Tariffs Tighten the Screws on Furniture Imports

Originally published October 6, 2025. This version was rebuilt from the tariff proclamation and Adobe's holiday forecast for the FIN archive, and the facts are as of that date.

A week before new furniture tariffs took effect, importers and retailers were deciding what to pass along and what to absorb. The one bright spot on the calendar was a holiday season expected to lean even harder on online sales.

The short version

• A 25% duty on certain upholstered wooden products and on kitchen cabinets and vanities was set to start October 14.
• The same proclamation scheduled higher rates for January 1, 2026.
• Adobe forecast online holiday sales of $253.4 billion, up 5.3%.

New duties take effect in October

The Section 232 proclamation on timber, lumber and derivative products set a 25% duty on certain upholstered wooden products and on kitchen cabinets and vanities, effective at 12:01 a.m. on October 14, 2025. On January 1, 2026, the rates were scheduled to rise to 30% for upholstered products and 50% for cabinets and vanities.

For importers, that meant goods landing after mid-October would carry the new duty. Many were weighing whether to raise prices now, spread the cost over time, or shift production to sources with lower rates.

Update. A December 31, 2025 proclamation delayed the scheduled increases to January 1, 2027.

Holiday sales move online

Adobe expected U.S. online sales of $253.4 billion from November 1 through December 31, up 5.3% from a year earlier. Furniture shoppers research online even when they buy in a store, so a showroom's product pages and pricing needed to be current before the season started.

Bracing for the bill

The tariff costs were coming whether shoppers were ready or not. Retailers with clear pricing and a strong online presence were better placed to hold on to holiday demand.

Related on FIN

• Follow the Tariff Dollars
• Every Door in Town

Sources

• The White House, Proclamation adjusting imports of timber, lumber and their derivative products (Sept. 29, 2025)
• The White House, Amendments to the timber and lumber proclamation (Dec. 31, 2025)
• Adobe, Holiday shopping season forecast, October 2025