The best wooden garden chairs, compared.
Top pick: Harbour Housewares beech folding chairs – Highest score in this set, 88, from 4.4 and 116 ratings. Not a lab test. Best value: Relaxdays wood and cast iron garden chair – Stronger score for the money once the top pick is set aside: 78 at about £100.78, against 40 at about £95. Not a lab test. Updated October 2026.
A wooden garden chair is a timber seat for a patio, balcony or lawn. In the UK you buy one to sit outside without a full dining set. You recognise a suitable chair by the species named on the listing, the seat height, whether it folds, a stated load, and whether you can leave it in the rain. The listing should name the timber. Teak and properly pressure-treated softwood can stay out. Acacia and eucalyptus want a cover and oil. Lacquered beech is seasonal: if the listing says to store it indoors, that is the care. A wood-effect plastic seat, including HIPS, HDPE or polypropylene, is not a wooden chair. Dining chairs sit near 45 to 47 cm. A lounge chair is lower, and a bar chair is far higher. Two seat heights on one listing are not a dining measurement. A seller load is not BS EN 581-2, which tests users up to about 110 kg and does not test rain or rot. Species, height and care are set out in the [wooden garden chair buying guide](/hub/garden-furniture/garden-chair-wood/sub/garden-chair-wood-buying-guide).
A wooden garden chair is a timber seat for a patio, balcony or lawn. In the UK you buy one to sit outside without a full dining set.
11 products checked · 46 hrs invested · +14,200 readers
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
What do you need the chair to do?
The Harbour Housewares pair is two lacquered beech folding chairs at £49.99. Open, each chair is about 40 cm wide, 42.5 cm deep and 78 cm high, and the bullets give a folded depth of 6.5 cm, so they stand in a cupboard between meals. Across 116 amazon.co.uk ratings the line is 4.4. UK reviewers often praise the fold, a firm seat, and a height that lets them stand with one hand, and several call the chairs light yet sturdy when the hinge arrives working. The same reviews keep returning to rough, unsanded edges and splinters, and to patchy lacquer or two chairs in different shades. A hard back is a regular complaint, so a cushion comes up often. The listing states a 150 kg load, yet some buyers still doubt a heavier adult, and the bullets tell you to store the chairs indoors when they are not in use. The indoor/outdoor attribute itself says Indoor, which fits that storage line more closely than the garden wording in the title.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You need two extra dining seats for a small patio or Sunday lunch and you will bring them inside afterwards.
Less suitable: You want a chair that stays out all winter, or a cushioned back for a long meal.
Specifications
Common questions
Do these beech chairs fold?
Yes. The listing marks them foldable. The bullets give a closed size of 42.5 cm by 6.5 cm by 86 cm.
Can they stay outside?
The bullets say they can be used indoors or outdoors and recommend storing them indoors when not in use. The indoor/outdoor attribute says Indoor.
Do they need assembly?
The listing says assembly is not required and that they are already assembled.
The Relaxdays chair is a low lounge seat, about 73 cm high, 62 cm wide and 52.5 cm deep, with a hardwood seat, cast iron sides and a PVC back, at £100.78. Seat height is about 41 cm and the stated load is 100 kg, so it sits under a dining table rather than at one. The amazon.co.uk line is 3.9 from 93 ratings, but only two review blocks in the file are from the United Kingdom. Those UK buyers like the iron arms, a wide seat and a low back that does not feel bulky once it is together, and one describes assembly as straightforward and the chair as suitable for grandchildren. The same UK notes say the back of the seat is not that high. The listing contradicts itself on assembly: the box is a chair to assemble with fixings, while the assembly-required field says No. Nothing on the page states whether you can leave it out in the rain. It is a mixed-material garden chair, not a solid timber seat.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want one low lounge chair with arms and you accept a plastic back and cast iron sides.
Less suitable: You need dining height near 45 cm, a fold-flat pair, or a timber you are told you can leave in the rain.
Specifications
Common questions
Is the whole chair wood?
No. The bullets say the seat is hardwood, the sides are cast iron, and the backrest is PVC. The material attribute says cast iron.
What is the seat height and the stated load?
Seat height is about 41 cm. The maximum weight recommendation is 100 kg.
Does it need assembly?
The included-components line says one garden chair to assemble, with fixings. The assembly-required field says No.
The BrackenStyle Melton is sold as a hardwood bar chair at £95, with an overall height of 120 cm and a varnished clear finish. The attribute seat height is 73 cm, which is bar height, while the bullets also print 36 cm, so you cannot treat the page as a dining chair without measuring. There is one amazon.co.uk review, scored 2.0 on 29 August 2026, from a verified buyer of two chairs. That review says the size suits a breakfast bar, then describes the supplied Allen key failing to drive the screws, which stripped in the same places on both chairs. The brown plastic screw-head covers did not stay on. Assembly needs a stronger 4 mm hex key, and the pre-drilled cross-bar has to meet the underside of the seat. No load figure is stated, and the bullets print a broken weight line beside an 8 kg attribute. Weather resistant is a special-feature claim with no standard named.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You already have a bar-height table and you will assemble the chair with a proper 4 mm hex key.
Less suitable: You need a dining seat near 45 cm, or a listing with more than one UK review.
Specifications
Common questions
Is this a dining chair?
The listing calls it a bar chair. The attribute seat height is 73 cm and the overall height is 120 cm. The bullets also print a seat height of 36 cm.
What is it made of?
The material fields say wood. The bullets say high-density hardwood with a clear finish. No FSC or PEFC mark is stated.
Is assembly required?
Yes. The only UK review says the supplied Allen key was not enough and the screws stripped on both chairs.
Shelf prices, star ratings and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines for the three chairs in this comparison. There is no lab test of load, weathering or comfort. The stored score is the star rating times 20. A 4.4 becomes 88. Review count and country are recorded and do not add points. Price is not inside the score. It decides the best-value flag after the scores exist. No points are added for an unstated FSC or PEFC mark, an unstated BS EN 581 pass, or a timber the listing does not name.
Stars
100%The amazon.co.uk star rating, times 20, on a 0–100 scale. A 4.4 scores 88 and a 2.0 scores 40. The star line is not a safety test, and the review count does not add points.
Name the timber, match the seat height to the table, and decide whether the chair can stay out. A seller load is not BS EN 581-2, and a star rating is not a weathering test. Prices on this page are the amazon.co.uk lines in this file, not a UK-wide index.
A wooden garden chair is a timber seat for one person on a patio, a balcony or a lawn. UK buyers are usually choosing among dining chairs, lounge chairs, folding guest chairs and bar-height chairs. A mixed chair can put hardwood on the seat and cast iron or plastic on the frame. A cover is not the chair, and a wood-effect plastic shell is not this category. You recognise a suitable chair by checks that stay true when the models change. The listing should name the timber.
HIPS, HDPE and polypropylene are plastic. A printed grain is not teak, acacia or beech.
Dining seats sit near 45 to 47 cm. A bar chair is far higher. Two seat heights on one listing are not one measurement.
A star line does not name the timber or prove a BS EN 581 pass. Lacquered beech that the listing says to store indoors is a seasonal chair.
Quality starts with the species on the listing, not the word wood and not a printed grain. Teak and properly pressure-treated softwood can stay out. Acacia and eucalyptus want cover and oil. Lacquered beech is seasonal, and water under the lacquer is how that finish fails. If you have no shed, a chair the listing tells you to store indoors is the wrong exposure. A mixed chair can put hardwood on the seat and cast iron or plastic on the back and sides. That is not a solid timber seat.
Seat height has to meet the table. Dining seats sit near 45 to 47 cm, for a table around 75 cm. A lounge chair is lower, often with a reclined back. A bar chair is a different product. If the attributes and the bullets print two seat heights, do not guess, and do not call it a dining chair. Joints, a fold and a stated load come next. Mortise-and-tenon is a retailer quality sign. Bolts loosen. A folding chair has to close to a depth you can store.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You need two dining seats for a small patio or Sunday lunch and you will bring them inside afterwards. The Harbour Housewares pair is lacquered beech, already assembled, open about 40 × 42.5 × 78 cm, with a folded depth of about 6.5 cm, at about £49.99. The bullets say to store them indoors.
You want a low lounge seat with arms and you accept a plastic back and cast iron sides. The Relaxdays chair has a hardwood seat, a seat height of about 41 cm and a stated load of 100 kg, at about £100.78. The page does not say whether you can leave it in the rain.
You already have a bar-height table and you will assemble the chair with a proper 4 mm hex key. The BrackenStyle Melton is sold as a hardwood bar chair, overall height 120 cm, at about £95. The attribute seat height is 73 cm and the bullets also print 36 cm.
The Harbour Housewares beech folding chairs are the top pick. They have the highest score, 88, from 4.4 and 116 amazon.co.uk ratings, at about £49.99 for two. Best value is the Relaxdays lounge chair: 78 at about £100.78 is more score for the money than the BrackenStyle Melton at 40 and about £95. The Relaxdays line is 3.9 from 93 ratings, with only two UK reviews in the file. The Melton has one review at 2.0. Neither mark is a laboratory result, and neither means the best wooden garden chair in the UK. No listing cites BS EN 581-2.
Harbour Housewares beech folding chairs
Highest score in this set, 88, from 4.4 and 116 ratings. Not a lab test.
Relaxdays wood and cast iron garden chair
Stronger score for the money once the top pick is set aside: 78 at about £100.78, against 40 at about £95. Not a lab test.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public UK sources used for this comparison, last checked on 22 October 2026. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines saved for this set. There is no laboratory test. Retailer lifespan lines are seller judgements, not a test.
Expert source (DIY & tools): Lee Burkhill (Garden Ninja) (external profile) – public expert commentary used as a research source, not as a contributor to our pages.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, stars and review counts are the UK listing lines. We did not run a lab test.
