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Best wood for garden chairs in the UK

Updated: 22 October 2026

You are looking at a chair the title calls wood, and you still do not know whether it can sit on a wet British patio until March. The best wood for garden chairs in the UK is the species that matches the winter you can actually give it. Teak and other oily hardwoods are the leave-out choice. Acacia, eucalyptus, and lacquered beech need cover, oil, or a trip back indoors. Seat height has to match the table, or the right timber is still the wrong chair. The [wooden garden chair comparison](/hub/garden-furniture/garden-chair-wood) holds the three amazon.co.uk listings we kept. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are looking at a chair the title calls wood, and you still do not know whether it can sit on a wet British patio until March.

Our top picks

Harbour Housewares Harbour Housewares beech folding chairs

Best overall

Harbour Housewares Harbour Housewares beech folding chairs
8.8/10about £49.99
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Relaxdays Relaxdays wood and cast iron garden chair

Best value

Relaxdays Relaxdays wood and cast iron garden chair
7.8/10about £100.78
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BrackenStyle BrackenStyle Melton wooden bar chair

Rank 3

BrackenStyle BrackenStyle Melton wooden bar chair
4.0/10about £95.00
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On this page
  1. 1.Which timber can stay outside
  2. 2.Seat height and the job
  3. 3.What the listing must say
  4. 4.Where the cheap chairs fail

Which timber can stay outside

Start with the winter, because a chair that lives in the hall is a different purchase from one that stays on the slabs. The Royal Horticultural Society says oily hardwoods such as teak can remain outside, that teak turns grey, and that a yearly wash is the normal upkeep. Acacia and eucalyptus want cover and oil. They are not the same duty as teak. Lacquered beech is seasonal. The Harbour Housewares pair, £49.99 for two, tells you to store the chairs indoors, and the attribute says Indoor. If you have no shed, teak is the timber to shortlist. The teak or acacia page takes that split further. A shop line such as 20 to 30 years for Grade A teak is that retailer's judgement, not a result we can repeat.

Seat height and the job

A correct species at the wrong height still fails at the table. Dining chairs in UK retailer guides sit around 45 to 47 cm at the seat, which suits a table of about 75 cm. Lounge chairs sit lower. The Relaxdays chair has a seat of about 41 cm, a hardwood seat, cast iron sides and a PVC back, at £100.78. That is a low lounge chair, not a Sunday-lunch dining chair. The BrackenStyle Melton is a bar chair at £95, with an overall height of 120 cm. Its attribute seat height is 73 cm and its bullets also print 36 cm. We do not choose between those two figures. Measure your table, then read the attribute and the bullet together.
Harbour Housewares Harbour Housewares beech folding chairs

Testsieger

Harbour Housewares Harbour Housewares beech folding chairs
8.8/10about £49.99
View offer

What the listing must say

The material line has to name a timber you can look up. Teak, acacia, eucalyptus, beech, or pressure-treated pine is a usable answer. Wood, hardwood, or a printed grain is not. If the material says HIPS, HDPE, or polypropylene, the chair is plastic that looks like wood. Grade A teak is a trade description for a clearer grade. A listing that only says teak has not made that claim. FSC or PEFC is a forest-sourcing mark, not a promise the chair will resist rot. None of the three kept listings states either mark. BS EN 581-2:2026 tests outdoor seating around a 110 kg user and does not test rain or rot. Harbour states 150 kg. That is the seller's line, not a certificate.

Where the cheap chairs fail

The usual failure is a mismatch, not a missing cushion. Lacquered beech looks finished in the box and then lets water under the lacquer if you leave it in the rain. UK reviews of the Harbour pair praise the fold and a firm seat, and they also report rough edges, splinters, and two chairs in different shades. The folding wooden garden chairs page is the next read if the cupboard is the real limit. Relaxdays gives you a hardwood seat, then a PVC back and cast iron sides, and only two review blocks in our file are from the United Kingdom. A 4.4 from 116 ratings can be a folding beech pair you are told to store indoors. If the timber is wrong for your winter, later oiling will not rescue the choice. How to treat wooden garden chairs assumes you already know what you bought.

Common questions

Is beech acceptable outdoors?
Beech is acceptable for a meal on a dry day if you bring it in afterwards. The Harbour pair is the example in this comparison: lacquered beech, sold as a wooden garden chair, with bullets that say store indoors when not in use. The attribute even says Indoor. Leaving lacquered beech in the rain lets water under the finish.
What seat height fits a dining table?
Plan on about 45 to 47 cm of seat height for a dining table around 75 cm. Lounge seats sit lower. The Relaxdays chair is about 41 cm, which is lounge height. A bar chair is higher again. The Melton lists 73 cm in the attributes and 36 cm in the bullets, so do not assume it will meet a dining table. Measure the table, then match the chair’s seat, not the overall height.
Does FSC mean the chair will not rot?
No. FSC and PEFC are claims about the forest the timber came from. They are not a durability grade, and they do not test how the chair behaves in rain. None of the three listings in this comparison states either mark. Rot and greying depend on the species, the finish, and whether you leave the chair wet.
What load figure should I trust?
Trust a figure the listing actually states. BS EN 581-2:2026 tests outdoor seating around a 110 kg user and does not test weather or rot. Harbour's 150 kg line is not that standard unless the page says the chair was tested to it. Relaxdays states 100 kg. The Melton states no load.
What if the new chair is splintered or the wrong colour?
A new chair that arrives rough, split, the wrong colour, or impossible to assemble is a quality problem, not weathering. Satisfactory quality under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 includes finish, safety, and durability. UK reviews of the beech pair mention splinters and mismatched shades, so check both chairs on day one. Silver teak after months outside is the grey patina the RHS calls normal.

Related pages

Which wooden garden chair fits

Wooden garden chair

How to treat wooden garden chairs through a UK winter

Folding wooden garden chairs that fit the cupboard

Teak vs acacia garden chairs for a UK patio winter

Sources

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.

  1. RHS, maintaining garden seats and tables (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. BS EN 581-2:2026 outdoor seating tests (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. BS EN 581 series, seating and tables (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. JYSK UK, wooden garden table and chairs care (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Harbour Lifestyle, care for wooden garden furniture (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. Kingsley Smythe, teak versus acacia (seller guide) (retrieved 22 October 2026)