New Tariffs Hit Off-Shore Upholstered Production/Opinion
September 30, 2025
WASHINGTON, DC–If you thought that US tariffs only affected fabric imports, think again!
The new upholstered furniture import tariff in the US will be effective October 1.
The Trump tariffs will now include a hefty mark-up of 30 percent for imports of upholstered furniture and this may be on top of previously imposed 20 percent tariffs on upholstery from Cambodia and Vietnam. This is all in the name of tariff reciprocity and fairness according to the Trump administration. This will produce a chaotic marketplace in the short term as buyers and sellers try to figure out exactly what the tariff might be for certain supplying countries.
The US Department of Commerce says there was $6.4 billion in upholstered furniture imports to the USA in 2024 and F&FI thinks it will likely grow in 2025, cutting into the profitability of upholstered furniture importers.
This will increase prices of imported upholstered furniture to the American retailer and the US consumer– no doubt because off-shore manufacturers and importers are not going to absorb such a large price increase.
In the meantime, domestic manufacturers of upholstered furniture get a gift from the US Government which makes them more competitive to imported furniture.
Will US upholstery production increase? Will US manufacturers take this as an opportunity to raise prices to the retailer using the import tax as a price umbrella for domestically made upholstery?
Stay tuned for the answer. These things don’t happen right away and it will take some months until the truth makes itself clear.
–Eric Schneider
The new upholstered furniture import tariff in the US will be effective October 1.
The Trump tariffs will now include a hefty mark-up of 30 percent for imports of upholstered furniture and this may be on top of previously imposed 20 percent tariffs on upholstery from Cambodia and Vietnam. This is all in the name of tariff reciprocity and fairness according to the Trump administration. This will produce a chaotic marketplace in the short term as buyers and sellers try to figure out exactly what the tariff might be for certain supplying countries.
The US Department of Commerce says there was $6.4 billion in upholstered furniture imports to the USA in 2024 and F&FI thinks it will likely grow in 2025, cutting into the profitability of upholstered furniture importers.
This will increase prices of imported upholstered furniture to the American retailer and the US consumer– no doubt because off-shore manufacturers and importers are not going to absorb such a large price increase.
In the meantime, domestic manufacturers of upholstered furniture get a gift from the US Government which makes them more competitive to imported furniture.
Will US upholstery production increase? Will US manufacturers take this as an opportunity to raise prices to the retailer using the import tax as a price umbrella for domestically made upholstery?
Stay tuned for the answer. These things don’t happen right away and it will take some months until the truth makes itself clear.
–Eric Schneider
