Materials & Textiles Terms
Cane Webbing
Cane webbing is a woven sheet of thin, flat strips cut from the outer bark of the rattan palm, pressed into an open, repeating pattern, most often the hexagonal 'open weave' look. Sold by the roll or the yard, it is the material used to fill the panels of caned chairs, cabinet doors, headboards, and bed frames, where its natural texture and see-through weave add lightness and a handmade, vintage feel. Because it comes as a flat sheet rather than a woven-in-place seat, it is a popular way to add a natural, airy panel to furniture.
In practice
The open, hexagonal weave set into a cabinet door front, the back of a dining chair, or a headboard is cane webbing. From a few feet away it reads as a soft natural texture; up close you can see the light passing through the gaps, which is what keeps caned furniture feeling airy rather than solid and heavy.
Cane webbing vs rattan
Rattan is the whole palm vine; cane is the thin, hard outer bark peeled from it, and cane webbing is that cane woven into a flat sheet. So they are not competing materials but parts of the same plant: a rattan pole makes the frame, and cane webbing fills the panel inside it. If a piece has a chunky, rounded frame with an open woven inset, you are usually looking at both, rattan for the structure and cane for the weave.
Where it is used
Cane webbing shows up on chair backs and seats, cabinet and wardrobe doors, headboards, room dividers, and radiator covers. It is a favorite for furniture makeovers because a sheet of webbing can turn a plain flat-front cabinet or dresser into a textured, natural-looking piece. It suits bohemian, coastal, mid-century, and Scandinavian rooms, where its handmade texture balances harder surfaces like wood and metal.
How it is attached
Pressed (or sheet) cane webbing sits in a groove cut around the panel opening and is locked in with a thin wooden or reed strip called a spline, glued into the groove over the edge of the webbing. Soaking the webbing first makes it flexible so it tightens as it dries. For cabinet doors and DIY panels it is often stapled to the back of the frame instead, which skips the spline and groove.