Most cubicle shopping starts with station size and stops there. That is backwards. The arrangement decides how many people fit, what you spend per seat, where power has to land, and whether the floor is pleasant to walk through. Two offices can buy the same 6'x6' station and land far apart on cost per person purely because of how the panels are shared.
- How a layout is actually built
- Single station
- 2-pack cluster
- 2-pack inline
- 3-pack inline
- 4-pack cluster
- 6-pack cluster
- Bullpen
- Open benching
- Manager and L-shaped stations
- Layout comparison table
- Circulation and aisle planning
- Power, columns and the building
- Common layout mistakes
How a layout is actually built
A cubicle system is panels, worksurfaces hung off them, and the storage and power that clip in. Panels are the expensive part, so the economics come down to one question: how many people does each panel serve?
A standalone station buys every panel around it. Put two side by side and the panel between them counts once instead of twice. Put four in a square and the interior arms serve all four at once. That is the shared-panel effect, and it is why cost per seat drops as the pack grows. Rough panel math for 6'x6' stations:
- Single station: about 3 panels per seat
- 2-pack, either orientation: about 2.5 panels per seat
- 3-pack inline: about 2.3 panels per seat
- 4-pack cluster: about 2 panels per seat
- 6-pack cluster: about 1.8 panels per seat
- Bullpen with low panels: about 1.5 panels per seat
- Open benching: under 1, since there are no full panels
Counts vary by system, but the direction never changes. To see these drawn rather than described, the cubicle configurations picker shows each arrangement visually so you can choose a layout before a grade.
Single station
One workstation, freestanding, panels on the back and both sides with an open entry. Seats one. About 36 square feet for a 6'x6', or 55 to 60 with its share of the aisle.
Singles suit a lone corner seat, a compliance or HR role that needs separation, or adding one person rather than a team. Nothing is shared, so this is the most expensive way to seat someone. Buy singles when isolation is the point, not when you are filling a floor.
2-pack cluster
Two stations back to back, sharing the rear panel. The pair reads as one 6-foot by 12-foot block, about 72 square feet, with the occupants facing away from each other.
This is the smallest arrangement that earns shared-panel savings, and the densest way to seat two in a narrow space. It works against a wall, in a side office converted to two seats, or as the block you repeat down a long room. Facing away suits heads-down work, not pair work.
2-pack inline
Two stations side by side in a straight run, sharing the panel between them. Same 72 square feet as the cluster, shaped 12 feet wide by 6 deep instead.
Inline is right along a wall, under a window line, or down a corridor where depth is scarce and width is not. It is also the most extendable layout here: a third seat is one more panel and one more worksurface set, where clusters do not grow gracefully at all.
3-pack inline
Three stations in a row sharing two interior panels. In 6'x6' stations that is an 18-foot by 6-foot run, about 108 square feet.
A 3-pack is the natural unit for a small team that sits together but works independently, and it fits most wall lengths without awkward leftover space. It also fills the band between a window wall and the first aisle, keeping daylight on the floor instead of behind panels. Panel height matters more here than in a cluster, because the whole row looks down one sightline. The cubicle size guide covers how 42, 53 and 65-inch panels change that view.
4-pack cluster
Four stations two by two around a center cross of panels, each person bordering two neighbors. In 6'x6' stations that is a 12-foot square, about 144 square feet of footprint, or 200 to 215 with its share of aisles.
The 4-pack is the workhorse pod of most open floors: compact, symmetrical, four panel arms doing double duty. It tiles cleanly across a rectangular floor plate. Entry direction matters. Orient the four openings so nobody walks through another person's station to reach their own.
6-pack cluster
Six stations off a shared spine, usually three across and two deep. In 6'x6' stations that is about 18 feet by 12, roughly 216 square feet of footprint and 300 to 330 once aisles are counted.
This is the best cost per seat in a full panel system, because roughly eleven panels serve six people. It suits departments that sit as a unit: claims, scheduling, inside sales, accounts payable. The catch is rigidity. A 6-pack is one geometric object, and a seventh hire means an orphan station or a rebuilt pod.
Bullpen
Two rows of stations facing each other across a shared low panel spine, typically 42 inches so everyone can see over the top. Sizes run from 4 seats to 12 or more in one continuous block.
Bullpens suit teams that talk constantly and need to see each other: sales floors, support desks, dispatch. The rows face in, so the spine serves two people at every position, and the low panel height carries Office Station's 0.95 multiplier. A liquidation-grade 6'x6' station at $615 comes to about $584 at 42 inches, furniture only. The cost is acoustic. Bullpens are loud by design, so put a phone room nearby or the team will take calls in the aisle.
Open benching
No panels at all. A continuous worksurface, usually double-sided, people along both edges, low screens between positions if you want separation. A seat is about 5 feet wide by 2.5 deep, so an eight-seat double-sided run is roughly 20 feet by 5.
Benching is the cheapest and densest way to seat people: a liquidation-grade bench seat is $460 against $615 for a 6'x6' station, furniture only. It suits hybrid teams, hoteling, design and engineering, anyone laptop-first. It is a poor fit for phone-heavy roles, private information and paper. Power is easier than in panels, since bench frames carry a raceway the length of the run.
Manager and L-shaped stations
An 8'x8' station with an L-shaped or U-shaped worksurface, often taller panels, room for a guest chair. Footprint 64 square feet, 85 to 100 with aisle. Office Station lists the 8'x8' manager at $850 liquidation grade, $1,615 remanufactured and $2,470 new, furniture only.
Put managers at the end of a run or on the perimeter of a pod, never inside it. That gives them the quiet side, keeps the guest chair out of the aisle, and lets taller panels form a soft edge to the team area instead of a wall through it. If the role needs a door, price a private office suite instead.
Layout comparison table
| Layout | Seats | Footprint (6'x6' stations) | Panels per seat | Best for | Relative cost per seat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single station | 1 | 36 sq ft | ~3.0 | Isolated roles, corner seats, one-off adds | Highest |
| 2-pack cluster | 2 | 6' x 12' / 72 sq ft | ~2.5 | Heads-down pairs, narrow rooms | High |
| 2-pack inline | 2 | 12' x 6' / 72 sq ft | ~2.5 | Wall and window runs you may extend | High |
| 3-pack inline | 3 | 18' x 6' / 108 sq ft | ~2.3 | Small teams along a wall | Moderate |
| 4-pack cluster | 4 | 12' x 12' / 144 sq ft | ~2.0 | Pod teams, tiling an open floor | Moderate |
| 6-pack cluster | 6 | 18' x 12' / 216 sq ft | ~1.8 | Whole departments seated as a unit | Low |
| Bullpen (42" panels) | 4-12+ | ~25-36 sq ft per seat | ~1.5 | Sales, support, dispatch, constant talk | Low |
| Open benching | 4-16+ | ~12-15 sq ft per seat | under 1 | Hybrid, hoteling, laptop-first teams | Lowest |
| Manager 8'x8' | 1 | 64 sq ft | ~3.0 | Supervisors, desk-side meetings | Highest |
Footprints are the workstation block only, so add aisles before you trust a seat count. For real numbers, the instant quote builder prices your seat count in liquidation, remanufactured and new side by side, and the used cubicle price guide explains the spread.
Circulation and aisle planning
Aisles are where seat counts go to die. Three numbers to plan against:
- 36 inches clear is the minimum for an accessible route under the ADA Standards. Clear means clear: past the panel, past a pulled-out chair, past the extinguisher cabinet.
- 42 to 48 inches is what most offices run between workstation rows. Two people can pass, and a chair can roll back without blocking traffic.
- Wider still for the main spine and required exit corridors. Egress widths depend on occupant load and local code, so confirm them with the authority having jurisdiction.
Run one clear spine from the entry to the back so nobody weaves between pods to cross the room. Do not dead-end an aisle behind a cluster. Keep panel openings off the main spine where you can, and measure to the panel face, not the centerline.
Power, columns and the building
The layout you draw has to agree with the building you are in, and the building usually wins.
Power. Powered panels carry an internal raceway, but it has to be fed from a wall stub, a floor core or a ceiling drop. Every pod needs a feed point, and each feed carries a limited number of circuits before you need another. This is the most common reason a finished layout moves after the electrician sees it. Draw feed points before you draw pods. Electrical is quoted separately from furniture.
Columns. Structural columns do not move and are rarely on a convenient grid. One landing inside a planned 6-pack can cost you two seats. Measure their locations and dimensions, fireproofing included, before you place a station. Often the fix is swapping a cluster for an inline run that passes the column cleanly.
Everything else. Sprinkler heads need clearance above tall panels. Window mullions set where a panel can land against the glass. Door swings, electrical panels and IT closets keep their clear space.
Common layout mistakes
- Planning seats, then discovering aisles. A floor that fits 60 stations on paper fits 48 once circulation is real. Lay out aisles first, then fill.
- Buying singles to fill a floor. Same station, same grade, and you paid for panels nobody needed. If people sit together, buy packs.
- Clustering a team that will grow. Clusters are cheaper per seat but harder to extend. If headcount is uncertain, inline runs add one seat at a time.
- Bullpen with no quiet space. Facing rows and 42-inch panels mean everyone hears everything. Budget a phone room.
- Ignoring where power comes in. A pod with no feed point is a pod with extension cords across the aisle.
- Forgetting the chair. A seated person plus a pushed-back chair is roughly 3 feet beyond the worksurface. Layouts fail here more than anywhere else.
- Reusing an old plan in a new building. Different columns, different power, different window line. Re-plan before you move, and liquidate what no longer fits rather than moving it twice.
Space planning is free at Office Station. Send a floor plan, a PDF, or a sketch with dimensions and a headcount, and you get a layout back with real seat counts and aisle widths plus pricing in all three grades. Start with the layout picker, browse used cubicles, or if you are moving, loop in office relocation so the plan and the move date line up. Questions to hello@officestation.com.
Average market rate Prices subject to availability and project pricing.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a cubicle cluster and an inline run?
An inline run puts stations side by side in a straight line, so each pair shares one panel. A cluster puts stations back to back and side to side around a shared center, so each station borders two or three neighbors. Clusters share more panels, which lowers cost per seat and shrinks the footprint, but they are harder to extend later.
How many people does a 6-pack of cubicles seat?
Six. A 6-pack is a cluster of six workstations built around a shared panel spine, usually arranged three across and two deep. In 6'x6' stations that is roughly 18 feet by 12 feet, or about 216 square feet of workstation footprint before aisles. Plan closer to 300-330 square feet once circulation is counted.
How much floor space does a 4-pack of cubicles need?
A 4-pack of 6'x6' stations is a 12-foot by 12-foot square, about 144 square feet of footprint. Add its share of the surrounding aisles and plan on roughly 200-215 square feet for the pod. A 4-pack of 6'x8' stations runs about 14 by 16 feet, or 224 square feet before aisles.
Is a bullpen layout cheaper than standard cubicles?
Usually, for two reasons. Bullpens use low panels, which Office Station prices at a 0.95 multiplier against the mid-height 53-inch standard, and the facing rows share a center spine so fewer panels are bought per seat. A 6'x6' liquidation-grade station at $615 comes to about $584 with 42-inch panels, furniture only.
How wide do aisles between cubicle rows need to be?
An accessible route must be at least 36 inches clear under the ADA Standards. Most offices plan 42 to 48 inches between workstation rows so two people can pass and chairs can roll back. Main circulation spines and required exit corridors are typically wider. Confirm egress widths with local code and your building before finalizing the plan.
Which cubicle layout gives the lowest cost per seat?
Open benching, because there are no full panels to buy: a liquidation-grade bench seat is $460 against $615 for a 6'x6' station, furniture only. Among panel systems, the 6-pack cluster is lowest because roughly 11 panels serve six people. Cost per seat falls as the pack grows and more panels are shared.
Average market rate Prices subject to availability and project pricing.
