitrile sponge and cross link vinyl layer with your bare hands. What will become of them in an industrial environment?
Price: $60
Anti-Fatigue Mats With Special Features
If you feel like traditional mats for standing desks lack stability or portability there are mats with special features that take standing to the next level.
1. Experts’ Choice: iMovR EcoLast Dual Gripper Standing Desk Mat
Sizes: 18″ x 30″ and 24″ x 36″ (3/4″ thick)
Construction: 100% polyurethane; rubber traction strips; velcro pads
Colors: Black, Gray, and Brown (18″ x 30″ Black only)
Warranty: Ten-year full-performance warranty; lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects
Summary: The Dual Gripper features a unique anti-travel system designed to reduce the risk of unnecessary and dangerous slips. Yellow non-slip strips keep the mat in place on hard surfaces, while round grippers cling to just about any office carpet. Treadmill desk users with little floor space next to their treadmill can even set the 18″ x 30″ Dual Gripper on top of the belt for comfortable standing breaks during their workday. With the same durability, support, and warranty as the iMovR EcoLast Premium Standing Mat, the Dual Gripper is an elite standing relief solution. It is one of our two Experts’ Choice selections for the best standing mat you can find on the market.
Price: $160
2. iMovR EcoLast Premium Portable Standing Mat
Size: 18″ x 22″ x 3/4″
Construction: 100% polyurethane
Colors: Black, Gray, Brown
Warranty: Ten-year full-performance warranty; lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects
Summary: One mat, many uses. Perfect for sharing between multiple standing desk users, such as in a call center environment where its minimal footprint won’t become a tripping hazard. The Portable Standing Mat can also be thrown in the suitcase for business travel, taken to stadium games to make a comfy seat, or knelt on when gardening or doing household chores. This mat offers the same comfort and durability as the iMovR EcoLast Premium Standing Mat with the convenience of versatility. It is the best standing mat for your multipurpose comfort needs.
Price: $90
Specialty Mats
Traditional flat mats are characterized by standard sizes and usually come in a variety of colors. Specialty mats offer more sizing options and non-standard dimensions, which enables you to use them in different work environments.
1. iMovR EcoLast TreadTop Standing Mat
Sizes: 30″ x 18″ x 5/8″ and 32″ x 20″ x 3/4″
Construction: 100% polyurethane
Color: Black
Warranty: Five-year full-performance warranty; lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects
Summary: Even treadmill deskers need to stand every now and then, and the TreadTop allows users to take standing breaks without dismounting. Its redesigned dimensions are optimized to fit on the walking deck of any office treadmill, and the 20″ x 32″ model was made especially for iMovR’s ThermoTread GT office treadmill. The TreadTop Standing Mat has the same damage-resistant, anti-microbial, and compression/delamination proof qualities of the iMovR EcoLast Premium Standing Mat with the advantage of creating a versatile treadmill desk workstation.
Price: $54.95
2. iMovR EcoLast Premium Hybrid Standing / Chair Mat
Sizes: 3′ x 5′, 3′ x 6′, and 4′ x 5′
Construction: 100% polyurethane
Colors: Black, Gray, Brown (5’x3′ Black only)
Warranty: Ten-year full-performance warranty; lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects
Summary: Those that use a hard plastic chair mat know it is extremely uncomfortable to stand on for long periods, but bending down to move a standing mat in and out of place several times a day can be a pain. The good news is, there’s a great solution in the form of a supersized iMovR EcoLast Premium Standing Mat. Caster wheels will never damage the Hybrid or even leave an impression in it for more than a few seconds, and it is large enough for standing and sitting on with plenty of room to roll.
Price: $249
3. iMovR EcoLast Continuum Standing Mat
Sizes: 20″ x 90″, 20″ x 132″, 20″ x 174″, 20″ x 216″, 20″ x 258″, 24″ x 66″, 24″ x 96″, 24″ x 126″, 24″ x 156″, 24″ x 186″, 24″ x 216″, 24″ x 246″, 36″ x 114″, 36″ x 168″, 36″ x 222″, 36″ x 276″
Construction: 100% polyurethane
Colors: Black
Warranty: Ten-year full-performance warranty; lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects
Summary: Featuring the same high-quality construction iMovR EcoLast Continuum Mat is intended for work spaces outside corporate offices. 15 non-standard sizing options with 20-degree beveled edges ensure safety whenever you decide to use it – be it the warehouse, fire station, or pharmacy. While the 3/4 inch thick polyurethane surface provides enough comfort to have earned the mat a seal of approval from American Podiatric Medical Association, the non-slip backing lent it a High Traction Certification from the National Floor Safety Institute.
Price: $229.95
Discontinued Standing Mats
At WorkWhileWalking we’ve been lab testing and writing reviews of ergonomic office furniture and accessories for over a decade. In that time, we have seen many of the products we reviewed fall by the wayside. This is inevitable due to the cycle of continuous improvement, with new models supplanting their predecessors. Of course in some cases products weren’t as competitive as they needed to be, or their manufacturers ran into financial challenges (which very much accelerated as a result of the post-pandemic economy).
For whatever reason, these products now fall into the discontinued category, but we will still keep their reviews published and available to read. Whether you want to know more about the desk, monitor arm, etc. that you bought years ago, need more info because someone is selling one second hand, or just want to compare current offerings with what was available in the past, these reviews will remain here for your reference.
1. Imprint CumulusPRO Commercial Grade Standing Mat
The Imprint CumulusPRO Commercial Grade mat is made using 100% polyurethane unibody construction, making it durable and reliable. It comes in one size and two colors, leaving room for improvement.
Price: $66.11
2. Imprint Cumulus9 Comfort Mat
The Imprint Cumulus9 is good for short periods of time working in a kitchen but does not have enough support for serious use at a standing desk. However, it will fit in most anywhere due to its many size, color, and pattern options.
Price: $44.99
3. iMovR EverMat Portable Standing Desk Mat
This Asian-imported mat with nearly the same exacting formulation as iMovR’s premium EcoLast line impresses on both price and quality. Any manufacturer can create an affordable mat, but none have come this close to recreating the quality of the EcoLast series at a reduced price.
Price: $59.95
4. iMovR EverMat Hybrid Chair Mat
Unlike iMovR’s made-in-USA mats this one comes from Asia, but it’s made to the same exacting formulation as their premium EcoLast line. Can it stand against the famous EcoLast Hybrid Chair Mat? We contrast and compare in this lab review.
Price: $139.95
Stay Tuned
Already slated for addition to the Standing Desk Mat category are the anti-fatigue mats below. If you are considering a standing mat you don’t see listed above or below, please drop us a comment here and we’ll see about adding it in a future round-up. Please note that we do not generally review kitchen standing mats at this time, as we prefer to focus on our core audience’s interest in office standing mats for use with standing desks and treadmill desks. Also, check out one increasingly popular alternative to standing mats in our Standing Desk Balance Board Reviews round-up.
Look for upcoming reviews for:
Want To Learn More About Standing Mats?
• How To Choose The Right Standing Mat
Completing Your Ergonomic Workstation
Acquiring the best standing desk for your decor, budget and performance requirements is Step One. But making it a true ergonomic workstation involves adding the appropriate accessories you’ll need to keep your body in a correct posture, and have a neat and tidy setup. Check out our comprehensive guides to monitor arms, keyboard trays, anti-fatigue mats, ergonomic seats, cable management kits, power management modules, foot rests and under-desk treadmills for both expert advice and lab-tested product reviews of options in each of these categories.
Need more help? Read how to find your correct desk height, then check out 10 ways to improve your office ergonomics and answers to the most common standing desk questions.
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Anti-Fatigue Standing Mats
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