Recently, as urban parks and community green spaces undergo quality upgrades, outdoor benches—as fundamental amenities—have drawn significant attention regarding material selection and customisation models. Journalists visiting building material markets and multiple custom factories observed that metal and steel-wood outdoor benches have become mainstream choices. Factory customisation, leveraging its advantages in personalisation and adaptability, is gradually replacing traditional off-the-shelf procurement models.
The material selection for outdoor benches directly determines their lifespan and user experience. Industry insiders explain that pure metal benches, primarily crafted from aluminium alloy or stainless steel, boast exceptional rust resistance. Following high-temperature electrostatic spraying, they withstand harsh outdoor conditions like rain and UV exposure, typically lasting over a decade. Maintenance is straightforward, requiring only periodic wiping. Steel-wood outdoor benches employ a ‘steel frame + solid wood panel’ construction, with the timber typically being specially treated materials like pressure-treated wood or teak. This combination offers the stability of metal alongside the natural texture of wood, allowing for seamless integration into natural settings such as parks and scenic areas. Each material type serves distinct purposes: metal outdoor benches suit high-traffic areas like squares and residential communities, while steel-wood variants are better suited to scenic locations such as tourist attractions and wetland parks.
Equally crucial to material selection is the procurement model. Previously, many organisations opted for ready-made purchases, frequently encountering issues such as ‘inappropriate dimensions,’ ‘style conflicts,’ or ‘functional shortcomings.’ Mr Li, a property manager at a residential community, candidly remarked: ‘Previously purchased ready-made outdoor benches either lacked sufficient length for multiple users or clashed with the community’s aesthetic, incurring high replacement costs later.’ Today, the emergence of factory customisation effectively addresses these pain points.
What advantages does factory customisation offer? At a specialist outdoor furniture workshop, our reporter observed a 12-step process from design blueprint to finished product dispatch, encompassing material selection, structural engineering, CNC machining, and anti-corrosion treatment. The factory’s director, Mr Wang, explained that custom services first enable precise dimensional adaptation, allowing flexible adjustment of bench length and height to suit outdoor spaces, even accommodating curved or irregular structures for unconventional layouts. Secondly, it supports personalised design, such as engraving regional cultural symbols onto metal components or adding functional elements like armrests, backrests, and storage compartments as required. Crucially, it ensures quality control, allowing clients to participate in material inspections and process supervision throughout. The factory also provides warranty services, addressing after-sales concerns.
A city park renovation project adopted factory customisation, with 120 bespoke steel-and-wood outdoor benches seamlessly integrating into the Chinese-style landscape. Some benches incorporated solar charging ports, earning public acclaim. The project lead stated: ‘Factory customisation not only met aesthetic consistency requirements but enhanced service quality through functional innovation, delivering far superior value than off-the-shelf procurement.’
Industry experts note that the customisation of outdoor facilities reflects refined urban management practices. With technological advancements, factory customisation will achieve more efficient design-to-production cycles. Future bespoke services for metal and steel-wood outdoor benches will integrate greater smart functionality, empowering outdoor spaces.
Post time: Oct-22-2025
