Rattan, cane and woven panels: what to specify

At a glance

'Where it suits' is practice, not a standard. We found no published standard for woven cane panels in furniture, and no sourced limits for weave size, span or humidity: the table says what to ask, not a pass mark.

Say which material you mean

The trade uses rattan, cane and wicker loosely. Rattan is the stem of a climbing palm, cane is the outer skin peeled from it, and wicker is a technique that can be worked in rattan, willow or polymer. A German trade-association transport sheet describes chair cane as the split stem of the rattan palm and notes that its properties as a cargo are governed by its moisture behaviour. Our rattan and cane materials page sets out the same distinction for designers.

On a schedule, name three things: the material (natural cane, natural rattan, or polymer), the weave, and the panel as supplied (loose webbing, a pre-woven sheet, or a finished panel in a frame). ‘Rattan finish’ on its own means nothing to a workshop.

Weave scale decides the character

The weave sets the look more than any later choice: a fine mesh reads formal and light, a bold open weave reads as a texture across a room. We found no published table of weave sizes, so describe the weave by a sample and by a measurement taken from it: strand width, gap between strands and the resulting open area. Ask the supplier for the sample the price is based on and approve a signed sample before the run (see sample hierarchy and approval).

Open weaves let light and air through. That helps a wardrobe or radiator cover, but it also lets you see what is behind, so settle the backing early: nothing, a fabric liner, a painted board or a mirror. Say which, and whether the backing is fixed or removable.

The frame and the fixing

Cane in a door or headboard is held in a frame, normally in a rebate with a spline pressed into a groove over the panel edge. The panel is wetted to relax it and then dries taut, so the rebate and groove must be cut accurately and the fibre must not be stressed beyond its own movement. Our timber movement sheet covers the frame side; the finish on the frame follows finishes on timber joinery.

Specify the frame species, the rebate and spline detail, and who is responsible for the tension: a panel that has gone slack in service is a fixing question, not a fibre defect. For fixed doors, ask for access to the back so that a damaged panel can be re-laid without replacing the door.

Humidity, dry air, sun and the outdoors

The TIS-GDV sheet calls chair cane strongly hygroscopic: it takes up moisture, which causes staining, mould and rot, and it can also dry out, especially decored cane, which becomes brittle and unusable. The same sheet gives a reference condition of about 70 per cent relative humidity and 10 to 12 per cent water content for transport and storage. That is a shipping reference and not an in-service limit. Care sources we saw agree that very dry air and direct sun make cane brittle and tear-prone.

What it means for a specifier: natural cane suits dry-to-moderate, steady interiors; put it away from radiators and fires, out of strong direct sun, and not in wet areas, pool surrounds or exposed terraces. Where a room swings between wet and dry (a bathroom, a hotel with intermittent heating) or sits outdoors, polymer is the safer specification. Our outdoor sheets cover the other parts of an outdoor scheme.

Polymer is a different material with its own questions: UV stability, colour fastness, heat, and how it is cleaned. Ask for the supplier’s data and a sample left in a window for a few weeks. We found no figure to quote.

Fire, cleaning and repair

A cane panel in a headboard, door or wall lining has a fire route like any other: see headboards and wall panels fire tests and fire performance of wall panelling. Do not assume natural fibre is acceptable; confirm what the building and the client require and ask for a report for the panel as built.

Cleaning: vacuum gently with a soft brush and blot spills. Do not soak natural cane. Ask the supplier for a care sheet and write it into the handover pack (handover and O&M pack). Repair: a slack or broken panel is normally re-laid in the frame, so ask who can do that and whether spare webbing from the same run is held (spares and attic stock).

Make Bespoke Studio coordinates manufacture through partner workshops; which weaves and fibres a partner can supply is confirmed project by project and is not stated here.

Woven panel [item ref]: [natural cane / natural rattan / polymer rattan], weave [open hexagonal / square mesh / close-woven], strand width [ ] mm, gap [ ] mm, colour and finish [ ], as per signed sample [ref]. Supplied as [loose webbing / pre-woven sheet / panel in frame]. Trade names are not accepted as a description.

Frame [species], rebate [ ] mm and spline groove as drawing [ref]. Panel wetted and laid taut by the [partner workshop] and fixed with a [timber / cane] spline. Backing [none / fabric liner / painted board / mirror], [fixed / removable]. Back access [yes / no] for re-laying.

Location [room, orientation to sun, heating type, expected relative humidity range [ ] to [ ] per cent]. [Natural cane is accepted only for dry-to-moderate interior locations away from heat sources and direct sun / polymer rattan is specified for wet, outdoor or intermittently heated locations.] Supplier confirms suitability in writing before quotation.

[Supplier] provides, before approval: the sample, a care sheet, UV and colour-fastness data for polymer, and a fire report for the panel as built where the location requires one. [ ] spare metres of webbing from the same run are held for repair.

Standards and sources

• TIS-GDV, Chair cane (rattan), transport information sheet: read 8 Nov 2026; transport and storage reference only.

Questions we are asked

What is the difference between rattan and cane?

Rattan is the solid stem of a climbing palm; cane is the outer skin peeled from that stem and woven. Wicker is the weaving technique and can use either, or willow, or polymer.

Can natural cane be used outdoors or in a bathroom?

We would not. A trade-association sheet describes chair cane as strongly hygroscopic, with moisture causing staining, mould and rot, so exposed or wet locations call for polymer rattan, confirmed by the supplier.

Why has my cane panel gone slack or brittle?

Cane takes up and gives off moisture. Very dry air, heat sources and strong sun can make it brittle, and a poorly cut rebate or spline can let the panel slacken. Ask who laid it and whether it can be re-laid.

What weave size should I specify?

We found no published guide. Choose a sample, measure its strand width and gap, and write those measurements and the sample reference into the schedule.

Does cane need a fire test?

In a headboard, door or wall lining it follows the same fire route as other panels. Confirm what the building and client require and ask for a report for the panel as built.