Wood moisture content and why chairs crack
More furniture claims trace to wood moisture than to any other single cause. The chair leaves the factory fine and cracks six weeks after it arrives.
Published by JP Furniture · Chair manufacturer in Foshan, China · 2026-09-26
The target band
Export furniture should ship at 8–12% moisture content, matched to the destination's equilibrium moisture content:
- Northern Europe, coastal US: 10–12%.
- Arid / inland, heated interiors: 7–9%.
- Humid tropics, air-conditioned interiors: 10–12%.
A chair dried to 8% and shipped to a heated Scandinavian restaurant in winter will lose more moisture and shrink; one dried to 14% will check and split.
What kiln drying does
Kiln drying stabilises the timber before cutting, so movement happens in the kiln rather than in your dining room. Air-dried-only stock is the most common shortcut in cheap contract seating, and it is invisible at the factory gate.
Ask for the kiln schedule and the moisture reading at assembly. We record both; see the factory page for the production line.
Protecting the shipment
- Vapour-barrier wrapping inside the carton.
- Desiccant packs in containers for long sea legs.
- No direct container floor contact — pallets or dunnage.
- Acclimatisation: let cartons sit unopened in the destination space for 24–48 hours.
