Tables: MDF, Tempered Glass or Metal? Matching the Top to the Market
The table top decides the price, the freight and the damage rate. A practical comparison of MDF, tempered glass and metal tables — including how knock-down packing changes your landed cost.
Chairs are the volume product; tables are where the margin is. But tables are also where importers lose money — damaged tops, cracked glass and freight that eats the profit. The top material is the decision that drives all three.
MDF tables: the widest appeal
An engineered wood top on solid beech wood or metal legs. This is the family that sells in the most markets, because the wood-grain finish suits both modern and traditional interiors and the price sits in the middle.
- Strengths: stable surface, wide choice of finishes, no breakage risk in transit, and the easiest to pack.
- Watch out for: edge sealing. If the board edge is not properly sealed, moisture gets in and the top swells — this is a manufacturing issue, not a design one, so ask how the edges are finished.
- Our models: MSA083 (MDF Rectangle Table with Wooden Legs), MSA084-V (Square MDF Table), MSA089 (Eames-inspired Round Table with beech legs) and MSA091 (Tulip Round Table with a metal pedestal base).
Tempered glass tables: high retail price, high care needed
Clear tempered glass on tapered metal or beech legs. Glass photographs beautifully, which makes it a strong e-commerce product — and it carries the highest retail price of the three.
- Strengths: the highest perceived value, clean look, and it suits small apartments where visual space matters.
- Watch out for: it must be tempered, not ordinary glass, and the packing has to be engineered for it. Ask for the glass thickness and the tempering standard, and check the carton design with corner protection.
- Our models: MSA071 (Minimalist Rectangular Glass Table), MSA081 (Modern Round Glass Table with beech legs) and MSA158 (Rectangular Tempered Glass with glossy black legs).
Metal tables: the contract answer
Powder-coated iron, usually matte black or white, with a square or Tolix-style base. Sold mainly into cafés, bars, restaurants and outdoor terraces.
- Strengths: genuinely hard-wearing, weather-resistant with the right coating, and it matches metal seating perfectly for a one-container fit-out.
- Watch out for: coating quality and floor protection. Cheap coating rusts at the weld points; always ask for a salt-spray figure for outdoor use.
- Our models: MSA092 (Square Metal Bar Table) and MSA093 (Tolix Style Metal Table) in matte powder-coated iron.
Comparison
| Top | Best channel | Transit risk | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| MDF | Retail, e-commerce, general | Low | Mid price, widest appeal |
| Tempered glass | Retail, e-commerce, apartments | High — needs engineered packing | Premium |
| Metal | Contract, hospitality, outdoor | Low | Mid price, durability-led |
How we pack tables
All our tables ship knock-down: the top and legs are packed separately in one carton with the hardware and an assembly sheet. This cuts container volume dramatically compared with a fully assembled table, and assembly at destination takes a few minutes. Every carton is checked before loading, and the container loading is supervised.
See the full range under tables. If you send us your container type and the models you are considering, our engineer will return a loading plan with the volume and quantity per model.
