The United States will impose a 10% tariff on imported processed wood and a 25% tariff on imported furniture, including sofas, vanities, and kitchen cabinets.
On the 29th (local time), the White House said on its website that President Donald Trump signed a proclamation containing these measures.
Accordingly, starting Oct. 14, softwood and lumber imported into the United States will be subject to a 10% tariff, and wooden kitchen cabinets, vanities, and furniture upholstered with fabric over wood, such as sofas and chairs, will be subject to a 25% tariff.
However, for the United Kingdom, which has already concluded negotiations with the United States, a 10% tariff will apply to wood products, and the European Union (EU) and Japan will face rates not exceeding 15%. For countries without a trade agreement with the United States, rates will rise starting Jan. 1 next year to 30% (upholstered furniture) and 50% (kitchen cabinets and vanities).
In the proclamation, President Trump said the move would "strengthen (the wood industry's) supply chain, enhance industry resilience, create quality jobs, and increase domestic facility utilization for wood products."
Earlier that day, he signaled on his social media (SNS) platform Truth Social that he would impose "significant tariffs on any country that does not manufacture furniture in the United States to make North Carolina, which had its furniture industry completely taken by China and other countries, great again."
North Carolina had long been regarded as a hub of the wood industry, but it gradually slumped under pressure from low-priced Chinese imports. Some observers suggested the tariffs were aimed at swaying voters in the swing state of North Carolina.