9 steps · 6 parts · 28 pieces of hardware
IKEA STEFAN chair, brown-black: interactive 3D assembly guide
Every step of IKEA's STEFAN chair manual, built in 3D. Press play to watch a step, drag to look around, or switch to Drawing to see it in the manual's black-line style.
What is in the box
Two side frames, a front rail, a back rail, the backrest and the seat; 14 dowels (101350), 6 long screws (104322), 4 corner brackets (122620), 4 short screws (122925) and a hex key (10083377). You also need a cross-head screwdriver and an awl.
- Work on a rug or the flattened carton, as the manual shows, so the wood does not get scratched.
- The last steps are done on a table: the chair goes on it upside down, its back hanging over the edge.
All 9 steps
- 1Push the corner brackets into the seat rails
Lay the two seat rails on a rug, their inside faces up. Push two corner brackets (122620) into the holes near the top edge of each rail by hand, their shelves at the edge: 4 in all.
- 2Stand the back rail in a side frame common mistake
Push 2 dowels (101350) into each end of the back rail, the shorter of the two. Lay a side frame flat on the rug, its holes up, and stand the back rail in the holes where the back leg bends, its brackets at the top edge. Common mistake: The manual draws the two rails side by side and crosses out the longer one here: the chair is narrower at the back than at the front, so the back rail is the shorter. Stood at the back, the front rail sticks up past where the other side frame goes, which then will not sit down on the dowels, and the seat will not fit either. Use the shorter rail at the back leg and keep the longer one for the front.
- 3Stand the front rail in the side frame
Push 2 dowels into each end of the front rail and stand it in the holes at the top of the front leg, its brackets at the top edge too.
- 4Stand the backrest in the side frame
Push 6 dowels into the backrest’s ends: 2 in each end of its top rail and 1 in each end of its bottom rail. Stand it in the holes up the back leg, where it leans back.
- 5Lay the other side frame on and screw it
Lay the other side frame onto the dowels of the rails and the backrest. Screw it to them with 3 long screws (104322), turned in with the hex key (10083377): at the front leg, where the back leg bends and at the top of the back leg.
- 6Turn it over and screw the first side
Turn the chair over onto its other side and screw the first side frame to the rails and the backrest the same way, with the other 3 long screws.
- 7Set the frame upside down on the seat
Lay the seat upside down on a table, its back edge just past the table’s edge. Turn the chair frame upside down and lower it onto the seat, so the backrest hangs down past the edge.
- 8Line the frame up with the seat
Push the frame about until the seat’s edges are flush with the outside of the legs all round, as the manual’s close-ups show.
- 9Screw the seat on
Prick a hole into the seat through each corner bracket with an awl. Drive a short screw (122925) up through each bracket into the seat with a cross-head screwdriver: 4 screws. Turn the chair the right way up and stand it on the floor.
Parts and hardware checklist
| 2× | Side frame | about 90×49.1×3.5 cm |
| 1× | Back rail | about 30.9×7×2 cm |
| 1× | Front rail | about 34.9×7×2 cm |
| 1× | Backrest | about 34.1×30.3×2 cm |
| 1× | Seat | about 42×37×1.8 cm |
| 14× | Dowel | #101350 · 8 × 30 mm |
| 4× | Corner bracket | #122620 |
| 6× | Screw | #104322 |
| 4× | Screw | #122925 |
| 1× | Hex key | #10083377 |
Tools you need
- Cross-head screwdriver · Not in the box: the manual asks for one, for the 4 screws that hold the seat.
- Awl · Not in the box: the manual asks for one, to prick the seat’s 4 screw holes through the brackets.
Questions
What tools do I need for the STEFAN chair?
The hex key (10083377) in the box for the 6 long screws, a cross-head screwdriver for the 4 seat screws, and an awl to prick the seat’s screw holes. The manual also does the last steps on a table.
Which seat rail goes at the back?
The shorter one. The chair is narrower at the back than at the front, so the back rail is shorter than the front rail; the manual crosses out the long one at the back.
Why is the chair upside down on a table at the end?
The seat lies upside down on the table and the frame is lowered onto it, its backrest hanging over the edge, so you can line the seat up and screw it on through the corner brackets from above.
Should I tighten the screws again?
Yes: IKEA advises tightening them again about two weeks after assembly, and when needed after that.
Safety
From IKEA’s product page: for more stability, tighten the screws again about two weeks after assembly, and when needed. The chair is tested for home use (EN 12520 and EN 1022).
About this guide
The steps, the part numbers, the counts and the order come from IKEA's assembly manual AA-21977-11 (2021-03-24). The outer size, 42 × 49 × 90 cm, is IKEA's published size. The chair’s width, depth and height and the seat’s depth and height are IKEA’s; the parts’ sections, how much narrower the chair is at the back, the backrest’s lean and the table are read off the manual’s drawings, so they are close, not measured. The 3D runs faster than real hands do.
IKEA has tested the chair for a load of 110 kg (243 lb).
The manufacturer's instructions are on IKEA's product page (PDF). If something here differs from the manual in your box, follow the manual.
The 3D models, drawings and text are our own. IKEA and STEFAN are named only to say which product this guide is for.