Hospitality Furniture Lead Times in Australia and NZ: Planning Back From Opening Day

Short answer: Start with your opening date and count backwards. Allow for local delivery and unpacking, customs and biosecurity clearance, sea freight from southern China, then production itself, usually 30-45 days for standard designs or 45-60 days for custom pieces from the day drawings and samples are approved, confirmed in each quote. Before that sit drawings, samples and the deposit. For a custom fitout, the furniture order needs to be locked well before the builders hand over the space.

This guide from Venue Fitout (a line by EASEN Commercial Furniture) covers the practical side: timing, how furniture is packed, how a container reaches a cafe on a busy strip or a pub with a beer garden out the back, and what happens on unpacking day. For Incoterms, biosecurity paperwork, duty and GST, see our companion guide to importing hospitality furniture to Australia and NZ.

When should you order furniture for a new venue?

Earlier than most operators expect. Furniture is usually ordered after the design is settled but often before the builder finishes, so the two programs run in parallel. Work back from opening like this:

If your builder's handover date moves, tell us early. A finished container can wait at the factory for a short period far more cheaply than at an Australian wharf, where storage and detention charges add up quickly.

How is furniture packed for an Australian or NZ shipment?

Packing for these markets has two jobs: protecting the furniture on a long voyage through tropical heat and humidity, and getting through biosecurity without delays.

• Timber-free or ISPM-15 packaging. We pack mainly in cartons, corrugated board, foam corners and film. Where solid timber crates or pallets are needed, they are ISPM-15 treated and marked, and the packing list says so. No straw or loose organic fill.
• Clean goods. Cane, rattan and timber pieces are inspected for bark and debris before packing, because biosecurity officers look for it.
• Stacking chairs. Bentwood and metal stacking chairs ship stacked in cartons where the design allows, which saves a lot of container space.
• Outdoor furniture. Aluminium and rope beer garden pieces are wrapped so frames do not rub, and cushions are packed separately in sealed bags.
• Banquettes. Built in sections that pass through your door, corner-protected and cartoned, with the run and section number on every carton.
• Tables. Tops and bases usually ship separately; stone tops in crates or reinforced cartons with edge protection.

Each carton carries your venue name, area (dining room, bar, beer garden, courtyard), item code and carton count.

Can a container be delivered straight to your venue?

Sometimes. A container can arrive in three main ways, and the right one depends on your street.

Check council rules for kerbside unloading, loading dock booking times if you are in a centre, overhead clearance for a high cube container, and whether a side-loader can actually set down where you want it. Many inner-city cafes are better served by depot devanning and a tail-lift truck.

What happens on unpacking day?

A well-organised unpack takes less time than most people expect. A few tips from the factory side:

1. Have enough hands. Banquette sections and stone tops are two-person lifts at least.
2. Sort by area first. Cartons are labelled by zone, so move everything for the beer garden outside before opening a single box.
3. Unpack in a clean, dry space. Upholstery and cushions should not sit on wet concrete or a building site floor.
4. Assemble table bases and tops with the fixings packed in the first carton of each set.
5. Fix banquettes to wall or floor as shown on the shop drawings.
6. Check against the packing list and photograph any damage before the packaging leaves site.
7. Separate waste for recycling: cardboard, film and treated timber.

We do not have installation crews in Australia or New Zealand, but we support local installers by video call and email, with the drawings to hand.

How do inspection and payment fit into the timeline?

When your order is finished, we send photos and video of the furniture, labels and packing before you pay the balance. The usual flow is a deposit to start production and the balance before shipment, with terms confirmed in your quote. If you want an independent check, you are welcome to book a third-party pre-shipment inspection with a firm such as SGS or QIMA; schedule it for the week production finishes so the sailing is not delayed.

What about seasonal timing for beer gardens?

Outdoor furniture is in demand ahead of spring and summer, and so are shipping schedules. If you want a beer garden or footpath dining area ready for the warm months, place the order in the cooler months and allow extra margin. Our beer garden and outdoor range ships well in mixed containers alongside indoor pieces, so one container can cover the whole venue. Shipments during the brown marmorated stink bug season may face extra measures depending on the goods and route; your broker will advise.

Fitout timing checklist

1. Fix the opening date and builder handover date.
2. Confirm quantities against the floor plan, including spares.
3. Approve shop drawings for banquettes and custom pieces.
4. Approve samples or finishes.
5. Pay the deposit to secure the production slot.
6. Appoint a customs broker and agree the Incoterm.
7. Look over our finished-order photos and video, or send an inspector, before the balance.
8. Choose a delivery method: side-loader, truck or depot devanning.
9. Book unpacking labour and, if needed, an installer.
10. Arrange waste removal for packaging.

Common mistakes

• Ordering after the builder finishes. By then the opening date is already at risk.
• Not measuring the access. A container that cannot be set down beside the venue needs a different plan.
• Unpacking upholstery on a wet slab. Moisture marks and dirt are avoidable.
• Signing for delivery without checking. Note damage on the paperwork and photograph it.
• Treating outdoor and indoor furniture as separate orders. Combining them usually means one container instead of two.

For a stackable outdoor chair that packs efficiently, see the courtyard stacking armchair; for fixed seating, browse our booths and banquettes.

FAQ

How far ahead should I order furniture for a new cafe?

Start as soon as the layout is settled. Once drawings are approved, production generally takes 30-45 days for standard pieces and 45-60 days for custom ones, then sea freight, clearance and delivery. Your quote gives the expected timeline.

Can you deliver a container to a laneway cafe?

Usually not directly. Most laneway and CBD venues are better served by unpacking the container at a depot and delivering on a smaller tail-lift truck. Your freight forwarder can arrange it.

Do chairs arrive assembled?

Most dining and stacking chairs arrive assembled or need only minor assembly. Tables usually arrive with tops and bases separate, and banquettes arrive in sections that join on site.

What if something is damaged on arrival?

Photograph it, note it on the delivery paperwork, and send the photos to us with the carton label. We review it with you and agree the next step; spare cushions or parts can travel in a later shipment.