Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

Folding wooden garden chairs

Updated: 22 October 2026

You are short of floor space, the dining chairs you own already fill the table, and you need two more seats that disappear after lunch. Folding wooden garden chairs solve the cupboard problem. They do not automatically solve the weather. A lacquered beech folder that the listing tells you to store indoors is a different buy from a teak folder you might leave out. The in-set example is the Harbour Housewares pair on the [wooden garden chair comparison](/hub/garden-furniture/garden-chair-wood). This page stays with chairs that fold. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are short of floor space, the dining chairs you own already fill the table, and you need two more seats that disappear after lunch. Folding wooden garden chairs solve the cupboard problem.

Our top picks

Harbour Housewares Harbour Housewares beech folding chairs

Best overall

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

Best value

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

Rank 3

BrackenStyle BrackenStyle Melton wooden bar chair
4.0/10about £95.00
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.When a folding chair is the right job
  2. 2.The beech pair in this comparison
  3. 3.Teak and acacia folders
  4. 4.Comfort and rough timber

When a folding chair is the right job

Buy a folder when the chair has to leave the patio. A balcony, a rented flat, and a Sunday lunch for two extra people are the usual cases. A fixed teak carver that lives outside is the wrong tool if the only storage is a hallway cupboard. Folding changes the footprint, not the timber. You still match the wood to whether the chair comes back indoors. A dining seat wants to meet a table of about 75 cm, which usually means a seat around 45 to 47 cm, and the folded size has to fit the cupboard you actually have. Start with the cupboard, then read the timber. The beech pair below is an example, not a universal outdoor chair.

The beech pair in this comparison

The Harbour Housewares chairs are two lacquered beech folders at £49.99 on amazon.co.uk. Open, the bullets give about 40 cm wide, 42.5 cm deep and 78 cm high. Folded, they give about 42.5 × 6.5 × 86 cm, so the depth decides a cupboard. Assembly is not required. The seller states 150 kg, which is higher than the 110 kg context of BS EN 581-2 and is still only a seller figure. The star line is 4.4 from 116 ratings. UK reviewers praise the fold and a firm seat, and others call the chairs fine for occasional use only. The bullets say store them indoors when not in use, and the attribute says Indoor. They are the top pick for seats you bring in, which the best wooden garden chairs page explains. After rain, dry them before you fold them. The care page is the storage routine.
Harbour Housewares Harbour Housewares beech folding chairs

Testsieger

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

Teak and acacia folders

If you can store either, the timber still decides the wet week you forget. IKEA's TÄRNÖ, at £15 on ikea.com/gb, has an acacia seat and back on a steel frame, and IKEA says it is tested for 110 kg. ASKHOLMEN, at £25, is solid acacia with a seat height of 46 cm. IKEA says not to leave it out unprotected. A Charles Bentley pair of solid teak folders was £109.99 on the brand site, with a sale price shown at £89.99, and the page still says store the chairs inside in winter. Believe the storage sentence. Those three are outside our kept listings. The gap is about £15 to £25 for the acacia folders, against a teak pair nearer £90 to £110, against beech at £49.99 for two that must come indoors.

Comfort and rough timber

A folder is a hard seat unless you add a cushion, and the UK reviews of the beech pair say so. A cushion you bring in with the chair fixes the meal without turning beech into an outdoor hardwood. Reviewers also report unsanded edges, splinters, patchy lacquer, and two chairs in different shades. Check both chairs before you decide the colour matches the photo. A new chair that arrives split or the wrong colour is a finish problem under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, not weathering. If you need two guest seats this weekend and a cupboard afterwards, the Harbour pair matches that job.

Common questions

Can the Harbour beech pair stay out?
The bullets say you can use them indoors or outdoors, and they recommend storing them indoors when they are not in use. The attribute says Indoor. Lacquered beech is a poor leave-out timber, because water gets under the finish. A dry afternoon is a fair use. A wet week on the patio is not what the storage line describes.
How small do they fold?
The Harbour bullets give a closed size of about 42.5 cm wide, 6.5 cm deep and 86 cm high. The depth is what lets them stand in a cupboard. Open size on those bullets is about 40 × 42.5 × 78 cm. Measure the cupboard against the closed bullet. Dry the chairs before you fold them into a tight gap.
Beech or teak if I can store either?
If both will live indoors between meals, beech at £49.99 for two is the cheaper guest chair, with the rough-finish reviews as the trade. Teak costs more and holds up better if you forget it outside. A store-inside-in-winter line, as on the Charles Bentley pair, can still apply. Choose beech for a strict indoor habit. Choose teak if that habit will slip.
Do they need assembly?
The Harbour listing says assembly is not required and that the chairs are already assembled. IKEA’s ASKHOLMEN is also described as pre-assembled. TÄRNÖ is a folding outdoor chair with a steel frame, so you should read that page’s own assembly line rather than copy Harbour. A folder that arrives as a kit is a different job from a chair you only unfold. Check the listing you are buying, because folding and assembly required are not opposites.
Are IKEA’s £15 chairs the same product?
No. TÄRNÖ at £15 has an acacia seat and back on a steel frame. ASKHOLMEN at £25 is solid acacia with a 46 cm seat. Neither is the Harbour beech pair at £49.99 for two on amazon.co.uk, and neither is in this comparison’s kept listings. IKEA says those chairs are tested for 110 kg and gives acacia care, including not leaving ASKHOLMEN out unprotected. Use them as the cheap acacia alternative, not as a second photo of the beech chairs.

Related pages

Wooden garden chair buying guide

Teak or acacia garden chair

Wooden garden chair

Best wooden garden chairs for the job you actually have

How to treat wooden garden chairs through a UK 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)