Care and maintenance | Commercial Outdoor Furniture

Teak frames carry 2 years in Brown Jordan's contract warranty, and Barlow Tyrie's 10-year teak term excludes contract use

Sun, 01 Nov 2026 07:39:50 -0500

Brown Jordan’s warranty for contract use, its term for commercial and other non-residential buyers, covers wood frames for 2 years against structural failure. The same list gives its extruded and cast aluminum frames 5 years. Barlow Tyrie warrants teak for 10 years, and its warranty document says the terms do not apply to use in a contract or non-residential situation, or to deterioration caused by teak oil or other wood treatments. The terms here come from each company’s published documents, checked November 1, 2026. They are quoted to show how the terms work, and this site does not rank or recommend any maker.

The materials guide compares teak with aluminum, steel, HDPE and resin wicker, and the warranty guide covers commercial terms across materials.

Warranty terms for teak and other hardwoods

Four published documents set terms for teak or other outdoor hardwoods. They cover different failures and different buyers, so the years in the chart are a starting point for comparison only.

Hardwood warranty terms run from 2 years to 10

Published warranty terms for teak and other hardwood furniture and slats, years from purchase or invoice

Barlow Tyrie's term excludes contract and non-residential use. Victor Stanley covers structural failure or bacterial rot. Checked November 1, 2026. Source: brownjordan.com

Published warranty terms for teak and hardwood furniture, in years. Checked November 1, 2026.
Warranty term	Years
Barlow Tyrie teak (residential use only)	10
Victor Stanley Ipe and Jatoba slats	10
Victor Stanley Kebony slats	5
Country Casual Teak furniture	3
Brown Jordan wood frames (contract use)	2

Source: brownjordan.com

Brown Jordan’s wood frame term reads: “If the teak furniture fails structurally (i.e., broken frame) within two (2) years from the date of purchase, we will, at our option, replace, repair or refinish the product.” Its residential terms also give wood frames 2 years, while its residential aluminum frames get 15. The page says wood frames need user maintenance and that fading and color change are not covered.

Victor Stanley, whose warranty page describes its products as site furnishings, warrants Ipe and Jatoba slats for 10 years and Kebony slats for 5 years against structural failure or bacterial rot. Its steel frames and weldments carry 10 years. Country Casual Teak guarantees its furniture to the original purchaser for 3 years against defects in material and workmanship, and metal plaques, fabric and furniture covers for 1 year. Its page sets no separate commercial term.

Graying, checking and sealer

All four documents leave weathering out of coverage, including graying and checking, the fine surface cracks that open as wood dries and swells. They differ on what to put on the wood.

What each document says about weathering, teak oil and sealer, and other limits. Checked November 1, 2026.
Document	Graying and checking	Teak oil or sealer	Other limits
Brown Jordan care page	Silver-gray patina is expected; grain may rise and hairline cracks may appear in humid climates	Teak cleaner and sealer to keep or restore the original tone	New teak may show oil spots; oil may transfer to cushions
Barlow Tyrie warranty	Checking and colour change excluded as normal weathering	Deterioration from teak oil or other wood treatments excluded	Damage from a pressure washer excluded; contract use excluded
Victor Stanley warranty	Weather checking and graying not preventable and not grounds for replacement	Not addressed	Routine maintenance by the purchaser required; natural weathering of wood excluded
Country Casual Teak guarantee	Weather-related damage and normal wear excluded	Not addressed	Damage from an umbrella used without a base excluded

Source: teak.com

Brown Jordan says its teak weathers to a silver-gray patina and calls this expected. To keep or restore the original warm tone, it recommends a teak cleaner and a teak sealer. It says new teak can show oil spots that look like water marks, that oil may transfer lightly to cushions, and that in humid climates the grain may rise and hairline cracks appear as the wood acclimates.

Barlow Tyrie’s document excludes deterioration from teak oil or other wood treatments, and damage from a pressure washer. A buyer who mixes makers on one patio may need two maintenance routines, one that seals and one that leaves the wood bare. The care guide lists the routines by material.

The HTS lines for teak

The Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS), the U.S. list of import classifications, gives teak its own statistical lines in chapter 94. The general duty rate is Free on each of them. Additional duties by country of origin are covered in the tariffs guide.

HTS lines for nonhousehold teak seats and wooden tables, and the date each appears on APHIS's Lacey Act declaration schedule. Checked November 1, 2026.
HTS line	What the line covers (abridged)	Teak suffixes	Lacey Act declaration listed from
9401.61.20.31 and .35	Upholstered chairs of teak with wooden frames; other than household	.31 plantation-harvested; .35 other	2015-08-06
9401.69.40.31 and .35	Chairs of teak with wooden frames; not upholstered; other than household	.31 plantation-harvested; .35 other	2010-04-01
9401.69.80.66 and .68	Other seats of teak with wooden frames such as benches; other than household	.66 plantation-harvested; .68 other	2010-04-01
9403.60.80.40	Other wooden furniture: dining tables	No teak line	2024-12-01
9403.60.80.89	Other wooden furniture of teak other than dining tables	No plantation split	2024-12-01

Source: hts.usitc.gov

Teak chairs and other teak seats split into plantation-harvested and other teak. The chapter’s statistical notes define plantation-harvested as “wood harvested from trees grown on a plantation.” Wooden dining tables have a single line, 9403.60.80.40, with no teak split, while other teak furniture such as side and coffee tables falls in 9403.60.80.89.

The annex to Proclamation 10976, the Section 232 action on timber and lumber products, lists the upholstered wooden seat lines 9401.61.40.11, .40.31, .60.11 and .60.31. The upholstered teak chair line, 9401.61.20, is not on that list.

The Lacey Act declaration

The Lacey Act requires that imported wood was legally harvested. APHIS, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, has phased in a declaration that importers file for listed HTS codes. Its schedule lists seats with wooden frames under 9401.69 from April 1, 2010, the upholstered teak chair line 9401.61.20 from August 6, 2015, and other wooden furniture under 9403.60.80 from December 1, 2024.

The declaration applies to formal entries, which APHIS describes as generally valued at $2,500 or more. It asks for the genus and species of the wood, the country where it was harvested, and the quantity in metric units. APHIS lists pieces and counts as invalid units, so a quantity of chairs goes in as cubic meters or kilograms of wood. Only the importer of record or its agent, such as a customs broker, may file.

A worked example

This example uses round numbers and describes no real property. A hotel imports 80 teak dining chairs without cushions, 20 teak dining tables and 10 teak benches for a pool terrace, on one shipment worth well over $2,500. The mill records show the teak was plantation-grown.

Example: HTS lines and Lacey Act declarations for a hotel's teak order. Round numbers, not a real property.
Item	Quantity	HTS line if the teak is plantation-harvested	Lacey Act declaration
Teak dining chairs (not upholstered)	80	9401.69.40.31	Yes
Teak dining tables	20	9403.60.80.40	Yes
Teak benches	10	9401.69.80.66	Yes

Source: aphis.usda.gov

All three lines need a declaration with the species, the country of harvest and the volume or weight of wood. The tables go in the dining table line, where no teak split exists.

The furniture then carries a 2-year contract term on wood frames, like Brown Jordan’s. The table follows four events through it.

Example: which events a 2-year contract wood-frame term would cover. Round numbers, not a real property.
Event	Year it appears	Pieces affected	Inside a 2-year contract wood-frame term
A chair frame breaks at a joint	1	2	Yes: structural failure within 2 years
Tables weather to silver-gray	1	20	No: color change is excluded
Hairline checks open in tabletops	2	6	No: normal weathering
A bench frame breaks	3	1	No: past the 2-year term

Source: brownjordan.com

Only the two chair frames that break in the first year fall inside the term. The graying and the checking are excluded as weathering, and the bench that breaks in year 3 is past it.

What to ask before you sign

Ask the dealer for the contract or commercial warranty on each teak line in the quote. A residential document may exclude commercial use outright, as Barlow Tyrie’s does.
Ask whether the maker’s warranty allows teak oil or sealer before your staff apply any. Brown Jordan recommends a sealer, and Barlow Tyrie excludes damage from treatments.
If you import directly, ask the supplier for the species, the country of harvest and the volume of wood in each line before the goods ship, so your broker can file the Lacey Act declaration.
Ask whether the teak is plantation-harvested and for the records that show it, since the HTS line depends on it.

Caveats

These are the published terms as of November 1, 2026. Makers revise their documents, and the version on the order date governs. Barlow Tyrie’s PDF carries no date, and Brown Jordan’s page links several dated versions of its warranty.

The HTS, the Section 232 annex and the APHIS schedule change by notice. Classification of a particular piece depends on its construction, and a customs broker or a binding ruling from CBP can settle it. The quantities and years in the example are assumptions for illustration. Whether a property counts as commercial under a warranty, and what a buyer can recover beyond its written terms, can turn on state law and the contract, and an attorney who handles commercial contracts can say what applies.

HDPE lumber furniture warranties run 20 years for homes and 5 years in commercial use

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 08:56:39 -0400

Two makers of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) lumber furniture, the solid plastic boards used for Adirondack chairs, benches and picnic tables, warrant it for 20 years under residential use and 5 years under commercial use. POLYWOOD’s limited commercial warranty, effective January 1, 2026 and updated October 5, 2026, covers its furniture for 5 years against material defects, splintering, cracking, chipping, peeling, rot and insect damage, against 20 years in its residential warranty. Seaside Casual lists 20 years residential and 5 years commercial against structural failure for its High Grade HDPE line. Both exclude fading. The terms here come from each company’s published documents, checked October 22, 2026. They are quoted to show how the terms work, and this site does not rank or recommend any maker.

The materials guide compares HDPE with aluminum, steel, teak and resin wicker, and the warranty guide covers commercial warranties across materials.

Residential and commercial terms side by side

POLYWOOD publishes both documents, so every component can be compared directly. The commercial terms are shorter on every line except in-pool furniture and cushion fabric.

The lumber term drops from 20 years to 5 in commercial use

POLYWOOD warranty terms by component, residential and commercial use, years

Residential use (years)
Commercial use (years)

Cushion and pillow fabric is warranted for 1 year from purchase in both documents, and workmanship for 30 days. Checked October 22, 2026. Source: cdn.shopify.com

POLYWOOD warranty terms in years, by component, under its residential and commercial documents. Checked October 22, 2026.
Component	Residential use (years)	Commercial use (years)
HDPE lumber furniture	20	5
Pergola lumber	20	5
Metal frame welds and joints	5	3
Powder coat finish	5	2
Hardware	5	3
Woven inserts	5	3
Sling fabric	3	2
In-pool furniture	5	5
Cushion and pillow fabric	1	1

Source: cdn.shopify.com

The lumber term falls the most, from 20 years to 5. Welds and joints on metal frames go from 5 years to 3, the powder coat (a baked-on paint finish) from 5 to 2, hardware from 5 to 3, and sling fabric from 3 to 2. In-pool furniture keeps 5 years from purchase in both documents.

What counts as commercial use

The definition decides which column applies, and POLYWOOD’s commercial document draws it widely. It defines commercial usage as use in “public, institutional, business, revenue-generating, or income-producing environments,” and lists hospitality settings, multifamily common areas, workplaces, retail locations, restaurants, resorts and short-term or transient rental properties among them. Residential usage is personal use by a single household at a private residence. Furniture in a rental property counts as commercial once people outside the owner’s household can use it.

That reaches buyers who may not think of themselves as commercial: a landlord furnishing a shared roof deck, a homeowner whose house is listed as a short-term rental, a small office with a few benches out front. The document says use outside the matching classification may void or limit the warranty.

Other makers’ terms for plastic furniture

Other makers word their terms differently and cover different failures.

Published warranty terms for HDPE and other plastic outdoor furniture, years from purchase. Blank where the document lists no residential term. Checked October 22, 2026.
Maker	Product line	Commercial term (years)	Residential term (years)	What the term covers	Fading
POLYWOOD	HDPE lumber furniture	5	20	Material defects, splintering, cracking, chipping, peeling, rot, insect damage	Excluded
Seaside Casual	High Grade HDPE furniture	5	20	Structural failure	Excluded
Seaside Casual	Coastline Collection	5	10	Structural failure	Excluded
Victor Stanley	Plastic slats	10		Structural failure	Loss of gloss and slight fading not covered
Tropitone	Marine grade polymer frames	3		Fading and manufacturing defects	Covered

Source: seasidecasual.com

Seaside Casual covers structural failure for 5 years in commercial use, and separately warrants against defects in material and production for 1 year. Its Coastline Collection carries 10 years residential and 5 commercial. Victor Stanley, whose warranty says its products are designed and constructed for commercial applications, warrants plastic slats for 10 years against structural failure, provided they are not overtightened and cracked during installation. Tropitone warrants its marine grade polymer frames for 3 years, and its term covers fading.

Fading, weight and testing

POLYWOOD says its lumber is made with UV stabilizers to minimize fading and that all colors will fade to some degree in the sun. Its commercial warranty excludes fading, color change and color match, and suggests covers, cushions, storage out of direct sun or a UV protectant. Seaside Casual also lists fading from direct sunlight as not covered.

POLYWOOD’s materials page says its chairs average 30 to 50 pounds, and that single seats are weight tested up to 350 pounds, two-seaters up to 300 pounds per seat and three-seaters up to 250 pounds per seat, “in accordance with ASTM standards.” The page does not name the standard.

Tested weight per seat for POLYWOOD seating, as stated on its materials page. Checked October 22, 2026.
Seat	Tested weight per seat (lb)
Single seat	350
Two-seater	300
Three-seater	250

Source: polywood.com

ASTM F1838-19(2025) is the standard written for plastic chairs used outdoors. Its scope sets Class A for residential chairs and Class B for nonresidential chairs, and it covers outdoor weathering, impact, static load and rear-leg tests. It simulates smooth surfaces such as wet pool decks with a glass test base. The standard does not apply to chaises, multi-position chairs or upholstered chairs, and its scope says it does not address conditions that affect a chair’s performance after it leaves the factory.

POLYWOOD says to wash with dish soap and warm water, allows a pressure washer rated no higher than 1,500 psi with a 40-degree fan tip held about 8 inches away, and warns against abrasive scrubbers. Its commercial warranty excludes rust or corrosion of stainless steel or zinc-coated steel hardware, and damage from heat sources such as a grill. The care guide covers the full routine.

A worked example

This example uses round numbers and describes no real property. An apartment building furnishes its shared roof deck with 40 HDPE lumber chairs bought in 2026, some with powder-coated aluminum frames. Because the deck is a multifamily common area, the commercial terms apply. The table follows five failures through the two sets of terms.

Example: which failures each set of POLYWOOD terms would cover on a 40-chair roof deck. Round numbers, not a real property.
Failure	Year it appears	Chairs affected	Under residential terms	Under commercial terms
Fading on every chair	2	40	Excluded	Excluded
Powder coat peels on aluminum-frame chairs	3	4	Covered (5 years)	Outside the term (2 years)
Hardware breaks	4	6	Covered (5 years)	Outside the term (3 years)
Seat slats crack	4	2	Covered (20 years)	Covered (5 years)
Seat slats crack	7	3	Covered (20 years)	Outside the term (5 years)

Source: cdn.shopify.com

Under commercial terms, only the slats that crack in year 4 fall inside a term. The peeling finish in year 3, the broken hardware in year 4 and the cracked slats in year 7 are past the commercial terms, though residential terms would have covered all three. Fading is excluded under both. Even on the covered claim, POLYWOOD excludes post-delivery labor, transportation and assembly, so the building’s staff or a contractor would install the replacement parts.

What to ask before you sign

Ask the dealer for the commercial warranty that applies to each line on the quote, and check which usage definition fits the property. A short-term rental or an apartment amenity deck falls under POLYWOOD’s commercial definition.
For plastic chairs, ask whether the maker tests to ASTM F1838 Class B, the nonresidential class, and for the test report.
Put the dates when the hardware and finish terms end on the maintenance calendar. On POLYWOOD’s commercial terms, the finish term ends at 2 years and hardware at 3, well before the lumber term.
Keep the serial numbers. POLYWOOD puts a serial number sticker on the bottom of each piece and asks for it, or proof of purchase, with a written description and photos when a claim is filed.

Caveats

These are the published terms as of October 22, 2026. POLYWOOD’s commercial document applies to products bought on or after January 1, 2026, and for earlier purchases it directs buyers to its customer experience team. Makers revise their documents, and the version on the order date governs.

A warranty term depends on the maker remaining in business. Breezesta, which sold recycled poly furniture made in the U.S., says on its website that the company sold its assets and ceased operations effective April 14, 2025, and that an administrator is handling warranty claims to the extent that funds are available.

The chair count, failure years and quantities in the example are assumptions for illustration. Whether a particular property is commercial under a warranty, and what a buyer can recover beyond its written terms, can turn on state law; POLYWOOD’s document notes that buyers may have other rights that vary by state. For a disputed claim on a large order, an attorney who handles commercial contracts can say what applies.

Seaside and indoor pool furniture calls for cleaning every week or two and waxing four times a year, Tropitone's warranty says

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 08:58:23 -0400

Salt air at the shore and chlorides at an indoor pool settle on furniture finishes, and the care instructions that makers publish ask for more frequent cleaning in those places than anywhere else. Tropitone’s limited commercial warranty recommends cleaning surface buildup weekly or every two weeks and waxing aluminum frames quarterly for seaside, cruise ship and indoor pool use, and says that neglect leading to blistering or oxidation voids the warranty. Brown Jordan’s care page calls for automotive wax on powder-coated aluminum 2 to 3 times a year, and more often in coastal or humid climates. The terms here come from each company’s own pages, checked October 20, 2026. They are cited to show what the documents require, and this site does not rank or recommend any maker.

The care guide covers routine cleaning by material. This note covers the coastal and pool schedules and what they cost in staff time.

How salt and chlorides damage a finish

Tropitone’s care page describes the mechanism. Salt near the ocean and chlorides in an indoor pool room collect on a painted finish, and repeated cycles of condensation and evaporation concentrate them until the finish fails. Its warranty describes what a buyer sees first: “Failure or neglect to perform required care may likely result in surface buildup of a white chalky substance which may cause the paint to blister and frame to oxidize.” Oxidation here means the aluminum under the paint corrodes. Tropitone’s remedy is the same mild soap and water it prescribes everywhere, used often enough to remove the deposits before they build up.

Stainless steel gets its own caution. Tropitone says stainless used at seaside or indoor pool sites needs more frequent cleaning to remove chloride deposits, which cause corrosion and etching. It warns against bleach and cleaners containing chloride or hydrochloric acid, which can corrode stainless, and says salt left on the surface can discolor it.

The schedules side by side

What four maker documents say about care in salt air or around pools, by part. Checked October 20, 2026.
Part	Maker	What the document says for salt air or pool use	How often
Powder-coated aluminum frames	Tropitone	Clean surface buildup and wax the frames (seaside and cruise ship and indoor pool use)	Clean weekly or every 2 weeks; wax quarterly
Powder-coated aluminum	Brown Jordan	Clear automotive wax to protect against UV and salt air	2 to 3 times a year; more often in coastal or humid climates
Stainless steel	Tropitone	Clean off chloride deposits; no bleach or chloride cleaners	More often than elsewhere; no interval given
Stainless steel hardware	POLYWOOD	Touch-up paint or clear car wax; rinse with fresh water and towel-dry after salt water contact	Right away after salt water contact
In-pool resin furniture	POLYWOOD	Rinse away chlorine and salt; scrub with soap; pressure washer for algae or calcium at no more than 1500 psi	No interval given
Vinyl straps	Brown Jordan	Vinyl protectant against salt air and UV and mildew	Regularly
Vinyl straps	Tropitone	Water and ammonia at 3 to 1 where acid rain or fog or smog is heavy	Monthly
All furniture on the coast with heavy use	POLYWOOD	Routine care plus a deep cleaning	Weekly; deep clean at the start and end of the season

Source: tropitone.com

Tropitone’s warranty is the only document of the four that sets a fixed interval for frames in these settings. Brown Jordan gives a baseline of 2 to 3 waxings a year and leaves the coastal increase to the owner. POLYWOOD’s page on how often to clean, written for home use, says weekly care with a deep cleaning at the start and end of the season suits furniture on the coast that gets used several times a month.

Hardware and pool furniture have their own instructions. POLYWOOD says its screws, nuts and bolts are marine-grade 18-8 stainless steel, and for salt air it suggests a dab of touch-up paint or clear car wax, plus a fresh-water rinse and towel-dry right after any contact with salt water. For its in-pool loungers it says to take the piece out of the pool, drain it, rinse off the chlorine and salt, scrub with soap and let it dry. Algae, calcium or mold come off with a pressure washer rated no higher than 1,500 psi, using a 25- or 40-degree fan tip held at least 12 inches from the surface.

Pool decks also mean sunscreen. Tropitone says some suntan and sunblock products contain PABA, which can permanently discolor fabric and vinyl straps, and suggests cleaning any contact right away and laying a towel over the cushion or sling. Brown Jordan says sunscreen stains on its slings, Suncloth and vinyl are not covered by its warranty, and it recommends a vinyl protectant against salt air, UV and mildew.

What the warranties say about missed care

Tropitone’s 5-year commercial term covers aluminum frames against structural failure and the finish against peeling, cracking or blistering, with parts and labor included. Its list of exclusions includes finish failure from indoor pool or seaside use caused by neglecting reasonable and necessary care. The finish term and the care requirement apply to the same failure, so a blistered frame at a beach hotel can be covered or excluded depending on whether the property can show it kept up the schedule. Tropitone says photos or an inspection may be required for a claim.

Victor Stanley, whose warranty says its products are designed for commercial applications, gives steel frames, legs and weldments 10 years against structural failure. Its warranty makes routine maintenance and coating touch-up the purchaser’s job and says these are particularly important for a claim under that term. It excludes unattended routine maintenance, and its care section says to power wash or hose the coating with mild soap, avoid harsh solvents, and treat a scratch by sanding off rust with steel wool, then applying a rust-inhibiting primer and matching touch-up paint.

Brown Jordan’s contract summary lists 5 years for extruded and cast aluminum frames and 1 year for fabrics and slings.

A worked example in staff hours

This example uses round numbers and describes no real property. A hotel has 100 aluminum chaise lounges. Washing one takes 6 minutes, so a full wash takes 10 staff hours. Waxing one takes 15 minutes, so a full wax takes 25 hours. Labor costs $25 an hour.

In the example, a weekly wash schedule takes more than five times the hours of a seasonal one

Worked example: staff hours a year to wash and wax 100 aluminum chaise lounges, by schedule

Washing (hours)
Waxing (hours)

Example with round numbers: 6 minutes to wash and 15 minutes to wax one chaise. Seaside schedules follow the weekly or biweekly cleaning and quarterly waxing in Tropitone's warranty. The seasonal schedule is an assumption for comparison. Source: tropitone.com

Example: annual staff hours and labor cost to wash and wax 100 chaise lounges, by schedule. Round numbers, not a real property.
Schedule	Washes a year	Waxes a year	Washing (hours)	Waxing (hours)	Total (hours)	Labor at $25 an hour ($)
Monthly for 6 months	6	2	60	50	110	2,750
Every 2 weeks all year	26	4	260	100	360	9,000
Every week all year	52	4	520	100	620	15,500

Source: tropitone.com

An inland pool that washes the chaises monthly through a six-month season and waxes them twice, at the low end of Brown Jordan’s baseline, spends 110 hours, or $2,750. A seaside property that follows Tropitone’s schedule at the biweekly end washes 26 times and waxes 4 times, for 360 hours and $9,000. At the weekly end it is 620 hours and $15,500. Cushions, straps, tables and umbrellas add to these totals.

What to do before the season

Ask the dealer for the care instructions and the commercial warranty for each product line on a seaside or indoor pool order, and note which documents set an interval. Where none is given, decide one with the dealer in writing.
Put the interval in the work order system and keep a dated log with photos of each wash and wax, since Tropitone may ask for photos and excludes finish failure from neglected care.
Check the cleaning products the staff or a contractor use against the makers’ lists. Bleach and chloride cleaners are on Tropitone’s list for stainless, and harsh solvents are on Victor Stanley’s list for powder coat.
Rerun the example with your own counts, minutes and labor rate before you set the grounds or housekeeping budget.

Caveats

These are the documents as of October 20, 2026, and makers revise them. The one that governs an order is the version in effect on the purchase date. The intervals apply to each maker’s own products, and other makers set different terms.

The documents describe seaside and indoor pool use without a distance from the shoreline or a pool chemistry reading, so the property decides whether a site falls under the stricter schedule. Where the answer affects coverage on a large order, ask the maker to confirm it in writing before delivery.

The minutes, chair count and labor rate in the example are assumptions for illustration. Real times vary with the furniture, the crew and the equipment. State law can give a buyer rights beyond a written warranty, and an attorney who handles commercial contracts can say what applies to a disputed claim.