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Report from
North America
Anticipating tariffs - imports of tropical timber rose in
March
With the threat of impending trade tariffs looming imports
of tropical hardwood and related products rose
significantly in March as US merchants increased
inventories. Imports of hardwood plywood surged by 30%
in March, imports of hardwood moulding rose 26% and
imports of hardwood flooring and assembled flooring
panels both rose more than 20%.
US imports of sawn tropical hardwood rose 12% and
imports of wooden furniture edged up by 2%. Not every
product area saw a gain as US imports of tropical
hardwood veneer fell 11%.
While imports from most trade partners rose, imports from
China fell notably. US imports of furniture from China fell
19% in March, hardwood mouldings fell 47%, hardwood
veneer fell 40%, assembled floor panels fell 62% and
hardwood flooring fell 23%.
While the volume of hardwood plywood imported by the
US from China rose in March, dollars spent on those
imports fell 3% from the previous month. This echoed the
current overall decline in US imports from China.
The share of US imports from China in the first quarter of
the year fell to the lowest in over 20 years as the high
tariffs on Chinese goods clamped down on trade. Imports
from China reached US$102.7 billion in the first three
months of the year that puts the share of imported goods
from China at just 11% in the first quarter, down sharply
from over 22% seven years ago.
US hardwood plywood imports soar
US imports of hardwood plywood surged by 30% in
March with volume reaching a 20-month high. At 348,393
cubic metres, March imports were 51% higher than last
March and were the highest since June 2023.
Imports from Indonesia more than doubled from the
previous month and hit their highest level in over 10 years.
Imports from Indonesia were up 85% over last year
through the first quarter of the year.
Imports from Russia are also doing well this year, almost
doubling in March and up 32% for the first quarter. Total
US imports of hardwood plywood are ahead of 2024
volume by 19% through the first three months of the year.
Sawn tropical hardwood imports rise, Canadian
imports fall sharply
US imports of sawn tropical hardwood rose 12% in
March, rising to their highest level of the year so far. At
15,602 cubic metres, the volume was 11% higher than in
March of last year. Imports from Brazil, which have been
sluggish in recent months, rose 66% in March to reach
more traditional levels. Despite the gain, imports from
Brazil, a top trading partner, were down 56% for the first
quarter.
Imports of nearly every type of tropical hardwood showed
healthy gains for the month as imports of Teak, Meranti
and Padauk all greatly outpaced last year’s volume for the
first quarter of the year. Despite the March gains, total
imports of sawn tropical hardwood are down 7% versus
2024 through the first quarter.
Canadian imports of sawn tropical hardwood plunged 42%
in March as imports from Cameroon, Brazil and Bolivia
all fell sharply. Imports for the month were 39% below
those of the previous March yet first quarter imports still
managed to beat last year’s pace by 15% due to strong
numbers in January and February.
Assembled flooring panels set monthly record -
hardwood flooring imports jump 20%
Monthly imports of assembled flooring panels surpassed
USUS$35 million for the first time in March as imports
soared 21% from the previous month. At USUS$35.7
million, imports for the month were 53% higher than the
previous March total and bettered the previous high from
June 2022 by more than USUS$1 million.
Imports from Indonesia and Thailand increased sharply
while imports from chief trading partners Canada and
Vietnam also showed significant gains. With the surge,
total imports for the first quarter ended up 37% ahead of
2024 figures.
US imports of hardwood flooring made a similar gain in
March, rising 20% and rebounding from a disappointing
February. Despite the recovery, the monthly total was 11%
below imports from March 2024.
Imports from Malaysia rose 87% for the month and are up
189% for the first quarter of the year while imports from
top trade partner Indonesia rose 30% in March and are up
10% for the quarter.
However, imports from Brazil fell 72% in March and are
behind last year by 57% for the first three months of the
year. Through the first quarter, total imports of hardwood
flooring are down 3% from last year.
Hardwood moulding imports leap 26%
US imports of hardwood mouldings rose 26% in March to
their highest level since June 2022. At USUS$16.3
million, imports for the month were 27% higher than for
the previous March.
Imports from top-supplier Canada rose 39% in March
while imports from Brazil grew by 46%. Imports from
China, which had been strong the first two months of the
year, fell by 47% in March. Total imports are up 28% over
last year through the first quarter.
Veneer imports fall
US imports of tropical hardwood veneer fell 11% in
March as the source for veneers continues to fluctuate
greatly among trading partners from month to month.
Imports from Italy grew 34-fold from the previous month
to their highest level in two years while imports from
China, Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire all fell by more than 40%.
Despite the volatility among suppliers, total import
spending has been relatively stable. Imports for the month
were 1% higher than for March 2024 and through the first
quarter of the year, total imports of tropical hardwood
veneer by the US are just about even with 2024—up by
less than 1%.
US wooden furniture imports rise
US imports of wooden furniture rose 2% in March,
rebounding from a more than 10% decline in February. At
over US$1.7 billion, imports were 2% higher than last
March.
Imports from Canada, Indonesia and India all rose more
than 20% while imports from top trading partner Vietnam
fell 5%. Through the first quarter of the year, total imports
of wooden furniture remain 2% ahead of last year.
Residential furniture orders rise for second straight
month
New residential furniture orders were up 2% compared to
January, which in turn were up 2% over December figures,
according to the April issue of Furniture Insights.
However, compared to February 2024, new orders were
down 5% according to Mark Laferriere, assurance partner
at Smith Leonard the accounting and consulting firm that
produces the monthly report. New orders are down 4% for
the year-to-date, compared to last year. February
shipments were down 5% compared to 2024 figures, and
down 8% compared to January, although Laferriere noted
it could be a function of February being a shorter month.
Shipments are flat for the year-to-date compared to 2024
figures.
On a seasonally adjusted basis, sales at furniture and home
furnishings stores in March were down 0.1% compared to
February, but up 7.7% from March 2024. Year to date on a
non-adjusted basis, sales were up 4.9%, according to the
April Furniture Insights.
Sharing his thoughts following the April High Point
Market furniture industry trade show, Laferriere said,
"Expectations were understandably tempered coming in,
but most people we spoke with were pleasantly surprised.
Tariffs were obviously a huge topic of conversation, but
some said it still felt like a 'normal' market, with others
saying it was one of their best in recent years due in part to
exciting new introductions and/or new opportunities with
retailers exploring their domestic versus import options.
While traffic was reported to be down (particularly
international), those who were there seemed ready to do
business."
See: https://www.smith-leonard.com/2025/05/05/april-2025-
furniture-insights/
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