Rattan weaving is the one part of furniture manufacturing that has resisted automation, and that is exactly why it drives cost. Two chairs with identical frames can sit 12% apart in price purely on the weave.
The labour math
An open cane seat takes roughly four hours of a weaver's time. A tight herringbone back takes eleven. The material difference between them is negligible; the labour difference is the entire story. When we quote, the weave is the line item most likely to move the number, and the least likely to be discussed up front.
Our six standard weaves
- Open cane — light, fast, the most economical.
- Tight herringbone — dense, structural, the most labour-intensive.
- Paper cord — a different material entirely, with its own durability profile.
- Saddle leather wrap — for arms and accents, not full seats.
- Closed plain weave — the middle ground most contract pieces land on.
- Bias wrap — for rounded frames where a straight weave will not follow.
We tell you which weave a given design should use, and what it costs to use the wrong one. The right weave is an engineering decision, not a styling afterthought.
Weave and the flex of a seat
Density is not only about looks. A tighter weave resists sag and lasts longer under daily use; a looser weave flexes and is more comfortable for short sits. On a hospitality banquette that sees eight hours a day, the tight weave pays for itself. On a residential reading chair, the open weave is the better seat. The price follows the use.