Resin wicker, also known as all-weather wicker, is manufactured predominantly for use in outdoor patio furniture. It is meant to look like natural

wicker Wicker is the oldest furniture making method known to history, dating as far back as 5,000 years ago. It was first documented in ancient Egypt using pliable plant material, but in modern times it is made from any pliable, easily woven material. ...

, but is made of a synthetic material, generally polyethylene. In the UK, it is known as rattan garden furniture, as the more traditional natural rattan has fallen out of fashion. Wicker is not actually a material, but a method of weaving. The word is said to be derived from the Scandinavian word "vika" which means "to bend." Traditionally, natural plant materials were used to manufacture a variety of different products including baskets, trays, indoor and outdoor furniture. Wicker was originally made from natural fibers, such as

rattan Rattan, also spelled ratan, is the name for roughly 600 species of Old World climbing palms belonging to subfamily Calamoideae. The greatest diversity of rattan palm species and genera are in the closed-canopy old-growth tropical forests of ...

, a material derived from the so-called rotan tree, a vine like plant.Wicker Basketry, by Flo Hoppe The term rattan is sometimes used interchangeably with wicker, but in fact denotes the fiber used to create the wicker work. Rattan is somewhat elastic and often used to produce baskets, hampers and chairs. The branch-like material is woven together for the purpose of constructing various wicker items.

Resin In polymer chemistry and materials science, resin is a solid or highly viscous substance of plant or synthetic origin that is typically convertible into polymers. Resins are usually mixtures of organic compounds. This article focuses on natu ...

wicker is a similar looking material. Synthetic

polyethylene Polyethylene or polythene (abbreviated PE; IUPAC name polyethene or poly(methylene)) is the most commonly produced plastic. It is a polymer, primarily used for packaging ( plastic bags, plastic films, geomembranes and containers including bo ...

fiber resin wicker is generally durable, resistant to the sun's

ultraviolet radiation Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30 PHz) to 400 nm (750 THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiation i ...

and water. Resin wicker is often used over an aluminum frame to create lightweight outdoor furniture.

References

{{Reflist Plastics applications