Tariffs Paused, China Hits 125%, and Trouble Ahead for Furniture Imports

Originally published April 9, 2025. This version was rebuilt from Executive Order 14266 and NRF's Global Port Tracker for the FIN archive, and the facts are as of that date.

April 9, 2025 brought the biggest tariff reversal yet. Most countries got a temporary break, China got a much higher rate, and retailers were already pulling back on imports.

The short version

• Executive Order 14266 paused the higher country rates for 90 days and raised China to 125%.
• NRF forecast second-half imports down at least 20%.

A pause and a hike

Executive Order 14266 set a 10% rate for 90 days on the countries listed in the April 2 annex and raised the reciprocal rate on China to 125%, after China announced an 84% tariff on U.S. goods. Vietnam, Cambodia and the other big furniture suppliers would pay 10% while talks went on.

Update. In May the U.S. and China agreed to cut the China rate for 90 days, and the Supreme Court later ruled that IEEPA does not authorize these tariffs.

Imports to fall

NRF's Global Port Tracker forecast May imports at 1.66 million TEU, down 20.5% from a year earlier, and said second-half imports would be down at least 20%. NRF said retailers were expected to pull back and rely on inventories built up earlier in the year.

NRF's supply chain lead said the chance to bring goods in ahead of tariffs had come to an end with the reciprocal tariffs. For furniture, with long production and shipping times, orders placed in April would land under whatever rate applied months later.

Trouble ahead

The pause helped Vietnam and other suppliers, but China sourcing was effectively shut. Retailers were living off stock brought in before the tariffs.

Related on FIN

• Follow the Tariff Dollars
• The Freight Mafia's New Playbook

Sources

• The White House, Executive Order 14266 (Apr. 9, 2025)
• The White House, Modifying reciprocal tariff rates to reflect discussions with China (May 12, 2025)
• Supreme Court of the United States, Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump, opinion (Feb. 20, 2026)
• National Retail Federation, Global Port Tracker, April 2025