Guides / Materials

Which Wood to Specify for Outdoor Furniture From Vietnam

June 8, 2026

Outdoor furniture is the category where Vietnam is strongest and where buyers get burned most often. Strongest because the acacia plantations, the kiln capacity and the finishing labour all sit close together. Burned most often because outdoor furniture fails in ways that only appear after a full season, long after the inspection passed.

The species choice is the first decision, but it is not the one that decides whether the product survives. Joinery, hardware and finish maintenance matter more.

The species, honestly compared

Acacia. The default. Dense enough to resist denting, reasonably stable, readily available in plantation supply, and it takes oil well. Warm mid brown with strong figure and real colour variation. Left unfinished it greys within a season and develops fine surface checks. With annual oiling it holds colour for years. It is the correct choice for most price points.

Eucalyptus. The substitute when acacia tightens, and a legitimate choice in its own right. Pinkish brown with straighter grain than acacia, so it looks more uniform. Comparable durability. If a factory offers eucalyptus instead of acacia mid programme, ask for a new sample, because the colour and figure are visibly different.

Teak. The benchmark for outdoor durability, with natural oils that resist water and insects. It is imported into Vietnam and priced accordingly, so it lands in the premium tier. Plantation teak from a young rotation is not the same material as old growth teak and does not perform the same way, so ask about the source if a price looks too good.

Thermally modified wood. Heat treatment alters the cell structure so the wood absorbs less moisture and resists decay without chemicals. Available in Vietnam but less common. It is more dimensionally stable and darker in colour, and it is more brittle, so joinery detail has to account for that.

Tropical hardwoods with natural durability. Available but a legality and sourcing complication rather than a shortcut. The EUDR and Lacey documentation burden is heavier for these than for plantation species. See the legality documents guide.

Grain orientation matters more than species

The detail that separates outdoor furniture that lasts from outdoor furniture that splits is how the boards are cut and oriented.

Quarter sawn stock moves less across its width and cups less than flat sawn. It costs more because the yield is lower. On the parts that sit horizontally and collect water, it is worth specifying.

More important and free: orient horizontal slats so water runs off rather than collecting. Round or chamfer the top edges of slats and arms. Leave drainage gaps between seat slats. Avoid flat horizontal surfaces with a raised lip that holds a puddle.

A factory will build what the drawing says. If the drawing has a water trap in it, you will get a water trap.

Joinery and hardware

Outdoor joints go through a wet and dry cycle every day of the year. Two consequences.

Use mechanical joints, not glue alone. Mortise and tenon with a pin, or a bolted joint, survives where a glued butt joint eventually opens. Exterior grade adhesive is a requirement, not an upgrade: name the adhesive class in the specification.

Use stainless hardware. This is the single most cost effective specification change in outdoor furniture. Zinc plated screws corrode, bleed rust stains into the wood around them and lose their grip in the fibre. A303 or A304 stainless fasteners and fittings cost a small amount more per unit and remove the most common warranty claim in the category.

Check the hinges, the folding mechanisms and the feet too. A folding chair with a stainless frame and a plated pivot pin fails at the pivot pin.

Finish and the maintenance conversation

Outdoor acacia is almost always oiled rather than coated. A film finish outdoors eventually cracks and peels, and then it has to be stripped rather than refreshed.

That means your customer has to maintain the piece. If they do not, it greys and checks, and you receive that as a complaint even though it is the expected behaviour of the material.

Two ways to handle it. Put clear care instructions in the carton, stating the re-oiling frequency in plain language. Or specify a pre-weathered grey finish so the greying is the intended appearance from day one. Several brands have moved to the second approach because it converts a complaint into a design choice. The finish guide covers the options in more detail.

Packing outdoor furniture

Outdoor sets are bulky, often flat packed, and they travel in a container that swings between hot and humid.

Three things to specify. A moisture barrier or desiccant in the carton, because a sealed carton in a hot container condenses. Corner protection on anything with an exposed edge, since slat ends chip easily. And a carton drop test appropriate to how the product will be handled, especially for ecommerce where a single carton is thrown by a courier rather than moved on a pallet.

The inspection and container loading guide covers how to check this before the container seals.

Where to start a specification

Species and grade. Grain orientation on horizontal parts. Joint type and adhesive class. Hardware material. Moisture target of 12 to 16 percent. Finish system and the maintenance statement. Carton construction and drop test.

Seven lines. They cover almost every way an outdoor programme goes wrong.

Frequently asked questions

Keep reading

• Acacia or Rubberwood: Which One Fits Your Product
• Moisture Content: The Number That Decides If Your Order Survives