Outdoor Bar Tables and Bar Stools for Hospitality Terraces: Five Sourcing Routes for FF&E Contractors
Five sourcing routes for bar-height and counter-height outdoor tables and stools, and what to put in the schedule so quotations can be compared line by line.
Outdoor bar tables and stools are where indoor bar furniture meets the weather. The heights, the footrests and the seat comfort follow the bar; the frames, the finishes and the fixing follow the terrace. A schedule line that reads “bar table and 4 stools, aluminium” leaves the heights, the top, the fixing and the cushions to the maker, and every maker answers differently.
This guide sorts the supply side into five sourcing routes so a project team can send one brief to the right makers and compare the answers fairly. It is not a ranking. No factory is named or scored here, and no claim is made about the weather resistance or service life of any product. For dining-height furniture on the same terrace see our restaurant outdoor dining chairs and tables page, and for fixed bars see our guide to commercial bar counters and back bars.
What should an outdoor bar furniture brief state?
State at least the following, copied from the terrace plan and the item list.
- Item code and quantity: one code per table and stool type, with the quantity per terrace.
- Heights: bar height or counter height for tables and stools, as the designer has set them, so tables and stools are matched.
- Table top: top material, size and edge, as drawn, for each item code.
- Table base: single pedestal, four-leg or trestle base, and how it is weighted or fixed.
- Stool frame: aluminium, teak, steel or woven frame, with the finish and colour reference.
- Seat, back and footrest: seat construction, back or backless, arms if any, and the footrest the designer has drawn.
- Cushions: whether stools take cushions, the outdoor fabric the specification names and how cushions are fixed.
- Stacking and storage: whether stools stack and where they are stored when the terrace is closed.
- Packing: how pieces are protected and marked by terrace, and which parts ship separately.
Five sourcing routes for outdoor bar tables and stools
1. Aluminium outdoor furniture makers
These makers build powder-coated aluminium frames for tables and stools, with tops and seats in a range of materials. Ask for the frame drawing, the finish description, the top and seat description, the glide or foot description and a finished sample of a table and a stool together. This route suits hotel and restaurant terraces.
2. Teak and hardwood outdoor workshops
Timber workshops build bar tables and stools in teak or other hardwoods. Ask for the species and finish description, the joinery and hardware description and a finished sample, and ask what timber legality documents the maker can provide for the species offered. For a project that included solid teak outdoor seating and tables, see the case study Outdoor Teak Furniture and Park Benches for a U.S. Municipal Park Project.
3. Synthetic rattan and rope weavers
Weaving workshops wrap synthetic rattan or rope over metal frames to make stools with a woven seat and back. Ask for the frame material and finish, the weave and fibre description, the colour reference and a finished sample. Ask also which parts of the frame are welded and how the weave is finished at the ends.
4. Metal fabricators for fixed and freestanding bar tables
Metal fabricators build bar tables and high benches in stainless or galvanised steel, freestanding or fixed to the deck. Ask for the drawing, the material and finish description, the fixing detail and a finished sample or a photograph of a finished piece of the same design. This route suits rooftop bars and terraces where tables are part of the built layout.
5. Outdoor furniture package suppliers
Some suppliers quote bar tables and stools with the rest of the terrace furniture. This gives one party and one delivery, but ask the supplier to quote each type on its own line and to say which items it makes and which it buys in. See also our guide on commercial bar stool manufacturers on FBM Sourcing.
How to compare outdoor bar furniture quotations
- Heights: table and seat heights stated on every line, so stools and tables are matched.
- What is included: table top, base, stool frame, seat, footrest, cushions and glides, shown as separate lines with the unit of measure stated.
- Materials: frame, top and seat materials and finishes described on every line, so a cheaper line is read against what it contains.
- Cushions: fabric, filling description and fixing, or stated as excluded.
- Fixing: freestanding, weighted or fixed, and what the site provides.
- Samples: whether a finished table and stool are included and who pays for revisions.
- Exclusions and substitutions: any change of material, finish, height or fixing the maker proposes.
A quotation that is cheaper on one line may be thinner on another. Read the descriptions side by side before reading the totals.
Send your outdoor bar schedule
Send the terrace plans, item list and quantities. Our team will review them and get back to you.
Heights, footrests and the bar layout
Tables and stools are bought as a pair, so the heights should be written once and used for both. Ask the designer to set the table height and the seat height on the drawing, and ask each maker to quote stools and tables against those heights rather than against its own catalogue sizes. Where the terrace has a fixed bar or a ledge, ask the bar builder and the stool maker to work from the same section drawing.
Rooftop and exposed terraces add a second question: what happens to tall, light furniture in wind. Name the site conditions in the brief, ask each maker how the model offered is weighted, fixed or stored, and let the project team decide. For a terrace with fixed bar elements, see our guide to commercial bar counters and back bars.
Cushions, fabric and storage
Outdoor bar stools can be specified with seat pads or cushions, and cushions are one place where quotations for the same stool can differ. Name the outdoor fabric the specification calls for, with its colour code, and ask each maker to describe the filling, the cover construction and how the cushion is fixed to the stool. Ask whether covers can be removed for cleaning and whether spare covers are quoted, and ask the maker to quote cushions on their own lines so that they can be compared separately from the frames.
Where the operator stores cushions or stools indoors when the terrace is closed, say so in the brief. It changes how cushions are fixed, whether stools are chosen to stack, and how both are packed and marked. Keep an approved fabric swatch with the order as the reference for repeat orders and spare covers.
- Fabric: the outdoor fabric named, its colour code and the swatch reference.
- Cushion construction: filling description, cover construction and fixing method on every line.
- Spares: spare covers or cushions quoted on their own lines and marked to the stool model.
Rules and evidence
The rules that apply to outdoor bar tables and stools on hospitality terraces depend on the destination, the building and the materials. Name the requirement in the specification and ask each factory what evidence it can provide for the exact model offered. Our United States, Canada and Australia and New Zealand compliance pages explain how we approach the main rules. Your specifier or certifier decides what applies to your project.
Samples, approval and delivery
Approve a finished sample of a table and a stool together, not a photograph, before bulk production, and record the approval in writing against the item code. Place it beside the other pieces of the room set so finish, height and edge are seen together. Keep the approved sample as the reference for the bulk order. Our guide to samples, finishes and approvals sets out the approval sequence.
On delivery, check a sample of cartons against the order: item code, size, finish, hardware and quantity of each part. Note any difference in writing on the day with photographs, so the maker can respond while the evidence is fresh. Before shipment our own team checks quantities, dimensions, finish, hardware and packing against the signed-off specification, and you receive a QC report with photos and video.
What to send us
Send the terrace plans, the item list with quantities, the heights the designer has set, the finish and fabric selections and the project location. FBM Furniture works with companies only: Developers · General Contractors · Builders · Commercial Project Owners · Interior Design & Construction Companies · FF&E Solution Providers. For the rest of the terrace see our outdoor furniture page.
Frequently asked questions
What should an outdoor bar table and stool specification include?
Give the bar or counter height for tables and stools, the top material, size and edge, the base and its fixing, the stool frame, seat, back and footrest, any cushions and their fabric, the finish codes, stacking requirements and the packing by terrace.
Should stools and tables come from the same maker?
They can, which makes it easier to match heights and finishes. If they come from different makers, give both the same heights and finish references, and approve a table and a stool together.
Who decides whether outdoor bar tables are fixed?
The project team decides from the terrace layout and the site conditions. Ask each maker how its model is weighted, fixed or stored, and put the decision in the schedule.
Can outdoor bar stools take cushions?
Some do. If the design calls for cushions, name the outdoor fabric and the fixing in the brief, and ask each maker to quote cushions on their own lines.
How is FBM Furniture paid, and who inspects?
For suppliers you nominate, we charge a 5% commission; for products we source for you, we quote a direct price. Our own team performs one inspection after bulk production is complete and before shipment, and your team is welcome to attend.
Send your outdoor bar schedule
Send the terrace plans, item list and quantities. Our team will review them and get back to you.