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US imports of wooden furniture exceeds USD27 billion
Researchers of the AKTRIN Furniture Information Center estimate the 2007 value of US imports
of all furniture (North American Industry Classification System or NAICS 337) at USD27.24
billion. This is up by 154% from 1998. The largest foreign supplier is China, holding a
market share of 55%. Its current annual value stands at USD14.89 billion, which is 565% higher than 10 years
ago. A distant second place belongs to Canada with a share of 14%. In 1998, Canada
was the largest foreign furniture supplier to the US. Mexico currently stands in
third place. In 1998, Taiwan was in the third spot, but then fell in relative terms to the current seventh position
and declined in absolute terms by more than 20%. The fourth most important foreign source of
furniture for the US is Vietnam. It exported an estimated USD1.2 billion worth of
furniture to the United States this year. A decade ago this value was only slightly above USD1 million. No other
country achieved the same steep growth rate of furniture exports as Vietnam.
For stakeholders in the wood and forestry industries, only wooden furniture is of interest. The
share of imported furniture that contains at least some wood is about 70% however it may also
contain non-wooden raw materials. The remaining 30% of US furniture imports are non-wood
(metal, plastic, stone, glass, etc.) and consist mostly of metal office furniture.
The largest wooden furniture sub-category is Nonupholstered Wood Household Furniture (NAICS 337122).
Its estimated import value as of 2007 is USD10.42 billion or 38% of overall US furniture
imports. Currently, the top suppliers are China with USD4.81 million, Canada with
USD1.14 billion, and Vietnam with USD1.07 billion. Together, these three countries supply more than
twothirds of all foreign produced wood furniture in the US.
In 1998, the three top suppliers were Canada, followed by China and Taiwan. Taiwan¡¯s wooden
furniture exports to the US declined by 76% between 1998 and 2007. However, many Taiwanese companies are now operating
from mainland China and their exports are counted as Chinese exports. Vietnam was an insignificant supplier in
1998 (ranked number 25) with a value of less than USD1 million. In addition to China, Canada and Vietnam, other
important exporters of wooden furniture to the US include Malaysia, Indonesia, Mexico, Italy, Thailand, Brazil and
the Philippines, all with annual export values in excess of USD100 million each.
Another important furniture sub-category is Upholstered Household Furniture, (NAICS 337121).
As of 2007, the US import value stood at an estimated USD3.28 million, or 12% of overall
furniture imports. However, on average only about 40% of the material costs of upholstered
furniture is wood, with the rest being fabrics, leather, springs, and foam. The top ranking foreign
upholstery suppliers for the US are China with an estimated export value of USD2.21 million,
Mexico with USD315 million, and Italy with USD172 million. Together, these three
countries have a US market share of 82%. While Vietnam experienced a phenomenal growth rate during
the past decade, it still remains a relatively minor supplier of upholstery for the US (USD91
million). Traditionally, Italy, Mexico and Canada have been the most important
foreign upholstery suppliers to the US. However, they have all lost market share in the US, and Italy even
suffered a decline in absolute terms between 1998 and 2007.
Wooden Office Furniture (NAICS 337211) is also of great relevance to wood suppliers. According to AKTRIN, US
imports in 2007 are estimated at USD994 million, which is 3.6% of overall American furniture imports. Growth
between 1998 and 2007 was 95%, which is much less than for most other furniture categories. The largest foreign
suppliers ¨C today as well as back in 1998 ¨C are China, Canada, Taiwan and Mexico. The highest growth rates
during the past decade have been achieved by Vietnam, China, Malaysia, Australia, Spain, and Switzerland.
US imports of Wood Kitchen Cabinets and Countertops (NAIC 337110) stand at approximately
USD795 million or 2.9% of total furniture imports in the US in 2007. This is relatively small in
relation to the large US consumption of kitchen cabinets. The reason is that external suppliers
suffer a competitive disadvantage compared to local suppliers as kitchen cabinets generally
require installation. Important foreign source countries are Canada, China,
Italy, Mexico and Germany.
It is interesting to note that about 12% of American furniture imports are in the form of furniture
parts. In value terms, this is more than USD3.5 billion annually. About 55% of all parts are for
furniture, and the remaining 45% are parts for seats. However, only half of furniture
parts are wooden products (including rattan, bamboo, cane, etc.), and in the case of seats, the wooden
share is only in the 10% range. In other words, imports of wooden parts (for furniture and seats)
amounted to an estimated value of USD1.2 billion in 2007. During the past decade,
US imports of parts for furniture and seats, and in particular wooden furniture parts, grew slightly faster than
imports of finished furniture and seats.
The largest foreign supplier of wooden furniture parts (excluding rattan, bamboo, cane, etc.) is
China, with an estimated value of USD471 million as of 2007, followed by Canada, Mexico, Italy
and Vietnam. The largest foreign suppliers of rattan parts are the Philippines, Indonesia, and
China, and the largest suppliers of parts of bamboo, osier, cane, and similar products are China,
the Philippines, and Indonesia (in addition to Canada acting indirectly as a
reexporter).
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