Wood vs Metal Bar Stools: Which Material Is Right for You?

By Alexandra PetterssonReviewed by Alexander TjernströmUpdated

Short answer

Steel
slim, light, most colours and heights
Oak
warm, crafted, can be refinished

Steel for slim lines and custom heights; oak for warmth and a frame you can refinish.

Bar Stool Freja in jade black velvet on a black steel frame beside a kitchen counter
Freja Bar Stool · from £319
Read the guideSee the stools

Part of the guide to Bar Stools

Wood and metal are the two materials almost every bar stool is built from, and each has a clear character. Steel can be bent and welded into thin, strong frames, so metal stools look light and take up little visual space. Oak is thicker by nature, so wooden stools look warmer and more substantial. Both can be excellent or poor: a thin tube with weak welds is as disappointing as a veneered stool with screwed joints. This guide compares the two on the things that matter at a kitchen counter: durability, comfort, cleaning, space, family life and style. It is based on the two materials we work with every day in our factory in Malmö: Swedish precision steel and FSC-certified European oak.

Wood or metal bar stools: which is better?

Neither is better in general; each is better for something.

Metal stools suit small and modern kitchens, households that want a particular frame colour or a custom seat height, and anyone who wants the slimmest possible profile. Wooden stools suit kitchens that need warmth, rooms with wooden floors or worktops, and buyers who want a stool that can be refinished after decades.

The table compares our steel and oak ranges on the points buyers ask about most. The honest summary from our experience is that the two are equally durable when properly made, steel is more flexible in size and colour, and oak brings a character that most people find steel cannot imitate.

Erik dining chairs and Ebba bar stools in dark oak in a kitchen with panoramic windows at Pine Edge Villa
Solid oak: Ebba stools in dark oak with Erik chairs in the same wood.
Powder-coated steel and solid oak compared, by Crea ranges
FeaturePowder-coated steelSolid oak
LookSlim, light, graphicWarm, crafted, substantial
ModelsFreja, Philip, Bruno, SveaEva, Ebba, Ted, Carl
SeatUpholsteredOak or upholstered
ColoursBlack; white, beige and taupe to orderNatural oak, dark oak
Seat heights66 cm, 76 cm or custom66 cm or 76 cm
Load rating200 kg200 kg
RepairReplaceable cushion on Freja and SveaCan be sanded and relacquered
Warranty10 years10 years

Which lasts longer, wood or metal bar stools?

In our experience, both last for decades when they are well made, and both fail early when they are not.

A metal stool lasts when it is welded rather than bolted and the finish is powder coating rather than paint. A wooden stool lasts when it is solid hardwood with glued joints rather than veneer with screws. Check the construction before the material.

Our steel frames are made from Swedish precision steel tube, welded and powder-coated in our factory, which in our experience gives a hard finish that resists chips far better than wet paint. Our oak stools are solid FSC-certified oak, joined and glued in the same factory. Both are delivered fully assembled, so no joint depends on someone's screwdriver, and both carry a 200 kg load rating and a 10-year warranty. Read more in how our bar stools are made.

Person using a grinder with sparks flying, wearing protective gloves and a helmet.
Steel frames are cut, welded and ground by hand in our factory in Malmö.

Are metal or wooden bar stools more comfortable?

Comfort comes from the seat, backrest and footrest, not the frame material.

A metal stool with an upholstered seat and a backrest is more comfortable over a long meal than a wooden stool with a flat hard seat, and a shaped oak seat with a backrest beats a thin metal seat with none.

Metal frames usually carry upholstered seats, because the thin frame needs a cushion to feel generous; all our steel stools have upholstered seats in vegan leather, velvet or bouclé. Wooden stools more often have wooden seats, which, in our experience, are comfortable for meals of up to about an hour if the seat is shaped. If you want wood with a soft seat, Ted and Carl are available with bouclé. See are metal bar stools comfortable for the steel side in detail.

Which is easier to keep clean?

Both are easy to clean with a damp cloth; the difference is in the seat.

A powder-coated frame and a lacquered oak frame both wipe clean in seconds. A wooden seat is the easiest seat of all to clean, while upholstery needs the right care for its fabric: vegan leather wipes clean, velvet and bouclé need blotting and occasional vacuuming.

In a kitchen with young children, an all-wood stool or a steel stool with vegan leather is the easiest combination. We recommend avoiding abrasive pads and silicone polishes on both materials, since in our experience they dull the finish. Our bar stool care guide covers every finish and fabric we use.

Which material is best for a small kitchen?

Metal, in most small kitchens. A steel frame is thinner than a wooden one, so the stool takes up less visual space and lets light and sightlines pass through.

A backless steel stool such as Svea is the most compact option, and it slides fully under the counter when not in use.

Wood can work in a small kitchen too, if you choose a slim, backless design: Eva, in solid oak, has the same 38 cm seat width as Svea. What makes a small kitchen feel crowded is usually the backrest height and the number of stools, not the material. Our guide to bar stools for small kitchen islands goes through the options.

Bar Stool Svea in black velvet placed at a modern kitchen island with a marble countertop.
Svea: a backless steel stool with the smallest footprint in our range.

Which is better for families with children?

Both work well, and the priorities are stability and cleanability rather than material.

Choose a stool with four legs and a footrest, a load rating that covers climbing children, and a seat that wipes clean. A backrest helps smaller children feel secure.

In our experience, steel frames resist knocks from shoes and toys without denting, and a replaceable cushion, as on Freja and Svea, means a worn or stained seat can be swapped without replacing the stool. Solid oak takes knocks well too and hides marks in a dark finish, and it can be sanded if a child's felt-tip pen ever reaches it. Both our ranges are rated for 200 kg.

Can I mix wood and metal bar stools?

Yes, and it usually works best when you mix along a rule rather than at random.

One simple approach is to keep one material per island and use the other nearby: oak stools at the island and steel chairs at the dining table, or the reverse. If you mix at one counter, keep the seat height, seat colour and overall height the same so the row still reads as a set.

A second approach is to mix within the stool itself: a black steel frame with a latte vegan leather seat echoes oak tones, and a black oak stool, such as Eva or Ebba, echoes black steel. Our black bar stools guide and oak bar stools guide show both materials in real kitchens.

Carl in natural oak with ivory bouclé: wood with a soft seat.
Carl in natural oak with ivory bouclé: wood with a soft seat.

Wood or metal: how to decide

Steel
Small kitchens, colours, custom heights.
Oak
Warm kitchens, wood floors and worktops.
10 years
Warranty on every stool, steel or oak.

Start with the kitchen. Slim, modern or small kitchens, or a need for a specific colour or custom height, point to powder-coated steel. Warm kitchens with wood floors or worktops, or a wish for a stool that ages and can be refinished, point to solid oak. Then check the construction: welded or glued joints, a hard finish and a stated load rating. Every by Crea bar stool, steel or oak, is made in our own factory in Malmö, Sweden, delivered fully assembled and covered by a 10-year warranty.

Frequently asked questions

Are wood or metal bar stools more durable?

In our experience, they are equally durable when well made. Look for welded steel with a powder-coated finish, or solid hardwood with glued joints. Both our steel and oak stools carry a 200 kg load rating and a 10-year warranty.

Are metal bar stools cold to sit on?

Not with an upholstered seat. You sit on the cushion, not the frame. All our steel bar stools have upholstered seats in vegan leather, velvet or bouclé.

Do wooden bar stools scratch floors?

Any stool can scratch a floor if the feet are bare. Fit felt pads under wooden or metal feet and replace them when they wear.

Which bar stools come in custom heights, wood or metal?

At by Crea, the steel models: Freja, Philip, Bruno and Svea can be made to a custom seat height. Our oak stools come in 66 cm and 76 cm.

Are metal bar stools good for small kitchens?

Yes. Thin steel frames take up less visual space than wood, and a backless steel stool such as Svea slides fully under the counter.

Is oak or steel better with a marble island?

Both work. Black steel gives a graphic contrast with white marble; dark oak picks up warmer veining. Upholstery that repeats a colour in the stone usually ties the look together.

Shop the stools in this guide

All bar stools
  • Made in Malmö, Sweden
  • Delivered fully assembled
  • 10-year warranty
  • Try a stool at home
Ebba Bar StoolFrom £399 Shop