Outdoor furniture from China by the container
For outdoor furniture by the container, fix the frame material, coating, weave, fabric and cushion construction for each model, approve an assembled and loaded sample, and decide knock-down or assembled before quoting, because that decides how much fits. Get a price to your named port; your own importer checks local rules. Cambridge China Bridge runs the China side.
Buying from China for a business? How our UK China sourcing agent service works · China sourcing agent for small orders and first imports
Products and search terms
outdoor furniture, garden furniture, patio furniture, rattan furniture, aluminium garden furniture, outdoor furniture container
Specify each model the same way to every factory
Outdoor furniture factories tend to specialise: aluminium frames, steel, synthetic rattan weaving, solid wood or cushions and umbrellas. A range often needs more than one factory. Send each the same specification for each model, so quotes differ on price and capability rather than on what each factory assumed.
Words such as weatherproof, rust-proof or all-weather describe a claim, not a specification. Ask what the coating or treatment is and what test it has been through. No few-day check on a sample tells you how a coating will age in hot, humid or coastal conditions, so treat a longevity claim without a named test as marketing, and decide what you will tell your own customers accordingly.
Wooden furniture of subheadings 9403 30, 9403 40, 9403 50 and 9403 60 is within the scope of the UK Timber Regulations, while seats of heading 9401 are not listed. The business that first places wooden furniture on the GB market, usually the importer, must carry out due diligence on the species and country of harvest of the timber, including in panels, so ask the supplier for the timber species, source and any FSC or PEFC chain of custody certificate.
| Part | Specify | Approve on the sample |
|---|---|---|
| Frame | Material and grade, tube profile, joints and welds, feet and fixings | Stability, welds, sharp edges and fixings on an assembled piece |
| Surface | Coating or treatment, colour, and the test it has been through | Colour against the standard, coverage at joints and the test document |
| Weave or wood | Weave material, pattern and tension, or timber species and finish | Tightness, loose ends and finish against the approved sample |
| Cushions and fabric | Fabric, filling, zips, covers and any fire or water claims you will make | Fit on the frame and the documents behind each claim |
| Packing | Knock-down or assembled, parts and fixings bags, instructions, cartons and marks | Packed carton opened, parts counted and one piece assembled from it |
Decide knock-down or assembled before you compare prices
Knock-down furniture packs far more pieces into a container than assembled furniture, so the freight per piece falls sharply. The assembly then moves to your warehouse or your customer, and a missing fixings bag becomes your problem at the far end. Decide which you want per model before comparing quotes, and approve one piece assembled from a packed carton.
A range from several factories can often be consolidated into one container. Agree which factory delivers to which warehouse and when, how cartons are marked by model, and who checks the count. The container loading check sets out what to verify and what the report can show before you release the shipment.
Set the quote to your own port
We quote to your destination port, a Chinese port or ex-works; door-to-door delivery outside the UK is confirmed per shipment. Your own importer and local broker handle local import rules, duty and tax. Buying from China outside the UK explains how that works, and who you contract with explains whether we sell you the goods or buy them for you as agent.
Buyers in the UK should also read sourcing furniture from China. The UK furniture fire safety regulations cover furniture ordinarily intended for private use in the open air that is also suitable for use in a dwelling, which catches many garden sets and their cushions.
Frequently asked questions
Should outdoor furniture be shipped knock-down?
Often, because it packs far more pieces into a container. The trade-off is assembly at your end and the risk of missing fixings, so approve one piece assembled from a packed carton.
Can one container carry furniture from several factories?
Often yes. Agree delivery to one warehouse, carton marks by model and who checks the count before loading.
Who checks the import rules in my country?
Your own importer and local customs broker. We quote to your named port and manage the China side.
Sources
What most often fails: Furniture
UK OPSS + EU / EEA Safety Gate (alerts counted separately in each system) · China-origin alerts over the 24 calendar month coverage window(2024-11 – 2026-10) · 42
Combined counts are alerts from both systems, not unique products across markets. Each source uses its own publication window; the same product may appear in both. · OPSS: 2024-11 – 2026-10 · Safety Gate: 2024-11 – 2026-10
- Injuries / cuts: 19
- Fire: 16
- Entrapment: 5
Most-cited regulations
- General Product Safety Regulation: 20
- Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988: 6
- Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016: 5
Checks to ask the factory for
- Ask for relevant mechanical strength, stability and sharp-edge test reports.
- Check edges, fasteners and moving parts on the finished sample.
- Ask for records showing how mechanical defects are checked and corrected by batch.
Questions for due diligence, not a certification checklist or a guarantee of compliance. Select the applicable standards and tests with a competent laboratory.
The current calendar month is partial. These are published alerts, safety reports and recalls, not a measure of all products sold or a recall rate. Hong Kong is reported separately.
All recall dataContains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OPSS, GOV.UK product safety alerts)
Source: European Commission, Safety Gate, English XML (en), extracted 2026-10-19. XML distribution: CC0. Cambridge China Bridge analysis.