Furniture Fast Facts:

Folding Chairs

Shopping for folding chairs? There are a lot of folding chairs on the market, and after shopping a while, they may all begin to look the same. Here are a few features to look for in order to find the right folding chair:

Construction: Folding chairs are available in several materials including metal, plastic, plastic and metal, fabric or vinyl upholstery, blow molded plastic or even mesh material. The most common type of folding chair is constructed of metal and is available in several color choices. The metal strength is measured in gauges where the lower the gauge the stronger the steel. Folding chairs sold on this site are made for heavy, institutional use and normally have an 18 or 19-gauge frame. We recommend ordering the heavy duty versions if you will be setting up and taking down the chairs on a daily or weekly basis. Metal folding chairs with plastic seats and/or backs are a popular hybrid and are often more comfortable than an all-metal chair.

Weight Capacity: Most folding chair manufacturers do not readily publish the maximum weight capacity for their folding chairs for liability reasons. However, some models are built to withstand more abuse than others. The use of extra leg braces, dual hinges and heavy duty fasteners allows for weight capacities up to 1,000 lbs on some models (Mesh-One by Mity-Lite). Several of the National Public Seating models have been tested and have a weight capacity of up to 480 lbs. You should use caution and make sure the chair you select fits the needs of your environment. The lightweight, easy to stock folding banquet chairs work great for outdoor events such as graduations but are not recommended for larger people.

Tablet Arm: Some folding chairs have a tablet arm that gives the added bonus of a writing space. These tablet arms are usually small and intended for light training, note taking or test taking. Tablet arms fold away when not in use and are available for right or left handed persons.

Options: If you need to create neat rows with your folding chairs we offer universal ganging devices that join each chair together at the leg. For your folding chair storage needs we offer several chair caddies ranging from a double tier chair caddy to the traditional horizontal chair caddy. You can even find units that allow for under stage storage of your folding chairs.

If you have any questions regarding the folding chairs sold on the WorthingtonDirect website, please contact our knowledgeable customer service team at 800-599-6636 or email sales@worthingtondirect.com..