How metal chairs are made in India
Most metal chairs from India are mild steel. The frame is cut from round or square tube, bent on a jig for the back legs and seat, then welded at the joints. The seat is a pressed steel pan, a wooden board, a padded seat on a ply base, or a steel sheet with punched holes. Café-style stacking chairs are designed so each seat nests on the one below.
Two choices made early in production decide most of the risk. The first is tube wall thickness. Suppliers often quote a "gauge" number, and an 18-gauge tube in the SWG system is about 1.2 mm thick. A factory can switch to a thinner tube of the same outside size with no visible difference. The second is how the seat is joined to the legs. A full weld around the joint carries load. A few tack welds hold the chair together on the shop floor but crack in use.
Welding, coating and general metal defects are covered on the iron and steel furniture page. Checks for every dining chair are on the dining chairs page. This page covers what is special about metal chairs.
What we check on metal chairs
| Check | How it is checked | What fails |
|---|---|---|
| Tube size and wall | Outside size with calipers; wall thickness at an open tube end or cut-off, or with an ultrasonic gauge if agreed | Wall thinner than the specification; different tube on some chairs |
| Seat-to-leg welds | Every weld under the seat and at the back-leg junction checked with a mirror and torch | Tack welds where a full weld was ordered, cracks, holes burnt through thin tube |
| Seat load | Inspector sits, shifts weight to the front edge and leans back; seat pressed at the corners | Seat pan flexes, clicks or moves on its fixings; frame twists |
| Stacking | The specified number of chairs stacked; height of the stack and its lean measured; contact points checked | Stack leans or locks together; paint chipped at contact points; no stack bumpers |
| Foot caps and glides | Each cap pulled and twisted; fit in the tube; material checked against the specification | Caps missing, loose or split; open tube ends; hard caps that mark floors |
| Coating at joints | Dry-film thickness gauge readings at the seat-to-leg joint, inside corners and leg ends | Thin or missing coat in tight corners, rust bloom at welds |
| Edges | Gloved hand along the seat edge, punched holes and under the seat | Burrs on punched holes, sharp sheet edges under the seat where hands go |
| Tube bends | Inside and outside of each bend in the back legs and seat frame checked by eye and finger | Kinked, rippled or flattened tube at the bend; cracks in the coat on the outside of the bend |
Common metal chair defects and how they are classed
| Defect | Class |
|---|---|
| Cracked or incomplete weld at a seat or back-leg joint | Critical |
| Sharp edge or burr under the seat or on punched holes | Critical |
| Tube wall thinner than specified | Major |
| Kinked or flattened tube at a load-bearing bend | Major |
| Chairs do not stack to the specified number | Major |
| Missing or loose foot caps; open tube ends | Major |
| Rust at welds or tube ends | Major |
| Scratches from stacking or handling | Minor |
| Weld spatter on hidden faces | Minor |
A missing foot cap looks cosmetic, but an open tube end scratches floors, collects water and starts rust inside the leg. Most buyers class it as major.
Market rules that apply
- Coatings. US 16 CFR 1303 limits lead in paint on consumer furniture to 90 ppm, and powder coats count; see CPSC and CPSIA rules. In the EU, REACH covers the coating and any PVC seat cover, where four phthalates are restricted to below 0.1% in total. In California, check the need for a Prop 65 warning.
- Indoor or outdoor test standard. Seating standards for all chairs are on the dining chairs page. The point for metal café chairs is the boundary: EN 16139 for non-domestic seating excludes outdoor seating, which is tested to the EN 581 series instead. A chair sold for both terrace and dining room needs both in the specification.
- Wooden seats. A wooden seat on a steel frame brings in the Lacey Act declaration for that species. Whether the EUDR applies depends on the tariff code of the chair, so confirm it with your broker.
Lead and phthalate limits are checked by a lab, not by eye. The inspector checks that the test report covers the powder colour and seat material actually used.
Packing, transit and loading risks
- Nested packing. Stacking chairs often ship nested two or four to a carton. Each contact point needs a stack bumper or foam, or the coat wears through on the voyage.
- Knock-down chairs. Bolted seats travel loose. Check bolt length and count, and that threads in the frame are clean of powder.
- Bent legs. A dropped carton can bend a leg on thin tube. A carton drop test, then a level check on the chair, shows whether the packing protects it.
- Outdoor-rated chairs. Frames must be dry before wrapping. Condensation in a sealed container finds any bare weld.
What to put in your purchase order
- Tube outside size and wall thickness in millimetres for each part, not only a gauge number.
- Weld specification: full welds at seat-to-leg and back joints, ground on visible faces.
- Seat material and how it is fixed, with the number of screws or bolts.
- Stacking: how many chairs high, and stack bumpers at each contact point.
- Foot caps or glides: type, material, colour and fixing.
- Use rating: indoor only, or outdoor, with the matching coating system and minimum thickness.
- Test standard: EN 12520, EN 16139 or EN 581, with a lab report on file.
For outdoor sets, see outdoor metal furniture sets. For wooden frames, see wooden dining chairs. To check your next order, book an inspection.