Adham Selman 2 the back rest is a u shaped piece of bent steel pipe. the pipe itself is not very thick. the center of the back rest is a really light foam so your weight is most supported by the steel pipe.the reclining mechanism is made of thin steel and when you put some weight on the back rest, you will notice the mechanism will start to flex. the mechanism is screwed onto the seat which seems to be made of wood. im not sure, but the screws dont go all the way through the seat.there is a thin layer of of foam on the seat that compresses very easily and seems to stay compressed.in the pictures, it looks like its well built but its actually really lite. if i were to make a chair like this, i would use thicker steel, a steel plate in the backrest welded to the steel pipe, thicker foam.i live in Canada and the price of shipping was more then the price of the chair. disappointed...