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Natural rattan vs PE rattan

Updated: 23 October 2026

You are standing between a cane armchair for the conservatory and a plastic wicker chair for the patio, and both call the material rattan. Natural rattan vs PE rattan is that fork, and the rain decides it more than the photo. Natural cane belongs indoors, or in a glazed room you can shade. Polyethylene belongs outside, and the cushion still comes in when the weather is harsh. The five chairs in the [rattan armchair comparison](/hub/garden-furniture/rattan-armchair) are indoor and trim listings, not a patio PE row. Peter F. used amazon.co.uk listings and UK garden guides, and did not weather-test the chairs. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are standing between a cane armchair for the conservatory and a plastic wicker chair for the patio, and both call the material rattan.

Our top picks

Desser Desser Teardrop wicker chair

Best overall

Desser Desser Teardrop wicker chair
8.5/10about £206.00
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ZRIZAURA ZRIZAURA Norna rattan armchair

Best value

ZRIZAURA ZRIZAURA Norna rattan armchair
6.5/10about £129.99
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RBFGYIOP RBFGYIOP wood chair, rattan arms

Rank 3

RBFGYIOP RBFGYIOP wood chair, rattan arms
5.0/10about £97.99
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On this page
  1. 1.What each name means
  2. 2.Rain, sun and the frame
  3. 3.Buy PE only when the listing says so
  4. 4.Cane for a room you can air, trim for neither

What each name means

Natural rattan is the plant, split and woven. In this set that is the Desser Teardrop, indoor, with no cushion, and the Norna, whose material line also names bamboo and a clear acrylic lacquer. Trim is a third use of the word: rattan on the arms, the back or the sides. That is not a cane shell, and it is not PE. PE rattan is polyethylene woven over a frame. JB Furniture describes it for humidity and frost, which is a different object from cane. If the chair will see UK rain, you want PE on a metal frame the listing names. A conservatory sits between a heated room and the patio: rattan chair for a conservatory. Size, a fire label and the order of questions before price are on the rattan armchair buying guide.

Rain, sun and the frame

BBC Gardeners' World says natural rattan fades in sun and rots if it stays wet, so they place it in a conservatory, and that PE can stay outside. White Stores says natural rattan is rarely used outdoors in the UK. The Desser and the Norna were specified as indoor. A tight cover on a wet chair holds damp against the weave, plastic or not. Do not hose cane because a PE article said rinse the weave. The steps are on how to clean a rattan armchair.
Desser Desser Teardrop wicker chair

Testsieger

Desser Desser Teardrop wicker chair
8.5/10about £206.00
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Buy PE only when the listing says so

Buy PE on a named metal frame when the chair's normal place is an open patio. Ask the listing to say polyethylene or PE, and to name aluminium or steel, because rattan alone is how cane and plastic share a search. BS EN 581-2:2015 covers strength and stability for outdoor seating, with tests based on users up to 110 kg in that edition. It is not a waterproof test. None of the five kept listings cites the standard, which is another reason they are not your patio shortlist.

Cane for a room you can air, trim for neither

Buy natural cane for a living room, or for a conservatory you can blind and ventilate. In this table that is the Desser if you will add a cushion, or the Norna if you want a pad and can accept no reviews. Both are indoor. The Norna's conservatory word is a title, not a rain rating. Skip both for the lawn. A linen or boucle chair with rattan on the arms, the back or the sides is an accent chair. The £97.99 example is wood, grey linen and rattan armrests. The patio chair you want is not in this table.

Common questions

What is PE rattan made of?
PE rattan is polyethylene, a plastic strand woven over a frame and often described as UV-stabilised. JB Furniture contrasts it with natural cane, which is the plant. PVC and PU weaves exist too. White Stores treats those as a shorter-lived outdoor weave than PE. The word poly rattan on a listing is not automatically PE, so read the material line. None of the five chairs in this comparison is stated as PE.
Can natural rattan stay on a UK patio?
Not as a leave-it-out chair. Gardeners' World and White Stores keep natural cane out of prolonged wet. The Desser and the Norna are marked indoor. A dry afternoon and a chair you bring in is a different habit from a chair that winters on the slabs. If the fibre stays wet, the failure mode those guides name is rot.
Does weatherproof include the cushion?
Usually it does not. Garden Trading's Lechlade PE armchair, at £600 on 21 October 2026, still says to bring cushions in during heavy rain and to cover the frame in harsh weather. Foam and fabric hold water even when the plastic weave sheds it. Harts and similar retailers store cushions indoors for autumn and winter. A weatherproof bullet on the frame is not a winter rating for the pad.
Is poly rattan always PE?
No. Poly is a family word. PE is polyethylene. PVC and PU are other plastics, and White Stores puts them on a shorter life than PE in their own range. That lifespan line is their claim. A listing that says poly rattan, resin wicker or synthetic rattan still needs the letters PE, and a frame metal, before you treat it as the patio chair in this article. Cane with a lacquer, as on the Norna, is not that product.
Should the frame say aluminium or steel?
Yes, if the chair is for the patio. Gardeners' World treats steel as the rust risk and mentions winter storage, and treats a more substantial aluminium frame as the better outdoor section. Metal without a metal name is a gap. The kept chairs in this comparison do not give you that choice: the woven ones are rattan or rattan with bamboo, and the trim chairs are wood. Do not infer aluminium from a silver-coloured photo.
Will PE fade in the sun?
It can. A UV stabiliser slows fading. It does not freeze the colour. Harbour Lifestyle says PE still fades and recommends a breathable cover once the furniture is dry. A south-facing patio will show it sooner than a shaded yard. That is a care point, not a reason to put natural cane outside instead.

Related pages

Garden armchair comparison

Rattan armchair

Best rattan armchair: reviewed cane or a cheaper pad

Rattan armchair buying guide: room, weave and cushion

Rattan chair for a conservatory: sun, cold and damp

How to clean a rattan armchair without a soaking hose

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison, last checked on 21 October 2026. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines saved for this set. There is no laboratory test.

  1. BBC Gardeners' World, rattan garden furniture (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  2. Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  3. GOV.UK, furniture fire safety amendment 2025 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  4. FIRA, furniture flammability advice for consumers, June 2026 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  5. BSI, BS EN 581-2:2015 outdoor seating (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  6. General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  7. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  8. Daro, indoor cane and rattan care (retrieved 21 October 2026)