An open office trades walls for flexibility. Cubicles trade some flexibility for privacy and sound control. Neither is right for every team, and the best choice often depends less on culture talk and more on three practical questions: what each seat costs, how much quiet your people need, and how soon you have to be up and running.
Below you will find a straight comparison, real per-seat pricing for panel workstations, and a checklist to help you pick.
Open office vs cubicles at a glance
| Factor | Open office | Cubicles |
|---|---|---|
| Visual privacy | Low. Everyone sees everyone. | Moderate to high, depending on panel height. |
| Noise control | Low. Conversations carry across the floor. | Better. Fabric panels absorb some sound. |
| Collaboration | Easy, spontaneous. | Needs meeting space or lower panels. |
| Seat density | Usually higher. | Slightly lower per square foot. |
| Power and data | Floor boxes, poke-throughs or ceiling drops. | Often routed through powered panels. |
| Storage | Limited at the desk. | Overheads, pedestals and panel-hung shelves. |
| Reconfiguration | Move desks. | Modular, but takes a crew. |
What each seat really costs
Cubicles tend to lose the cost argument when buyers compare them to new desks. That comparison ignores the pre-owned market, where panel systems are one of the best values in office furniture. Here is what a standard 6x6 workstation costs at Office Station, furniture only:
| 6x6 workstation tier | Price per station | Typical lead time |
|---|---|---|
| Liquidation-grade | $615 | As little as 72 hours, in stock |
| Remanufactured | $1,245 | Usually 7 to 14 days |
| New | $1,920 | 4 to 6 weeks |
Average market rate Prices subject to availability and project pricing.
These prices exclude electrical, delivery and professional installation. Installation runs $95 per workstation with a $495 minimum. Delivery in Greater Phoenix is $195 for central areas and $295 across the metro, and freight elsewhere in the country is quoted per project.
A worked example: 30 seats
Say you need 30 cubicles. At liquidation-grade pricing, the furniture is 30 x $615 = $18,450. Thirty stations qualifies for 5% volume pricing, which brings that to about $17,528. Add $2,850 for installation (30 x $95) and the Greater Phoenix metro delivery fee of $295, and you land near $20,673 before electrical.
The same 30 seats in new furniture would be $57,600 before any discount. That $37,000 difference is what makes cubicles a realistic option for teams that assumed walls were out of reach.
Volume pricing steps up as you grow: 5% at 20 or more stations, 8% at 50 or more and 12% at 100 or more.
Hidden costs in an open office
Open layouts look cheap on a furniture invoice, but a few costs show up later:
- Power to the middle of the room. Without panels to carry wiring, you may need floor boxes or ceiling drops.
- Acoustic fixes. Many open offices end up buying phone booths, sound panels or extra meeting rooms after move-in.
- Lost focus time. Hard to price, but real for roles that need concentration.
Privacy and noise: choosing panel height
If you go with cubicles, panel height is the biggest privacy lever you have. Lower panels keep sightlines open while defining personal space. Taller panels block seated views and most standing views, which helps for phone-heavy roles and anyone handling sensitive information.
A common approach is to mix heights: lower panels where team members need to talk, taller panels where calls and confidential work happen. Glass or open-top panels can bring light into the interior without giving up the structure of a cubicle.
Lead time: how soon can you move in?
Timelines decide more layout questions than people admit. If your lease starts in two weeks, a 6-week new furniture order is not an option. Here is how the tiers line up against real deadlines:
- Under a week: liquidation-grade stations, which can be ready in as little as 72 hours when in stock.
- Two to three weeks: remanufactured stations, which usually take 7 to 14 days.
- A month or more: new furniture, which typically takes 4 to 6 weeks.
Condition matters too. Pre-owned furniture is graded A for like new, B for very good and C for good, so you can match appearance to where the stations will sit. Keep in mind that Office Station sells pre-owned brands like Herman Miller, Steelcase, Knoll and Haworth as an independent reseller, not an authorized dealer, and manufacturer warranties generally do not transfer to pre-owned furniture.
Checklist: which layout fits your team?
Lean toward cubicles if most of these are true:
- Your people spend much of the day on calls or doing focused work.
- Staff handle confidential records, payroll or client information.
- You need built-in storage at each seat.
- Your floor has limited power in the center of the room.
Lean toward an open office if most of these are true:
- Teams work together constantly and move around often.
- You expect your headcount or team makeup to change quarterly.
- You already have good acoustics and plenty of meeting rooms.
- Maximum seat count per square foot is your top priority.
If you are split down the middle, plan a hybrid and let the floor plan guide the ratio.
Replacing an old layout
Switching layouts often means your current furniture has to go. Office Station can give you a written net offer for it, which is the resale value minus the removal cost. When that number is positive, you get paid. You can get a rough idea with the liquidation estimator, or read more about office decommissioning if you are clearing an entire suite.
For more planning help, browse our office furniture guides or see the full range of pre-owned office furniture.
Frequently asked questions
Are cubicles more expensive than an open office?
Per seat, panel walls add cost compared with a simple desk, but the gap shrinks fast when you buy pre-owned. A 6x6 liquidation-grade workstation from Office Station is $615 furniture-only, compared with $1,920 for new. Electrical, delivery and installation are extra in either layout.
Which layout is better for focus work?
Cubicles win for heads-down work because panels block sightlines and absorb some sound. Open layouts work better for teams that talk all day and share screens. Many offices mix both, with panel stations for focused roles and open tables for collaborative ones.
How fast can I get cubicles installed?
Liquidation-grade stations can be ready in as little as 72 hours when in stock. Remanufactured stations usually take 7 to 14 days, and new furniture typically takes 4 to 6 weeks. Installation is $95 per workstation with a $495 minimum.
Can I switch from open office to cubicles later?
Yes. Panel systems are modular, so you can add stations as headcount grows or convert an open area in phases. Planning power and data paths up front makes a later switch much easier.
Does Office Station help plan the layout?
Yes. Space planning is free. Send your floor plan or measurements to hello@officestation.com and we will map seat counts for both layouts so you can compare them side by side.
Average market rate Prices subject to availability and project pricing.
