Danish furniture manufacturers face renewed uncertainty after the United States expanded tariffs on imports containing steel or aluminium to 50 percent. The change, announced on 18 August, affects 407 additional product categories, significantly impacting companies such as Funen-based Cane-Line.
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Brian Djernes, director of Cane-Line, described the situation as "difficult and unpredictable to manoeuvre when the tariffs are changed," noting that it takes around three months for furniture to reach the US. "It's the day the container arrives that we are taxed. We don't know what legislation we are shipping under," he said, warning that the new tariff is unsustainable in the long term.
The US has long been a key growth market for Cane-Line, but the uncertainty has caused both consumers and large buyers to hold back on orders. Djernes confirmed that sales to the US will decline this year for the first time in a decade.
The expanded tariff also increases administrative burdens for Danish exporters, who must now calculate the proportion of metal in each product. Metal components are taxed at 50 percent, while the remaining materials remain subject to the standard 15 percent EU-US rate. Peter Bay Kirkegaard of the Confederation of Danish Industry emphasised that more companies will now face "extensive bureaucracy" due to the updated rules.
Source: www.wood-supply.dk
