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POLYWOOD vs Trex Outdoor Furniture: Same Lumber, Two Labels

Two recycled-plastic furniture brands, two Adirondack chairs at 34 pounds each. Read the footer of one maker's site and the comparison changes.

By Tom BeckerHead to head · Updated October 26, 2026 · 7 min read

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Search for a recycled-plastic Adirondack chair and two names come up again and again: POLYWOOD and Trex Outdoor Furniture. They look alike, weigh the same and carry the same 20-year warranty. We set them side by side on October 26, 2026, and found the reason in one line.

At the bottom of trexfurniture.com: "Trex Outdoor Furniture products are manufactured and sold by POLYWOOD under a Trademark License Agreement with Trex Company, Inc."2 The same site says the chairs are "built with Genuine POLYWOOD lumber."2

Trex, the decking company, licenses its name. POLYWOOD makes the furniture. So this head to head isn't two factories against each other. It's two designs, two colour cards and two price lists from one maker.

The sheet

Figure	POLYWOOD Modern Adirondack AD420	Trex Cape Cod Adirondack TXAD4031
Lumber	Genuine POLYWOOD HDPE	Genuine POLYWOOD HDPE
Weight	34 lb	34 lb
Overall W x H x D	29.3 x 34.7 x 32.1 in	27.9 x 35.3 x 32.5 in
Seat width / height	20.5 / 13.8 in	20 / 13.5 in
Weight capacity	300 lb	300 lb
Colours on this chair	20	11
Lumber warranty	20 yr residential	20 yr residential
Made in	Indiana and North Carolina, USA	USA
Maker price, Oct 26	$259 to $389	$219 to $269

Maker figures for one Adirondack chair from each brand, read October 26, 2026. A ^ marks the one we'd choose on that row.

The lumber

POLYWOOD describes its lumber as high-density polyethylene "that's not prone to splinter, crack, chip, peel, or rot."1 It calls it "infinitely recyclable lumber sustainably made from recycled and reusable plastics," made in a "99% waste-free process."3 It doesn't print a percentage of recycled content on the pages we read.

Trex Outdoor Furniture makes no recycled-content claim on its home, product or materials pages. One answer in its product Q&A says the HDPE is the plastic "which milk jugs are made of."2

Two Adirondack chairs

The two chairs differ in shape, not in substance. POLYWOOD's Modern Adirondack is a little wider, 29.3 inches against 27.9, with a wider seat. The Trex Cape Cod is a little taller and sits half an inch deeper.1^,2 Both weigh 34 pounds and both list a 300-pound capacity.

One detail is worth a read. On the Trex page, the same Q&A that states the 300-pound figure also says the chair has "not yet tested for a weight limit," and cites an ASTM test of 300 pounds for residential use and 400 for commercial.2

The warranty

The two warranty pages carry the same words: 20 years on the lumber for residential use, against splintering, cracking, chipping, peeling, rot and insect damage. Both give 5 years on metal welds and powder coat, 5 on hardware, 5 on woven inserts, 3 on sling, 1 on fabric and 30 days on cushions.4^,5 Both exclude normal fading, and both say plainly that "all colors will fade to some degree."4^,5

Price and colour

This is where the two labels differ. POLYWOOD's Modern Adirondack comes in 20 colours, from $259 in Slate Grey to $389 for the Vintage finishes.1 The Trex Cape Cod comes in 11, from $219 in Stepping Stone to $269.2

See the POLYWOOD Modern Adirondack at Amazon

See the Trex Cape Cod Adirondack at Amazon

Which one to buy

This part is our opinion, from the figures above.

Buy the Trex if you like the Cape Cod shape and one of its 11 colours. It's the same lumber, the same warranty and the same factory network for $40 to $120 less on the day we read the prices.

Buy the POLYWOOD if you want a colour the Trex card doesn't have, or the wider Modern seat. You pay for the choice, not for a better chair.

Questions

Is Trex Outdoor Furniture made by Trex?

No. Trex's furniture site says POLYWOOD makes and sells it under a trademark licence from Trex Company.2

How do I clean it?

Both makers say soap, warm water and a soft brush. Both allow a pressure washer at up to 1,500 psi with a 40-degree tip held 8 inches away. Trex adds a 1:2 bleach and water mix, or white vinegar, for mildew.6^,7

Will the colour fade?

Both warranties exclude normal fading and say every colour fades to some degree.4^,5

Can it stay out all winter?

Both describe the lumber as all-weather and rot-proof. Hardware and steel parts carry shorter terms and exclude rust.1^,4^,5

POLYWOOD, Modern Adirondack Chair AD420, polywood.com/products/modern-adirondack-chair-ad420 read October 26, 2026
Trex Outdoor Furniture, Cape Cod Adirondack Chair TXAD4031 and site footer, trexfurniture.com read October 26, 2026
POLYWOOD, Sustainability, polywood.com/pages/sustainability read October 26, 2026
POLYWOOD, Warranty, polywood.com/pages/warranty read October 26, 2026
Trex Outdoor Furniture, Warranty, trexfurniture.com/pages/warranty read October 26, 2026
POLYWOOD, Care and maintenance, polywood.com/pages/care-maintenance read October 26, 2026
Trex Outdoor Furniture, Product care, trexfurniture.com/pages/product-care read October 26, 2026

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We may earn a commission when you buy through links on this page. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Every spec below is the maker's own published figure, with the source and the date we read it.

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