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Bamboo or aluminium wind chimes

Updated: October 2026

You have already decided the garden gets a chime, and the open question is the material. Bamboo or aluminium wind chimes is a sound decision first and a weather decision second: bamboo knocks and stays local, aluminium rings and carries, and a British winter punishes both if you ignore the cord. The twelve-row table, with weights and prices, is the [wind chimes comparison](/hub/diy-supplies/wind-chimes). Peter F. used those amazon.co.uk listings, the UK reviews and The Wind Chime Shop's care notes on 16 October 2026. We did not measure decibels. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have already decided the garden gets a chime, and the open question is the material.

Our top picks

ASTARIN ASTARIN 36 inch aluminium chime

Best overall

ASTARIN ASTARIN 36 inch aluminium chime
9.0/10about £29.60
View offer
FONMY FONMY 33 inch six-tube chime

Alternative

FONMY FONMY 33 inch six-tube chime
8.6/10about £21.99
View offer
Rdutuok Rdutuok 81 cm bamboo chime

Preis-Tipp

Rdutuok Rdutuok 81 cm bamboo chime
8.6/10about £18.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.The sound, not the photo
  2. 2.Rain, cracks and pitting
  3. 3.What the heavy and the light listings do
  4. 4.Which material to choose

The sound, not the photo

Who each named listing is for, as a short list, is on the best wind chimes page. This page ends on one conditional recommendation, not a rank of all twelve. There is no British Standard number for garden chimes in these sources. Aluminium rings after the strike and the sound travels. Bamboo makes a shorter woody knock and does not resonate in the same way. The Wind Chime Shop says bamboo is muted beside metal, and it is the material they suggest when a neighbour is the worry. That is a retailer's rule of thumb, not a reading from a meter. On the Rdutuok, six bamboo tubes at 580 g and £18.99, UK reviews describe a gentle clunk and say it is quieter than metal. On the ASTARIN, six aluminium tubes at 948 g and £29.60, UK reviews praise a deep tone, and one buyer brought it indoors because it was very loud. Length and the word tuned are on the buying guide.

Rain, cracks and pitting

Neither material is maintenance-free in a British winter. The Wind Chime Shop's care page says aluminium alloy will not rust and that it may pit, and that a coating can suffer where tubes knock together. The same page treats cracks in bamboo, from humidity, as normal, and says they should not spoil the sound. It suggests bringing bamboo in for a harsh winter. Nylon cord still chafes on both. These sources do not support a year-count. Leave either out all winter only when the spot is sheltered, such as under a porch. A gale is separate: take the chime down, because the cord is what fails. The Koshi Terra listing says Indoor. It is not the outdoor bamboo case. How to hang either material so the sail actually moves is on how to hang wind chimes.
ASTARIN ASTARIN 36 inch aluminium chime

Testsieger

ASTARIN ASTARIN 36 inch aluminium chime
9.0/10about £29.60
View offer

What the heavy and the light listings do

The FONMY sits between the two files and is not pure bamboo. It has aluminium tubes and bamboo parts, 680 g, £21.99, 4.7 from 897 reviews, a 33 inch title that does not match the 73.7 cm cell, and one report of a missing hook. The light aluminium titles do not inherit a 948 g character. The Febbya at 90 g has one UK text. The TAGMEIU at 120 g has UK texts that call the sound a thin clank. The VerdeBlomm at 95 g has six positive UK texts and no fault stated, which is too small a file to prove a winter.

Which material to choose

Choose bamboo when the sound must stay local, the garden is small, and you will bring it in for a harsh winter and replace a string if it goes. Choose thick aluminium when a deeper ring is the point, the spot is not a bedroom window, and you can take a heavy chime down in a gale. If you cannot meet that second condition, skip the heavy aluminium even though the tone is the one people praise.

Common questions

Which is quieter next to a neighbour?
Bamboo, as a rule of thumb from The Wind Chime Shop and from UK reviews of the Rdutuok, which buyers describe as quieter than their metal chimes. It is not silent, and some of those reviews say it is too quiet to bother with in shelter. Aluminium at 948 g is the listing people call deep and, in one UK text, too loud. There is no decibel figure in these sources.
Will aluminium rust in the rain?
The Wind Chime Shop says aluminium alloy will not rust and that it can pit. Powder coat can flake or mark where tubes knock, which matches a UK review of a printed image wearing off the ASTARIN. A no-rust claim is not a claim that nothing happens outdoors. The cord can still snap in a gale, on that same listing's UK reviews.
Do bamboo cracks mean the chime is broken?
Not by themselves. The Wind Chime Shop treats humidity cracks as normal and says they should not spoil the sound. A split that drops a tube, or strings that have already failed, is a different fault. Their advice is to bring bamboo in for a harsh winter. That is care, not a claim that every crack is harmless forever.
Can you leave either out all winter?
Only in a sheltered spot, such as under a porch, if you follow that shop's care line. An open lawn is the case for bringing bamboo in, and a gale is the case for taking either material down. We are not stating a number of winters. The Rdutuok file has two texts about a second year of sound, which is not a warranty.
What fails on both?
The cord. Nylon chafes, a loose extra cord keeps the chime silent, and a gale can snap a hanger. UK reviews cite strings on the Rdutuok and a snapped cord on the ASTARIN. The tubes can be the right material and the suspension can still be what you replace. Hanging from the ring on a rigid hook is the control you have on day one.

Related pages

Memorial wind chimes

Wind chimes

Best wind chimes UK for porch tone or a quiet garden

Wind chimes buying guide for length, weight and sound

How to hang wind chimes on a hook with room to swing

Sources

GOV.UK, Crawley Borough Council, legislation.gov.uk, the General Product Safety Regulations 2005, The Wind Chime Shop, Koshi and the Health and Safety Executive. Prices and stars are the amazon.co.uk listings in this set. Prices move.

  1. GOV.UK, noise nuisances (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  2. Crawley Borough Council, neighbour noise (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  3. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  4. General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  5. The Wind Chime Shop, FAQs (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  6. The Wind Chime Shop, care (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  7. Koshi FAQ (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  8. HSE, ladders (retrieved 17 October 2026)