One bending process, six different requirements: in a chair it is load at the fixings, in shopfitting it is consistency across stores, in a fixture it is roundness, in an acoustic surface it is the gap. This overview sorts our parts by industry and names the dimension that decides approval in each.
Check the radius before you enquire: the bend radius calculator tells you in three seconds whether thickness and radius match — with the limits for bending with and without a steel strap.
Chairs and seating
Frames, backs, arms and seat shells. The decisive factor is load at the hardware fixing points, tested to EN 1728. Chairs and seating: parts and tolerances
Tables
Aprons, skirts, edge bands and arches. The decisive factor is length: solid up to 2,400 mm, segmented beyond. Tables: parts and tolerances
Lighting
Rings, arcs and diffuser frames. The decisive factor is roundness — ±0.5 mm on diameter, because a fixture is seen from every side. Lighting: parts and tolerances
Shopfitting and retail
Arches, panels and slats for rollouts. The decisive factor is consistency across stores, not the single shape. Shopfitting and retail: parts and tolerances
Hospitality and contract
Contract seating, arms and aprons. The decisive factors are cleaning resistance and spare parts over the project lifetime. Hospitality and contract: parts and tolerances
Acoustic surfaces
Slats and curved carriers. The decisive factor is the gap between slats — ±0.3 mm, because any irregularity shows in grazing light. Acoustic surfaces: parts and tolerances
The six industries compared
| Industry | Typical parts | Decisive dimension |
|---|---|---|
| Chairs | Frames, backs, arms | EN 1728, ±0.5 mm |
| Tables | Aprons, edges, arches | Length 2,400 mm, 0.3 mm/m |
| Lighting | Rings, arcs, frames | Roundness ±0.5 mm |
| Shopfitting | Arches, panels, slats | Consistency, colour |
| Hospitality | Frames, arms, aprons | Cleaning, spare parts |
| Acoustic | Slats, curved carriers | Gap ±0.3 mm |
EUDR: What importers need for their due diligence statement from December 2026 is summarised under EUDR and bent wood.
What all six share: bending is done to drawing, tooling stays in-house, and tolerance decides whether installation runs — not the look. Only the dimension checked first differs.
When bent wood is the wrong choice
For very shallow curves over long lengths, routing is cheaper. Below a 8:1 radius-to-thickness ratio without a steel strap the reject rate climbs sharply. And in permanently damp environments bent plywood is the safer choice than solid, because it moves less. We say so at quotation stage, before tooling is built.
How a project runs
Drawing: radius, section, tolerance and quantity. Without a drawing we measure a sample and produce one for approval.
Tooling: built in-house in 7 to 15 days, then a first sample. The tool stays archived for the life of the programme.
Series: 15 to 30 days from approval, FOB Foshan or Shenzhen, CIF or DDP on request — see MOQ, lead time and shipping.
Terms: bend radius, springback and case-hardening are explained in the bent wood glossary. For an assessment, a drawing with radius and section is enough — contact us and we reply within 24 hours.
Application examples: six parts with their production parameters — see the examples.