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Cane, Bamboo & Basketry
Woven plant fibre is the most widely practised craft on earth and the least standardised. Rattan, bamboo, water hyacinth, seagrass, palm leaf, willow and grass all weave to different tolerances, and all of them raise the same buyer questions: moisture, mould in transit, fumigation, and dimensional drift between samples and bulk. This section covers the world's basketry and cane furniture regions, the weave structures buyers should be able to name, and the treatment and packing practice that keeps a container of natural fibre goods saleable on arrival.
What goes wrong
Baskets are cheap to buy and expensive to fail. Untreated cane and bamboo carry insects and mould, and a container of damp baskets from a monsoon-season shipment arrives with both. Require fumigation or heat treatment with documentation, and check the phytosanitary rules of the destination country before shipping. Weave tightness and rim finishing are the quality markers that survive use.
Where this craft is made
Countries with real depth in this craft, and where inside them it concentrates.
| Ghana — Bolgatanga Elephant-grass basketry with a globally recognised weave and colour tradition. | Open → |
| Vietnam Bamboo and rattan work at commercial volume with strong export handling. | Open → |
| Indonesia Rattan and pandan basketry across Java, Bali and Kalimantan. | Open → |
| Philippines Abaca, rattan and buri weaving with an established homeware export trade. | Open → |
| India Cane and bamboo traditions concentrated in the north-east and Kerala. | Open → |
| Rwanda Coiled agaseke basketry, tightly woven and strongly identified with the country. | Open → |
| Bangladesh Known especially for its jute craft — the country page carries the full tradition. | Open → |
| Brazil Known especially for its straw — the country page carries the full tradition. | Open → |
| Chile Known especially for its wicker craft — the country page carries the full tradition. | Open → |
| Colombia Known especially for its werregue — the country page carries the full tradition. | Open → |
| Ecuador Known especially for its toquilla straw hat weaving — the country page carries the full tradition. | Open → |
| Ethiopia Known especially for its basketry — the country page carries the full tradition. | Open → |
| Japan Known especially for its bamboo basketry — the country page carries the full tradition. | Open → |
| Kenya Known especially for its sisal basketry — the country page carries the full tradition. | Open → |
| Madagascar Known especially for its raffia weaving — the country page carries the full tradition. | Open → |
| Senegal Known especially for its woven baskets — the country page carries the full tradition. | Open → |
| South Africa Known especially for its telephone-wire baskets — the country page carries the full tradition. | Open → |
| Spain Known especially for its esparto weaving — the country page carries the full tradition. | Open → |
| United Kingdom Known especially for its willow basketry — the country page carries the full tradition. | Open → |
Explore this craft worldwide
| Product range and what is available | Explore → |
| Best known products by country | Explore → |
| Design traditions and patterns | Explore → |
| How to judge quality in the finished piece | Explore → |
| Telling handmade from machine-made | Explore → |
| Sizes, forms and typical dimensions | Explore → |
| Colours, finishes and surface options | Explore → |
| Price levels in the market | Explore → |
| Care, cleaning and durability | Explore → |
| Uses, styling and where the product fits | Explore → |
| Buying, minimum orders and lead time | Explore → |
| What buyers should check before ordering | Explore → |
| Geographical indications and craft marks | Explore → |
| Market demand and current trends | Explore → |
Famous names of the craft
Long-established houses of this craft worldwide. Each opens a live answer on that name.
| Bonacina 1889 — Italy · rattan furniture house | Explore → |
| Soane Britain — UK · revived English rattan weaving | Explore → |
| Vincent Sheppard — Belgium · Lloyd Loom weaving | Explore → |
| Lloyd Loom of Spalding — UK · woven furniture | Explore → |
| Yamakawa Rattan — Japan · rattan design | Explore → |
| Kohchosai Kosuga — Kyoto · bamboo craft house | Explore → |
| The Baba Tree Basket Company — Bolgatanga, Ghana · bolga baskets | Explore → |
| Longaberger — USA · hand-woven maple baskets | Explore → |
Fix these before asking for a quotation
- The technique, named exactly — the process, not the look.
- The input specification: material, grade and source.
- An agreed variation tolerance for size, colour and weight.
- The finish system, including who applies it.
- The compliance regime of your selling market, identified before sampling.