Why this matters:
We supply the HAY Palissade Cord series at OEM prices— design modifications included.
There’s a chair you’ve seen in every European design hotel this year. It’s the Palissade Cord by HAY — and it’s become the most specified outdoor dining chair in European hospitality. Designed by Ronan Bouroullec, it’s the chair that solved the comfort-durability trade-off with a cold-drawn steel frame and hand-woven recycled polyester cord. A single chair retails for €650–€750. A hotel terrace with 200 chairs faces an equipment cost of $140,000 before installation.
This article is for the B2B buyer who wants that design quality without that price tag. We’ll show you how we manufacture Palissade-equivalent cord chairs at OEM pricing — and how we can modify the design to make it your own.
HAY’s Influence: Why This Chair Carries Weight
HAY isn’t just a furniture brand — it’s a design institution. Founded in 2002 in Copenhagen by Mette and Rolf Hay, the brand has become synonymous with democratic, accessible design that doesn’t compromise on aesthetics. HAY collaborates with some of the world’s most respected designers — from Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec to Naoto Fukasawa and Scholten & Baijings.
The Palissade collection, launched in 2016, was an instant benchmark. It stripped outdoor furniture down to welded steel profiles — no cushions, no frills, just structure. The design was so clean that it transcended trends. Architects specified it not because it was fashionable, but because it was “right”.
When HAY introduced the Cord variant in early 2025 — adding hand-woven polyester cord to the seat and back — it solved the one critique of the original: comfort. The cord breathes, drains water instantly, and provides the tactile warmth of upholstery without the maintenance. Within months, it became the most-specified outdoor dining chair in European hospitality.
The brand premium is real. HAY’s positioning as a design-led brand adds 40–50% to retail pricing. That’s not a criticism — it’s a fact of the market. And it’s exactly why smart hospitality buyers are looking at OEM alternatives.
Market Reality: Who’s Buying, Where, and How Fast
The Palissade Cord isn’t a niche product. It’s specified everywhere:
By segment:
– Boutique hotels — The chair’s clean silhouette matches the minimalist aesthetic that dominates modern hospitality design. From Copenhagen to Lisbon, it’s the default choice for hotel terraces.
– Rooftop bars — The cord version’s comfort makes it ideal for spaces where guests linger for hours. London rooftop bars have been early adopters.
– Restaurants — The stacking capability (the dining chair stacks 4 high) makes it practical for high-turnover dining spaces.
– Resorts — Coastal properties specify it because the cord drains instantly and the steel frame passes 720-hour salt-spray tests.
By geography:
The Palissade originated in Scandinavia, but its specification has spread across Europe — from London to Ibiza, from Paris to the Italian Alps. A Munich-based procurement firm we work with has specified Palissade-style chairs for properties across Bavaria and northern Italy.
Market data:
The global outdoor dining chair market is valued at $4.8 billion in 2025, projected to reach $7.9 billion by 2034 (5.8% CAGR). The cord/braided segment is the fastest-growing subcategory, driven by hospitality buyers who want comfort without cushion maintenance.
Learn more: the official HAY Palissade collection page
The Craftsmanship: What Makes This Chair Different
The Palissade Cord’s quality comes from its construction, not its brand name.
Frame structure:
Cold-drawn steel tubes in 25×25 mm or 30×15 mm profiles, laser-cut into precise slats. Every line is structural — there’s no decorative excess. The tube bending accuracy is ±0.5° on 3-axis bends, and fixture-welding ensures repeatable geometry across production batches.
Corrosion protection (this is critical):
– Hot-dip galvanizing forms a zinc-iron alloy layer that bonds to the steel at the molecular level
– Cathodic electrophoretic coating (e-coating) — the frame undergoes an electrophoresis bath where epoxy paint is electrically deposited onto every surface, including hollow tube interiors and weld crevices. This step alone eliminates the “rust from inside” failure mode that kills budget chairs within 2 years.
– Zinc-rich epoxy primer as a third layer
– Polyester powder coating (outdoor grade, AkzoNobel Interpon D range) — two coats, any RAL color
– Total 4-layer system exceeds EN 581 standard and passes 240-hour neutral salt-spray testing (ASTM B117)
The cord:
High-tensile recycled polyester, UV-stabilised, hand-braided under tension. Each chair takes 30–45 minutes of hand-weaving depending on cord gauge and pattern complexity. The cord is woven to create a surface that breathes, drains water instantly, and resists mildew — no cushions needed.
The colors:
Available in 180 RAL outdoor-grade powder coating colors and 30 cord colors. Custom RAL matching available.
The Key Processes: Why This Chair Costs What It Does
Three processes define the Palissade Cord’s cost structure:
- Hot-dip galvanizing
This is not a simple primer coat. The steel frame is dipped in molten zinc at 450°C, creating a metallurgical bond that prevents rust from the inside out. This process alone adds 3–5 days to production time but delivers 8–10 years of corrosion resistance in outdoor environments. Most budget chairs skip this step — they fail within 18 months.
- Cathodic electrophoretic coating (e-coating)
After galvanizing, the frame goes through an electrophoresis bath. An electric current drives epoxy paint into every surface — including the inside of hollow tubes, weld seams, and threaded holes. This is the process that eliminates “rust from the inside out.” Without e-coating, moisture seeps through microscopic gaps in the weld and starts corroding from within. With e-coating, those gaps are sealed at the molecular level. It adds 1–2 days to production and roughly 8–12% to the BOM, but it’s the difference between a 2-year chair and an 8-year chair.
- Hand-braided cord
The cord weaving is done by hand, not machine. Each chair requires 30–45 minutes of skilled handwork. This is the single biggest cost driver in the Cord version versus the standard Palissade — it adds roughly 20% to the BOM. But it’s also what gives the chair its character. Machine-woven cord doesn’t have the same tension consistency or tactile quality.
These three processes — hot-dip galvanizing, e-coating, and hand-braiding — are what separate a chair that lasts 8 years from one that lasts 18 months. They’re also the processes we’ve invested in heavily.
Learn more: Palissade Cord on Archiproducts
Why We Can Replicate This Quality
Product Category | Typical Products | Key Processes |
Full Carbon Steel | Dining chairs, lounge chairs, bar stools | Cutting > Bending > Welding > Grinding > Galvanizing > E-coating > Powder coating |
Rope/Cord Weave | Lounge chairs, sofas, chaise lounges | Frame welding > E-coating > Hand weaving (PE/PVC cord) |
Metal + Glass Top | Dining tables, coffee tables | Frame welding > Hot-dip galvanizing > E-coating > Powder coating > Glass top |
Wood-Look/WPC | Benches, loungers, planter boxes | Extrusion > Wood grain finish > Assembly |
Aluminum | Modular sofas, loungers, dining tables | Extrusion > CNC > Welding > Anodizing/Powder coating |
We’ve been manufacturing steel outdoor furniture for European buyers since 2013. Our factory in Foshan runs three hot-dip galvanizing lines and employs a team of 40+ hand-braiding specialists with an average of 8 years of experience per worker.
Here’s what allows us to match Palissade-level quality:
Same processes:
– Cold-drawn steel tubes from the same grade suppliers
– Hot-dip galvanizing + zinc-rich primer + dual-layer powder coating
– Hand-braided recycled polyester cord under tension control
– Fixture-welding for repeatable geometry
Same standards:
– EN 581 (outdoor furniture structural standard)
– ASTM B117 720-hour neutral salt-spray testing
– EN 10219 (structural hollow sections)
– ESPR packaging compliance for EU import
Same materials:
– AkzoNobel Interpon D outdoor-grade powder coating
– High-tensile recycled polyester cord (UV-stabilised)
– Stainless steel hardware throughout
One of our clients from Germany approached us in 2025 with a Palissade Cord reference and asked: “Can you make this to the same standard, with our dimensions and our colors?” We produced tooling samples in 18 working days. The pre-production run passed independent 240-hour salt-spray testing with <1 mm creep from scribe — exceeding the European standard.
OEM & ODM: How We Modify the Design to Make It Yours — Copyright Safe
This is the part most articles don’t talk about. Let’s be clear: we don’t sell “HAY Palissade replicas.” We manufacture custom cord chairs based on your specifications — your dimensions, your RAL colors, your cord patterns, your brand.
How we handle design modification:
When a client comes to us with a reference product — whether it’s the Palissade Cord, a Muuto Linear chair, or a Fermob Bistro — we don’t copy it. We engineer around it. Here are the modifications we commonly make:
Modification | What It Changes | Client Reason |
Tube dimensions | 20x20mm / 30x20mm vs 25x25mm | Lighter or more substantial feel |
Seat depth/height | +/-10-30mm from original | Better proportions for target market |
Backrest angle | 5-15 degree recline adjustment | Ergonomics for specific use cases |
Cord pattern | Weave density or pattern change | Unique brand identity |
Frame shape/Slat spacing | Modified silhouette | Different look, same category |
RAL color (18+ options) | Any RAL outdoor-grade | Match brand palette |
Cord color (6 std + custom) | Pantone-matched cord | Brand-colored cord |
Why this matters for copyright:
Design patents and copyright protect specific ornamental features — the exact proportion of a slat, the precise curve of an armrest, the specific spacing of frame elements. By modifying these dimensions, proportions, and details, the resulting product becomes a *new design* that draws inspiration from the category but doesn’t infringe on any protected IP.
We work with each client to identify which elements to keep (the category-defining features that make the chair functional) and which to change (the brand-specific details that are protected). The outcome is a chair that captures the same design language but is legally and ethically distinct.
What we don’t do:
– We don’t apply fake brand labels or logos
– We don’t produce exact 1:1 copies of protected designs
– We don’t sell to buyers who plan to misrepresent the product
What we do:
– We help you create a chair that looks like it belongs in the same category as the Palissade — because it was engineered to the same quality standard
– We help you own the design: your dimensions, your specs, your brand
– We provide documentation of modifications for your legal team’s review
Case Study: 2,400 Chairs for a Bavarian Hotel Group
A Munich-based hospitality procurement firm approached us in mid-2025. Their client — a boutique hotel group with properties in Bavaria and the Italian Alps — needed 2,400 Palissade-style cord chairs for a chain-wide terrace renovation.
The challenge:
The client wanted the Palissade Cord aesthetic — the clean steel slats, the hand-woven cord, the warm industrial look — but at a price that worked for a multi-property rollout. They also wanted:
– Deeper seat depth (the original was too shallow for their guests)
– Custom RAL color to match their brand identity
– Cord color changed from standard to a custom natural beige
– Reinforced leg glides for marble terrace floors
Our solution:
– Produced tooling samples in 18 working days
– Modified seat depth from standard to +20 mm
– Matched RAL 1013 (Oyster White) powder coating + custom natural cord
– Added rubberized foot caps with stainless steel base plates for marble protection
– First pre-production run of 48 units passed independent 720-hour salt-spray test
Results:
– 2,400 chairs delivered in 3 batches over 10 weeks
– FOB pricing at 62% below European retail equivalent
– Client has since reordered for two new properties opening in 2027
Ready to Source?
If you’re evaluating Palissade-style cord chairs for a hospitality project — or if you have a reference design you’d like us to engineer into a custom product — we’ll send you a sample matched to your specifications within 18 working days.
Contact us at colorsfurniturefactory@gmail.com or visit colorsfurniturefactory.com. Tell us your target quantity, reference design, and any modifications you need — we’ll come back with a quotation and lead time within 48 hours.
