What Is Rattan? The Palm Behind Woven Lamps and Baskets

Rattan is a climbing palm. Its long, solid stems are cleaned, split and woven into chairs, baskets, lampshades and wall pieces, so when a product label says rattan, it is naming a plant material, not a style of weave.

Once you know it is a palm stem, the rest falls into place: what cane and core mean in a listing, how rattan differs from wicker and bamboo, and how to look after a woven piece once it is home.

Where rattan comes from

Rattan is the name for a whole group of climbing palms, and you will also see it called the rattan palm or rattan plant. There are hundreds of species, placed by botanists in a branch of the palm family called Calamoideae. They are native to tropical Asia, Africa and Australasia, a spread often summed up as the Old World tropics.

Most rattans grow like vines. Rather than standing on a trunk of their own, they climb up through the surrounding forest on long, slender stems. Those stems are solid, and that is the detail that matters to anyone holding a rattan basket: a solid stem can be cut into long lengths and split lengthways into strands for weaving.

People turn those stems into furniture, baskets, mats and all kinds of woven handicrafts, especially across Southeast Asia.

Is rattan wood?

Not in the usual sense. Wood is timber cut from trees, while rattan is the stem of a climbing palm. The mix-up is understandable, because a rattan frame is firm and feels woody in the hand, and rattan often gets grouped with wood-like natural materials. Botanically, though, it belongs with the palms. So treat rattan as a material in its own right, not a type of timber.

Cane, core and what a product label means

A rattan stem gives the weaver two different materials. The outside is a thin, tough skin. Peeled away in narrow strips, that skin is called cane. What is left inside is the core, which is split into round or flat strands. Both get woven. Whole stems can also be kept as poles and bent to make frames.

That distinction is what the words on a label are pointing at:

• Rattan or natural rattan. Material from the rattan plant, and natural tells you it is the real plant rather than a synthetic look-alike. On its own, the word does not say which part of the stem was used, so ask the seller if that matters to you.
• Cane or rattan cane. Usually the peeled outer skin, and on a chair it often means a finely woven panel in the seat or back. The word gets used loosely, though: some sellers call whole stems rattan cane, so read the rest of the description.
• Rattan core. The inner part of the stem with the skin removed, split into strands for weaving.

On a pendant shade, basket or wall piece, every one of these words points to the same plant. Cane and core simply tell you which layer of the stem became the strands.

How rattan becomes a lampshade or basket

In broad strokes, a stem goes through the same stages whether it ends up as a chair or a pendant shade. The stems are harvested, cleaned and dried. The skin may be peeled off as cane, and the stem is split into strands or kept whole as poles. Poles that need to curve are softened with heat, often steam, bent into shape and left to dry and set. Then the strands are woven.

For a chair, the bent poles make the frame and the weave fills it in. For a lampshade, basket or wall piece, the woven strands are most of what you see, and on a pendant the gaps between them matter too, because that is where the light comes through.

Browse our rattan pendant lights and you will find shades listed as handwoven in Thailand from natural rattan. One listing spells out what handwoven means in practice: each piece varies a little in colour, shape and weave. Our rattan wall decor includes handwoven basket sets and pieces that pair rattan with bamboo.

Rattan vs wicker vs bamboo

These three often get swapped around, but only rattan and bamboo are plants. Wicker is a way of weaving. A woven rattan basket is wicker, but a wicker basket is not necessarily rattan, because willow, bamboo, reed and other pliable materials are woven the same way. Bamboo is a different plant altogether: a grass with hollow, jointed stems, where rattan is a palm with solid ones.

	What it is	Stem	What you will see
Rattan	A climbing palm	Solid and flexible	Long, smooth strands or poles that bend into curves
Wicker	A weaving technique	Depends on the material used	A woven pattern in whichever material was used
Bamboo	A grass	Hollow, with joints along its length	Prominent joints and a straighter, stiffer line

Our guide to rattan vs wicker goes further into the weave versus the material. If you are choosing between natural materials for a pendant or a basket, see how rattan, bamboo and seagrass compare.

Is rattan durable?

It can be, on the right terms. Rattan is light, and for its weight it is strong and flexible, which is why it can be bent into curved frames and tight weaves without breaking. The condition that matters is keeping it reasonably dry.

Long spells of wet and strong direct sun are what wear natural rattan down, and damp that never fully dries out can lead to mould. So keep natural woven rattan indoors, or in a covered outdoor spot such as a porch or veranda. Some of our rattan pendants are listed for indoor or covered outdoor use, which follows the same rule.

Looking after rattan

Rattan care comes down to dust and moisture.

• Dust it regularly with a soft brush or a dry cloth, working into the weave. On a pendant shade, switch the light off before you start.
• Wipe marks with a cloth that is barely damp rather than wet.
• Let it dry fully somewhere airy before you use it or hang it back up.

If you have spotted mould or want a deeper clean, our guide to cleaning wicker and rattan baskets covers both. If a strand has worked loose or snapped, here is how to fix wicker and rattan baskets at home. And if you own a rattan chair or sofa, caring for rattan furniture covers the larger pieces.

Quick questions about rattan

Is rattan a plastic?

No. Natural rattan is a palm stem. Some outdoor furniture is woven from a synthetic fibre made to look like rattan, so check that the listing says natural rattan.

Is rattan the same as bamboo?

No. Bamboo is a grass with hollow stems, and rattan is a palm with solid ones. On a finished piece, bamboo's prominent joints and stiffer, straighter lines usually give it away.

Can rattan go outside?

Under cover, yes. Natural rattan is happiest on a covered porch, veranda or terrace, out of long exposure to rain and strong sun. Where a listing names a use, such as indoor or covered outdoor, follow it.

What is rattan cane?

Usually the thin outer skin of the rattan stem, peeled off in strips and woven, for example into chair seats and backs. The rest of the stem, once the skin is gone, is the core.

To see rattan doing everyday work, browse our woven wicker and rattan baskets.