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Plastic vs metal garden chairs

Updated: 22 October 2026

You are choosing a stacking chair for a UK patio, and every row in our comparison is green plastic. Plastic vs metal garden chairs is still the right question, because a metal frame is a real alternative and it is not hiding in this table. Peter F. kept four amazon.co.uk listings, captured on 21 October 2026. All are one-piece plastic, armless, with no printed user weight. The table stays on the [garden stacking chairs comparison](/hub/garden-furniture/garden-stacking-chairs). This page says when to stay there and when to leave. A purchase through our links may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are choosing a stacking chair for a UK patio, and every row in our comparison is green plastic.

Our top picks

simpa Simpahome low-back stacking chairs, set of 8

Best overall

simpa Simpahome low-back stacking chairs, set of 8
5.8/10about £97.99
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simpa Simpahome clam-back stacking chairs, set of 4

Rank 2

simpa Simpahome clam-back stacking chairs, set of 4
7.3/10about £56.99
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simpa Simpahome low-back stacking chairs, set of 6

Best value

simpa Simpahome low-back stacking chairs, set of 6
7.0/10about £77.99
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On this page
  1. 1.What plastic means in this comparison
  2. 2.What metal means on a stacking chair
  3. 3.When to stay with the four plastic chairs
  4. 4.When to leave this table

What plastic means in this comparison

Plastic here means a moulded seat and frame in one piece. You unpack them, they stack, and they do not fold. There is no steel tube, no cushion and no UV rating. Reviews describe legs and backs that snap, rain in the seat, and chairs that blow about. Which? calls plastic the budget option: stackable, sold assembled, less sturdy, and able to warp in extreme heat. That fits £21.99 to £97.99. It does not prove a life in years. BS EN 581-2’s mechanical tests exclude weathering. Seat depth is 38 cm and user weight is blank. Those gaps are on the stacking garden chairs buying guide.

What metal means on a stacking chair

Aluminium does not rust the way bare steel does. Ideal Home treats aluminium as a long-life route, and powder-coated steel as something you cover if the coating fails. Which? says metal can get hot and often needs a cushion. These plastic chairs have no arms, so that heat question starts on a frame you touch. The JYSK Nabe is a polypropylene seat on a powder-coated aluminium frame, £40, with a stated 110 kg test and an instruction to store it inside in winter. It is not a fifth row here. Coated steel can rust where the powder coat cracks, which is the RHS check. A rattan-effect chair on a steel frame is still a steel frame.
simpa Simpahome low-back stacking chairs, set of 8

Testsieger

simpa Simpahome low-back stacking chairs, set of 8
5.8/10about £97.99
View offer

When to stay with the four plastic chairs

Stay when you want cheap spare seats you will stack away, and you accept a blank load line. The set of four at £56.99 is the top pick inside this plastic set because 469 ratings are the largest file. The set of six at £77.99 is the best value where the size blocks mostly agree. The set of eight buys eight places for £97.99. The VTL chair is one seat at £21.99 if the sizes conflict. You are not buying a chair to leave out for a decade. The RHS says plastic left out can become brittle. Which? is softer about winter storage and warns that heat can warp it. The steps are on how to store stacking garden chairs.

When to leave this table

Leave when you want a printed user weight, arms, or a frame that is not one moulding. Argos prints 110 kg on the Bica, which is still plastic. JYSK prints 110 kg on the Nabe. A tectake set stated 110 kg at £114.99. Those are other chairs, not numbers to stick on simpahome. Choose plastic from this table for the £57 set of four or the £78 set of six when you will store them. Choose a metal-framed chair that prints the load when you want that number and a frame. The plastic picks are on best stacking garden chairs. Do not add the Nabe as if it had been in the original four.

Common questions

Should I buy plastic or metal stacking chairs?
Buy plastic from this comparison when you want spare seats under about £100 for up to eight chairs and you will stack them away. Buy a metal-framed chair when you want a printed user weight and a frame that is not one moulding. Aluminium and coated steel are different, so read which metal the listing actually names.
Will plastic crack in the sun?
Which? says extreme heat can warp plastic. The RHS says plastic left out in strong sun or over winter can become brittle. These four listings claim weatherproof plastic and print no UV rating and no sun test. Reviews already describe cracks and snaps at the legs and backs. That is a reason to store them, not proof of a year-count life.
Does aluminium rust?
Aluminium does not rust the way steel does. JYSK describes the aluminium frame on the Nabe as not rusting. Powder-coated steel can rust where the coating cracks, which is the check the RHS suggests for metal seats. A rattan-effect chair on a steel frame is still a steel frame under the plastic.
Is a rattan-effect chair with a steel frame still plastic?
The seat may be plastic or a plastic weave. The frame is metal. That is a hybrid, closer to the JYSK Nabe than to the one-piece simpahome chairs in this table. Judge the frame metal, the stated load, and whether the coating is something you can see, not the word plastic alone.
Why are all the chairs in this comparison plastic?
The category keep was four green one-piece plastic chairs. Folding chairs, covers, and framed sets were a different product. A metal chair is explained here so you can leave the table honestly. It is not given a fake row with borrowed stars.

Related pages

Stacking chairs for a garden party

Garden stacking chairs

Best stacking garden chairs: top pick or best value

Stacking garden chairs buying guide: size and load

How to store stacking garden chairs through 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 on 21 October 2026. There is no laboratory test.

  1. General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. BS EN 581-1:2017 outdoor seating safety (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. BS EN 581-2:2026 outdoor seating tests (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. FIRA flammability guide (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. Which? garden furniture buying guide (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Argos Bica resin stacking chair (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. JYSK Nabben stacking chair (retrieved 22 October 2026)