Home Furniture Shipping from China
Export freight for home furniture — packing specification, container loading, HS classification and clearance. Quoted EXW, FOB, CIF, CIP or delivered duty-paid.
We move Home Furniture out of China as ordinary export freight — booked, packed and cleared to the same standard as any other commodity, but planned around the fact that it consumer-facing pieces where surface finish is the product.
It changes how the shipment prices. Reasonably dense once flat-packed, so a full container usually approaches both the weight and volume limit together — which is the most efficient place to be. Assembled furniture, by contrast, is pure volume and prices accordingly.
One thing specific to this material. Timber compliance rather than damage. EU-bound wooden furniture now needs deforestation-regulation due diligence with geolocation data for the harvest, and UK upholstery must meet fire regulations. Both are checked at entry and neither can be arranged retrospectively.
One compliance step accounts for most delays on this commodity: Timber due diligence (EUTR / EUDR) and UK upholstery fire regulations. Classification sits in chapter 94; the exact code varies by specification, so verify it before budgeting duty.
Freight reference — Home Furniture
| Typical HS chapter | 94 |
|---|---|
| Cargo behaviour | Consumer-facing pieces where surface finish is the product |
| How it prices | Balanced weight and volume |
| Usual service | Sea FCL |
| Main compliance step | Timber due diligence (EUTR / EUDR) and UK upholstery fire regulations |
| Trade terms available | EXW, FOB, CIF, CIP, DAP or delivered duty-paid |
HS chapters are indicative. The binding classification depends on your exact specification — confirm the heading before relying on a duty estimate.
Packing and protection
Foam or felt between every contact face, and never let metal fittings touch a veneered or lacquered surface inside the carton. Wrap legs individually — they protrude, they catch, and a scuffed leg on a dining table is a full return.
Loading the container
In the box: Interlock the stack and fill voids so nothing can slide. Corner crush is the dominant damage mode, and it comes from cartons rubbing against each other rather than from any single impact.
Choosing the service
Which service: Sea FCL. Flat-pack economics only work at container scale; LCL handling costs and the extra cross-docking erode the advantage quickly.
Where it usually goes wrong
Timber compliance rather than damage. EU-bound wooden furniture now needs deforestation-regulation due diligence with geolocation data for the harvest, and UK upholstery must meet fire regulations. Both are checked at entry and neither can be arranged retrospectively.
Live rates on lanes that carry this cargo
Published per-kilo and per-CBM rates from China, updated from carrier feeds. Rates are lane-based rather than commodity-based, so these apply to home furniture as much as to any other general cargo on the same route.
Frequently asked questions
How is freight priced for home furniture?
Reasonably dense once flat-packed, so a full container usually approaches both the weight and volume limit together — which is the most efficient place to be. Assembled furniture, by contrast, is pure volume and prices accordingly.
How should home furniture be packed for export?
Foam or felt between every contact face, and never let metal fittings touch a veneered or lacquered surface inside the carton. Wrap legs individually — they protrude, they catch, and a scuffed leg on a dining table is a full return.
Air or sea for home furniture?
Sea FCL. Flat-pack economics only work at container scale; LCL handling costs and the extra cross-docking erode the advantage quickly.
What customs paperwork does home furniture need?
The step that most often holds a shipment is Timber due diligence (EUTR / EUDR) and UK upholstery fire regulations. Classification normally falls in HS chapter 94, but the exact heading depends on your specification — send the product details and we will confirm the code and the duty position for the destination before you commit.
What goes wrong most often with home furniture shipments?
Timber compliance rather than damage. EU-bound wooden furniture now needs deforestation-regulation due diligence with geolocation data for the harvest, and UK upholstery must meet fire regulations. Both are checked at entry and neither can be arranged retrospectively.
Is there anything specific to home furniture we should know?
Corner crush accounts for most furniture damage, and it happens from cartons rubbing in transit rather than from any single impact. Corner boards plus a tight, void-free stow prevent nearly all of it.
Can you quote home furniture on FOB or CIF rather than duty-paid?
Yes. We quote EXW, FOB, CIF, CIP, DAP and delivered duty-paid on this cargo. The term decides how much of the journey is already inside the price — the trade-terms table on any of our rate pages sets out exactly who carries which cost at each stage.