China Dining Chairs Sourcing Guide: Which City Is Your Best Bet?
- Sunbin Qi
- May 8
- 5 min read
(First‑hand insights from Sunbin Qi, 20‑year furniture‑supply‑chain veteran and CEO of ASKT)
Why the postcode on your purchase order matters
Over two decades of walking factory floors from Heilongjiang to Hainan, I’ve learned that where you place an order in China influences everything that happens after you hit “send”: price, lead‑time, design language, and, most critically, the confidence your German or Dutch retail partners have in your compliance story. The five cities below—Anji, Foshan, Dongguan, Bazhou (Shengfang) and Heshan—make up the beating heart of China’s dining‑chair industry. Each sits inside a very different industrial ecosystem, and that ecosystem ultimately dictates whether you’re shipping mid‑century velvet swivel chairs or stackable metal café seats.
How I benchmark a sourcing hub
Factor | What I look for | Why it matters to EU group buyers |
Industrial depth | Number of chair factories, adjacent suppliers (foam, hardware, plating) | Volume flexibility & speed |
Specialisation | Upholstery vs. metal vs. solid wood | Fit with your current SKU mix |
Quality infrastructure | Local test labs, ISO‑9001 density, talent pool | Fewer incoming‑goods headaches |
Logistics | Port proximity, container availability | Lower DDP cost, more reliable ETAs |
Compliance readiness | Familiarity with EU EN 12520, REACH, EUTR, plastic levy | Shorter onboarding & lower risk |
Innovation culture | In‑house R&D, trade‑fair presence, design awards | Future‑proof assortments |
(Scoring sheet I give my sourcing team; feel free to steal it.)
1. Anji, Zhejiang – “Chair Town” turns sustainable tech hub
Cluster size: 3,800+ seating makers and an annual chair output topping 80 million units
DNA: bent‑ply & upholstered dining chairs, often with solid‑bamboo frames drawn from local FSC‑certified forestry.
Quality stack: Three home‑grown public companies—Henglin, Cheer & Leader—keep competitors on their toes; Henglin alone booked RMB 8.2 billion (≈€1.05 bn) in revenue last year.
Ports & lead‑time: Ningbo (3 hrs) or Shanghai (3.5 hrs); typical FOB lead‑time 35‑45 days after deposit in peak season.
Why I use it: If your assortment leans toward fabric‑heavy SKUs, Anji’s weaving mills can lab‑dip and cut‑and‑sew faster than any other cluster in China.
Watch‑outs: Labour costs are the highest on this list and rising ~6 % YoY; budget buyers must squeeze margin elsewhere.
2. Foshan (Shunde), Guangdong – Upholstery + design density in the “Furniture Capital”
Cluster size: 1 trillion‑RMB industrial output value across 26 sub‑sectors—China’s largest furniture economy.
Marketplace muscle: Lecong & Longjiang wholesale districts move roughly RMB 15 billion in furniture sales a year, housing 1,500+ showrooms from entry to luxe.
Specialties: Italian‑inspired stitched upholstery, cast‑steel legs, powder‑coated aluminium.
Innovation radar: “Dragon Furniture Fair” (Mar/Aug) previews thousands of incoming EU trends six months ahead of Canton Fair.
Why I use it: When my German retail clients want a velvet bucket chair that photographs like a €399 piece but lands FOB at €42, I pilot it in Foshan.
Watch‑outs: The sheer scale is both blessing and curse; you’ll vet ten factories to find one with traceable supply chains and clean audit reports.
3. Dongguan, Guangdong – Precision manufacturing for contemporary lines
Industrial pivot: The city is repositioning as a world‑class furniture cluster—the local government and CNAFA hosted the 2024 cluster summit to accelerate automation and digital MES adoption g.
Fair advantage: The bi‑annual International Famous Furniture Exhibition (3F) in Houjie brings 1,200+ exhibitors and is purpose‑built for global spec buyers g.
Core strengths: CNC‑cut plywood seats, synchronous multi‑needle upholstery lines, and hardware integration (Dongguan is also China’s hinge and gas‑lift capital).
Why I use it: Speed. A medium‑complexity upholstered dining chair can move from 3‑D drawing to first article in ≤15 days, shaving nearly a week off Anji or Foshan timelines.
Watch‑outs: MOQ rarely dips below one 40‑HQ per SKU; less suitable for test orders unless you have a consolidator.
4. Bazhou (Shengfang), Hebei – Northern specialist for metal & glass dining sets
Scale stats: 4,000+ factories with a ¥50 billion annual output focused almost exclusively on metal/glass furniture.
Export muscle: One hour from Tianjin Port; most plants run powder‑coating lines calibrated for salt‑spray >240 hrs to meet Scandinavian spec.
Typical SKU: Chromed‑steel cantilever chair with bonded‑leather cover, landed DDP Hamburg under €20 on full‑container buy.
Why I use it: If your EU retail programs live or die on price points—think €89‑RRP bundled chair/table sets—Shengfang keeps you profitable without sacrificing REACH compliance.
Watch‑outs: Fewer English‑speaking engineers; invest in a bilingual QA partner or bring your own inspector.
5. Heshan, Guangdong – Verticalised OEM for high‑volume roll‑outs
Factory scale: Plants like Mengdiles run 20,000 m² facilities, 100+ new SKUs/year and ship 70 x 40‑HQ containers monthly.
Integration: In‑house robotic welding, die‑casting for aluminium frames, and on‑site powder‑coat allow factory‑gate costs 5‑8 % below Foshan for comparable specs.
Market sweet‑spot: Hotel banquet chairs, contract dining, and chain‑restaurant roll‑outs that demand repeatability over artistry.
Why I use it: When a UK casual‑dining chain needs 5,000 identical chairs in 45 days with EN 16139 strength testing baked in, Heshan delivers.
Watch‑outs: Design services are pragmatic, not poetic—bring your own spec sheet.
Quick‑fire comparison table
City | Best for | Relative FOB Price* | Typical Lead‑time | Nearest Port | Compliance Culture |
Anji | Mid‑‑high fabric chairs | ★★★☆ | 35‑45 days | Ningbo / Shanghai | High |
Foshan | Luxe upholstery & mixed materials | ★★★ | 30‑40 days | Nansha / Shekou | Medium‑High |
Dongguan | Fast‑turn modern designs | ★★☆ | 25‑35 days | Yantian | High |
Bazhou | Value metal/glass sets | ★☆☆ | 30‑40 days | Tianjin | Medium |
Heshan | Large contract volumes | ★★ | 30‑35 days | Nansha | Medium |
*Price stars are relative: ★☆☆ = lowest, ★★★★ = highest within this list.
Don’t overlook sustainability (your buyers won’t)
Since January 2021 EU importers fund a €0.80/kg levy on non‑recycled plastic packaging Leading Tax Practice | WTS Global. I’ve watched German retailers push that cost straight back up the chain, making sourcing hubs with mature paper‑based packaging lines far more attractive. Anji and Foshan adjusted quickly, but Bazhou and Heshan still run LDPE bubble by default—factor an extra €0.90‑1.10 per chair if you don’t switch them to honeycomb kraft.
Decision framework
Validate your hero SKU. Fabric‑heavy? Start in Anji or Foshan. Metal sled? Bazhou first.
Run a landed‑cost simulator. Add €0.12/kg for Ningbo vs. €0.10/kg for Tianjin to Hamburg, then layer in plastic‑tax exposure.
Audit two plants, sample one. I always refresh BSCI/ISO 9001 certs and re‑test EN 12520 on a blind sample—even repeat suppliers.
Lock design IP early. CNIPA design patents cost <€150 and deter copycats at trade fairs. Dongguan and Foshan factories are proactive here; Bazhou is still learning.
About ASKT – your bridge across clusters
If you decide the answer to “Which city?” is “all of them,” my team can help. ASKT operates R&D and sampling centres in Bazhou, Anji, Huizhou and Zhangzhou, giving us on‑the‑ground engineering coverage across the very clusters you’ve just read about. Our zero‑plastic packaging program—already audited by multiple German customs brokers—cuts group buyers’ packaging costs by an average of 15 % while keeping you clear of the EU levy.
Earlier this year I shared these insights with Möbelmarkt as their February 2025 cover interview, where the editors recognised our R&D depth and commitment to customer‑driven design MÖBELMARKT. If you need a partner who speaks both DIN‑standards and factory dialects, drop me a note at sales@sinoaskt.com or message me on WhatsApp +86 189 1260 5997. Let’s make your next dining‑chair program both profitable and future‑proof.
I hope this field guide saves you a few scouting trips and a stack of sample fees. See you on the factory floor—or at the next 3F fair in Dongguan.
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