Outdoor Wicker Dining Chairs

Outdoor Wicker Dining Chairs Buying Guide:

Here’s something most product pages for outdoor wicker dining chairs won’t tell you: wicker isn’t a material. It’s a weave.

That’s why two wicker dining chairs can look identical in a photo and behave nothing alike. One is natural rattan or cane, made for a dining room. The other is synthetic polyethylene woven over an aluminium or teak frame, made to live beside a pool.

Swap them, and the indoor chair starts going patchy, brittle and mouldy within a season or two outside.

This guide explains the difference in plain terms, then shows you how to pick outdoor wicker dining chairs that last in Australian conditions: the fibre, the weave, the frame, how many fit at your table, and how to look after them.

Wicker Is a Weave, Not a Material

“Wicker” describes how a chair is made: thin strands woven over a frame. Those strands can come from a plant or a factory.

Rattan, on the other hand, is a plant. It’s a climbing palm, and its stems and inner core (cane) have been woven into furniture for centuries. So a rattan chair is usually wicker, but a wicker chair isn’t always rattan.

Here’s how the main strand materials compare outdoors:

• Natural rattan, cane or seagrass: Warm, organic and slightly irregular. It absorbs moisture, which makes it prone to mould and rot, and sun can fade it unevenly and turn it brittle. It belongs indoors or in an enclosed sunroom.
• Synthetic PE wicker (polyethylene, often HDPE): Smooth, consistent and slightly cooler to the touch. It doesn’t absorb water, and UV-stabilised grades hold their colour far longer in full sun. Built for year-round outdoor use.
• PVC resin wicker: Shinier and more plastic-looking. It doesn’t absorb water either, but it tends to stiffen and crack sooner under Australian sun.

Think of it like leather and outdoor fabric. A leather armchair and an outdoor-fabric armchair can be cut in the same shape. Only one should sit in the rain. Natural rattan is the leather. PE wicker is the outdoor fabric.

So which one do you actually need? That depends on where the chairs will live.

What Makes Outdoor Wicker Dining Chairs Last

Two PE wicker chairs can look much the same online and perform very differently after a few Australian summers. Three things decide it.

1. The fibre: HDPE vs PVC

Most well-made outdoor wicker uses high-density polyethylene (HDPE). Lower-grade chairs often use PVC.

In plain English: both are plastics, but HDPE is tougher and handles heat better, while PVC tends to stiffen and crack after long exposure to sun. A fibre that’s specified as UV-stabilised polyethylene tells you far more than “resin wicker” on its own. Our String and Armenia dining chairs, for example, use a UV-stabilised twisted polyethylene wicker.

What to ask in store: “Is the wicker HDPE or PVC, and is it UV-stabilised?” If the answer is vague, keep looking.

2. The weave

Weave quality is where you can see and feel the difference. Press your thumb into the back and seat. A dense, tight weave springs back. A loose one dents, and loose weaves stretch and sag faster.

Then check the stress points. Synthetic wicker usually fails first at the corners of the arms, where hands rest and strands bend most sharply. Look at how the strands are finished there: tucked neatly under and secured, or simply cut and glued on top?

3. The frame underneath

The weave is the skin. The frame is the skeleton, and it matters more than most buyers realise.

Powder-coated aluminium is the standard for durable outdoor wicker. It’s light, it’s rust-free, and it won’t stain the weave from inside. Steel frames are heavier, and once the coating chips, rust can bleed through the wicker, which is a real problem near the coast. Solid teak frames are the other strong option: teak weathers to a silver-grey patina over time without losing strength.

Here’s how that plays out across our own outdoor wicker dining chairs:

• **String Outdoor Wicker Dining Chair:** Powder-coated aluminium frame, arms, 61 cm wide, 47 cm seat height, 61 cm arm height, about 7 kg. Comes in Charcoal or a White frame with natural wicker. Best for coastal decks and poolside settings where a rust-free frame matters most.
• **String Wicker Outdoor Dining Armless Chair:** The same aluminium and wicker build without arms, 56 cm wide, 47 cm seat height, 5 kg. Best for the long sides of a table, where every centimetre counts.
• **Armenia Outdoor Wicker Dining Chair:** Solid teak frame and legs with woven wicker, arms, 61 cm wide, 45 cm seat height, 63 cm arm height, about 8 kg. Comes in Charcoal or White wicker. Best for timber decks and settings with a teak or ceramic table.

Quick lift test: a typical aluminium-framed wicker dining chair weighs around 5 to 8 kg. If an armchair feels much heavier, ask whether the frame is steel. Browse the full range of outdoor wicker dining chairs to compare frames and finishes side by side.

Good materials only pay off if the chairs actually work at your table. That’s where a lot of buyers trip up.

Getting the Fit Right at Your Dining Table

Wicker dining chairs, especially armchairs, are often wider and chunkier than timber or aluminium chairs. Measure before you commit.

Height

Most outdoor dining tables stand 71 to 76 cm high, and dining chair seats usually sit 45 to 50 cm off the ground. Leave roughly 25 to 30 cm between the top of the seat and the underside of the table so thighs don’t hit the tabletop.

Arms

If you want armchairs to tuck in under the table, the arms must sit lower than the underside of the tabletop or apron (the rail running under the edge). Many outdoor wicker armchairs have arm heights between 60 and 65 cm. Measure from the ground to the underside of your table. If it’s 66 cm and the chair arms are 63 cm, they’ll just slide under; at 62 cm, they won’t.

Width

Plan about 76 to 81 cm per person: roughly 61 to 66 cm of eating space plus 15 cm of elbow room between chairs.

Here’s where wide wicker armchairs catch people out. Put four 61 cm armchairs down one side of a table with 15 cm between them, and you need about 290 cm of table length. Most outdoor tables are 180 to 240 cm long.

Seating plans by table length

The fix is to mix chair types: outdoor arm dining chairs at the heads of the table, and outdoor armless dining chairs or a bench along the sides. Using 61 cm armchairs and 56 cm armless chairs as a guide:

• 180 cm table, seats six: two armless chairs per side and one armchair at each end.
• 200 to 220 cm table, seats eight: three armless chairs per side and one armchair at each end. Three 56 cm chairs with 15 cm gaps take up about 200 cm.
• 240 cm table, seats eight comfortably: the same layout with extra elbow room, or three armchairs per side if you’d like arms at every seat. Three 61 cm armchairs with 15 cm gaps take up about 215 cm.

You get the comfort where it counts and still fit everyone in. If you’re still choosing the table, start with our outdoor dining tables and work the chairs out from its length.

Comfort

A woven seat has a little give and lets air through, which you’ll appreciate on a 35°C evening. For long lunches, add a cushion from our outdoor chair cushions range. Look for solution-dyed fabric, where colour runs through the whole fibre rather than sitting on the surface, so it fades far more slowly in the sun. It’s the difference between a carrot and a radish: cut a carrot and it’s orange all the way through. Both String and Armenia cushions use solution-dyed, water-repellent olefin.

A 6-Point Showroom Test

Take this list with you. Each check takes less than a minute.

• Ask about the fibre. HDPE or another UV-stabilised polyethylene? Or PVC?
• Press the weave. It should spring back, not dent.
• Inspect the arm corners. Strand ends should be tucked and secure.
• Lift the chair. Around 5 to 8 kg suggests aluminium or a slim teak frame; much heavier may mean steel.
• Sit for five minutes. Check seat depth, back angle and whether the arms clear your table height.
• Check the cushion fabric. Solution-dyed, water-repellent fabric with removable covers is easier to keep clean outdoors.

A chair that passes all six is a sound choice. One that fails two or more probably won’t last the distance outside.

Caring for Wicker Dining Chairs in Australian Conditions

Australia has some of the highest UV levels in the world, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. Add coastal salt and humid summers, and outdoor wicker works harder here than in most places. The good news: synthetic wicker is low maintenance.

Here’s a simple routine for PE wicker:

• Every week or two: brush off leaves and dust, and wipe spills with a warm, soapy cloth.
• Every month or two: remove cushions, hose off loose dirt (including underneath and at the joints), wash with a mild outdoor furniture cleaner and a soft sponge, rinse well, then dry fully in the sun or a breezy spot.
• Near the coast: rinse with fresh water more often to clear salt from the weave and frame.
• When not in use: cover the chairs with breathable outdoor chair covers. Plastic tarps trap humidity and invite mould; covers with vents let moisture escape.

A few things to avoid entirely:

• Hosing the chairs down in extreme heat or cold. Sudden temperature changes can make synthetic strands brittle.
• Solvent-based cleaners or high-pressure cleaners.
• Lifting chairs by the weave. Always lift by the frame.
• Opening the delivery box with a knife. It’s easy to nick the wicker.

Spotted mildew after a humid stretch? Brush off loose spores, then wipe with a mix of about 60 ml white vinegar to 500 ml water, using a soft toothbrush for tight spots. Rinse and dry thoroughly in sunlight. For cleaners made for outdoor surfaces, see our furniture care range.

Where Wicker Is Heading

Woven outdoor furniture is moving toward natural-looking weaves in sand, natural and off-white tones. Two practical choices follow from that:

• Go lighter in full sun. Pale wicker stays cooler to the touch than charcoal on an uncovered deck, and it shows dust and water marks less.
• Mix textures at the table. Wicker chairs paired with a ceramic, concrete or teak table look considered without needing a matching set. Browse our outdoor dining settings for combinations already worked out.

Before You Head to the Showroom

Outdoor wicker dining chairs are a durable outdoor choice, as long as you buy the right strand for the spot and check what’s underneath the weave.

Do one thing in the next half hour: measure your outdoor table’s length and the height from the ground to its underside, then note whether the spot is fully covered, open to the weather, or near the coast. With those numbers, you’ll know straight away whether you need armchairs, armless chairs or a mix, and which questions to ask in store.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can outdoor wicker dining chairs stay outside all year?

Synthetic PE wicker chairs can, especially with a powder-coated aluminium or teak frame. Covering them during storms and long periods of disuse extends their life. Natural rattan should stay indoors.

What’s the difference between rattan and wicker?

Rattan is a plant; wicker is a weaving method. Rattan can be woven into wicker, but so can synthetic polyethylene, which is what most outdoor wicker furniture uses.

Are wicker dining chairs comfortable?

Yes. Woven seats flex slightly and breathe in hot weather. For long meals, add a cushion with solution-dyed outdoor fabric.

How long does outdoor wicker last?

Well-made HDPE wicker on an aluminium or teak frame can last many seasons with basic care. PVC wicker often stiffens and splits much sooner, so the fibre type is your best clue.