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From Home Furnishing Business
Fast Fact: An In-Depth Look at Furniture Imports by Material Type
September 4,
2018 by Laurie Northington in Economic News, Industry 
In recent years, growing wages, higher employment, a boost in consumer confidence and a healthy housing market have propelled import growth. The U.S. Census Bureau gives a breakdown of the major furniture imports by material type.
Wood household furniture imports totaled $11.8 billion in 2017 and are up 9 percent over the previous year. At a 38 percent share of wood furniture imports in 2017, China still owns the wood category at $4.5 billion, but has lost significant share to Vietnam.
Unlike the wood category, China has very little competition in upholstered goods in the international marketplace. Once a major player, Italy was the leading exporter of upholstery to the U.S. until 2003 when China surpassed them.
China dominates the market in imported metal household furniture with 75 percent market share. China increased from $1.7 billion in 2002 to $5.6 billion in 2017 – a jump of 225 percent in 15 years.
For an in-depth look at the data, click here.