A chair is the most demanding part in bent wood production: every frame carries load, every back is a visible surface, and every dimension has to meet upholstery and hardware. We make frames, backs, arms and seat shells to drawing in ash, beech, birch and walnut, with ±0.5 mm on machined dimensions after drying.
Parts we make for chairs
Chair frames
Two side frames, back posts and rails — or one continuous bent frame with no joint at the back. Typical sections run 22 to 35 mm. Bent wood chair frames
Chair backs
From a simple curve to a three-dimensionally shaped back. Seating surfaces are routed after bending so the back sits flat on the frame instead of standing on the hardware. Bent wood chair backs
Chair arms
Bent in pairs, left and right from the same tool, so the contour matches and assembly needs no rework. Bent wood chair arms
Seat shells
For shaped seats we use bent plywood: thin-walled, dimensionally stable and tighter in radius than solid wood. Bent birch plywood
Species, radii and tolerances
Ash is the standard for frames: elastic, straight grain, light colour and widely available. Beech at around 720 kg/m³ takes tighter radii and stays more stable in volume runs. Birch bends cleanly but reacts badly to over-steaming. Walnut is used for visible backs where the grain carries the design.
Radius follows thickness: about 2:1 with a steel strap, about 5:1 without. A 22 mm frame reaches roughly R44 with a strap and R110 without. After drying we hold ±0.5 mm on machined dimensions and set moisture content to the equilibrium of the target market — 8 to 11 percent for Central Europe.
On request we test frames to EN 1728, and additionally to BIFMA for North American programmes. Reports can be bundled with the FSC, PEFC and ISO 9001 documentation.
Tooling, MOQ and lead time
Tooling is built in-house in 7 to 15 days from an approved drawing and stays archived for the life of the programme, so repeat orders reproduce the same curvature. MOQ is set per part: a simple press-bent back runs in small batches, a complex shell carries more tooling and therefore a higher minimum.
Production orders run 15 to 30 days from approval; shipping FOB Foshan or Shenzhen, CIF or DDP on request. Details under MOQ, lead time and shipping. Frames are stacked with interleaving so the curves do not rest on each other; a 40 ft container takes roughly 4,000 to 6,000 frames depending on section.
Frequent questions
Which species suits chair frames?
Ash is the standard: elastic, straight grain and light colour. Beech takes tighter radii and holds dimensions better in high volumes. Walnut is used for visible surfaces.
How tight can a chair back radius be?
It depends on the radius-to-thickness ratio: about 2:1 with a steel strap, 5:1 without. An 18 mm back reaches roughly R36 with a strap and R90 without.
At what volume does dedicated tooling pay off?
It depends on geometry, not a fixed number. A simple press-bent strip pays off from a few hundred pieces; a complex shell needs more tooling and a higher MOQ.
Terms: bend radius, springback and case-hardening are explained in the bent wood glossary. Send a drawing with radius and section and we confirm feasibility, tooling and lead time within 24 hours via the contact page.
Application examples: six parts with their production parameters — see the examples.