Metal cafe and restaurant chairs

Metal frames are the working chairs of a small cafe, and this shelf runs from slim ladder-backs to wide padded chairs. One listed here is 17 inches across and another is 24 1/4. Measure the row before you pick a style, then choose the seat.

Width and depth set the aisle

A ladder back metal dining chair is 17 inches across and 20 deep, with a 32 1/2 inch height. A metal dining chair elsewhere on the shelf is 24 1/4 across and 26 1/2 deep, at 32 3/4 inches tall. That extra 6 1/2 inches of depth eats nearly a fifth of a 36 inch service aisle once someone sits down, and a chair 24 1/4 inches wide already fills the two feet or so that each diner gets along a table edge.

Tape a row of footprints on the floor before you choose. Two minutes with a tape measure beats a return.

Back styles

Upholstered backs are the biggest group at 42 chairs, with curved backs on 18, bucket shapes on 12, interchangeable backs on 11, ladder backs on seven, and vertical slats on five. Padded backs appear on 52 chairs in all. The metal ladder back chairs page and the upholstered-back metal chairs page each pull one style apart from the rest.

Listed seat heights run mostly from 18 to 20 inches, with 18, 19, and 19 1/2 at the top of the count. Under a dining table that stands 29 to 30 inches, those leave a fair gap for knees.

Seats and finish

Vinyl seats are on 97 chairs, wood on 55, and fabric on 29, and 79 chairs list upholstery options. Thirteen frames are finished to look like wood, plus two aluminum ones, and the metal chairs with wood look page collects that group. Judge the finish on a free metal swatch from samples and not on a screen.

Stack, swivel, and stay inside

Only four chairs here stack, so if closing means a stack by the door, start from stacking chairs instead. Three swivel and 15 have arms. Indoor use is listed on 113 chairs. Weather damages cushioned seats, so keep a metal chair with an upholstered seat off the sidewalk.

The warranty on a non-swivel metal chair runs seven years against defects in materials and workmanship, and a swivel metal chair carries one year. Single chairs range from $68 to $347.