Aluminum and steel patio chairs

Metal on the sidewalk: no cushions to haul in, no weave to brush. 21 chairs here, most with painted metal frames and metal seats, a few in steel or aluminum. Backs come in mesh, ladder, checkered and matrix patterns. Decide on arms first, since armchairs claim more of the row, then check which chairs stack for the nightly breakdown.

Backs that let a gust through

An open back gives the wind less to push. That counts on a rooftop or a street corner where gusts come around the building. A black mesh armchair weighs 13 pounds and is rated to 400 pounds. The modern mesh side chair comes in at 8 pounds and 20 1/2 inches wide. Capacity is listed at 400 or 500 pounds on nearly every chair in the group.

Other patterns fill out the group. A ladder back in black or grey steel stacks and is listed for patio use. A checkered back and a matrix back with arms carry a cafe look. A black and a white line come as side chair and armchair, both stacking, with the side chairs rated to 500 pounds.

Arms, stacking and the one swivel

Several chairs have arms, and they run 20 to 24 1/2 inches wide. The side chairs sit between 15 1/2 and 21 1/2 inches. Over a row of ten, a few inches per chair add up to several feet of curb.

Count the stack too. Chairs that stack leave the curb in a few trips; the rest go in one by one, and if they stay out overnight, run a cable lock through the frames and pull a cover over the lot. More than half the range stacks. The black metal patio chair is not listed as stacking, weighs 13 pounds and is rated to 500, so it suits a courtyard where the chairs stay put under a cover. One aluminum and steel chair swivels, with a 17-inch seat, a good pick for the end of a rail where guests turn toward the view.

Where the record gives a seat height, it lands at 17 to 18 inches, right for dining tables near 30 inches.

Rain, rinse, repeat

Water beads up on a metal seat after a shower. Wipe the seats before the evening crowd arrives, rinse the frames when city dust builds up, and look over the feet and seat edges each spring. Store the chairs dry when you close for the season.

Chairs here run from about $61 to $118. Pair them with steel tops from metal patio furniture or any of the patio tables, and compare other materials in patio chairs. Then put the row in an outdoor plan.