Ercol Dining Tables Resale Value

Ercol dining tables: price by condition

Seller-declared grades, sterling with an approximate US dollar equivalent at £1 ≈ $1.33 (July 2026). What each grade means.

What holds its value across Ercol

• The Windsor range in elm and beech, particularly the stacking chairs and the Studio Couch, which are the pieces collectors specifically want
• Original untouched finishes, including the honey-coloured lacquer, which is what buyers of mid-century furniture are looking for
• Pieces still carrying the blue paper label or the stamped model number, which date them and confirm what they are
• Solid elm tops with figured grain, since elm was phased out after Dutch elm disease and cannot be replaced

What pulls Ercol resale value down

• Painted and chalk-painted pieces, which were extremely fashionable for a decade and which collectors discount heavily — stripping rarely returns the original colour
• Loose joints on the stick-back chairs, where the spindles have worked free of the seat and the chair racks under load
• Woodworm in elm, which is common in stored pieces and needs treating and declaring rather than hiding
• Sun-bleached tops where one half has faded against the other, which cannot be evened out without refinishing the whole piece

Identifying and dating yours

1. The model number is stamped into the underside of a seat or the back of a frame, and it identifies the design precisely — photograph it
2. Older pieces carry a blue paper label underneath; a surviving label is worth showing because it confirms both the maker and the period
3. Elm and beech look different: elm shows a strong wandering grain on the seat while beech is finer and straighter, and elm is worth more

What lifts any dining table, whatever the label

Solid wood and design pieces hold value; veneered flat-pack tables do not, and the difference is visible at the edges.

• Solid timber construction rather than veneered board
• Recognised mid-century and design makers
• Extending mechanisms that run smoothly
• Matching chairs sold with the table

And what pulls one down

• Water rings and heat marks on the top
• Veneer lifting or chipping at the edges
• Wobbling legs and loose joints
• Flat-pack tables that will not survive another move

Working out what yours is worth

1. Look at the table edge to see whether the grain runs through or stops
2. Measure the length, width and height, extended and closed
3. Photograph the top in daylight so marks are visible

What to state in the listing

• Length, width and height in centimetres, plus extended length if applicable
• How many it comfortably seats
• Solid wood, veneer, laminate or glass
• Whether chairs are included, and how many

Seats, material and length: “Solid Oak Extending Dining Table, Seats 6-8, 180cm”. The number it seats is the primary search, and extending is a strong selling point that should never be buried in the description. If chairs are included, put that in the title too.

Preparing and photographing it

1. Measure the top, and if it extends measure both the closed and extended lengths.
2. Check for wobble, tighten the leg fittings, and look closely at the top surface for water rings, heat marks and scratches.
3. Establish whether it is solid wood, veneer or laminate, and say which — buyers price these very differently.

1. The full table from a corner, showing top and legs together
2. The top surface straight on in daylight, which reveals marks honestly
3. The underside or leg fixings, showing construction
4. Extended, if it extends, and any damage close up

When it sells best, and handing it over

Sells steadily with peaks in spring and early autumn as people move house. Solid wood holds value well and sells all year; laminate moves slowly and cheaply.

Collection only, and mention whether the legs detach, since that decides whether it fits in a car or needs a van. Have the fittings and any allen key ready for the buyer.

What buyers ask

Is it worth stripping a painted Ercol chair before selling?

Rarely. Stripping is laborious and the original lacquer colour does not come back, so most sellers do better describing it honestly as painted and pricing it as such.

How do I tell genuine Ercol from a similar chair?

Look underneath. Genuine pieces carry a stamped model number and often a blue label, and the Windsor seats are shaped from a single solid piece rather than glued boards.

How much is an Ercol dining table worth?

Roughly £65 to £455 depending on condition, against £50 to £350 for dining tables generally. The identification points above are what move a listing to the top of that range.

What the fees would take elsewhere

At the mid-range £260 for an Ercol dining table, against what the commission marketplaces would deduct:

Seller-side rates verified 26 Jul 2026, percentages only — the per-order and processing charges those platforms add are excluded, so the real gap is wider.

Listing is free and there is no commission — read how to sell a dining table for the title, handover and timing, or the general dining table value guide if yours is not an Ercol.

See also: all Ercol value guides · value guides by brand · buying a dining table · Furniture · condition grades.