Exports from the German furniture industry reached approximately €6.2 billion in the first nine months of 2025, nearly matching the same period last year, down only 0.7 percent, according to preliminary foreign trade statistics from the Federal Statistical Office.
"We are seeing a gradual stabilisation of the export business, although the conditions remain challenging, particularly in light of ongoing tariff disputes," said Jan Kurth, Managing Director of the Associations of the German Furniture Industry.
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Certain markets showed positive trends. Exports to Switzerland, Germany's second-largest foreign market for furniture, increased by almost 3 percent. Particularly strong growth was recorded in Italy (+9.4 percent) and Spain (+8.7 percent), where the housing sector is currently generating favourable momentum.
Conversely, declines were observed in several key European markets, including France (-2.1 percent), Austria (-6.8 percent), the Netherlands (-0.7 percent), the United Kingdom (-4.9 percent) and Belgium (-2.1 percent).
Exports to the United States, the largest non-European market for German-made furniture, fell by around 2 percent. The German kitchen furniture sector was particularly affected, with deliveries down by nearly 11 percent compared with the previous year. "US tariffs lead to unnecessary price increases and severely restrict the competitiveness of European suppliers in the American market," Kurth noted.
The US trade policy also impacted furniture imports to Germany. Chinese and Vietnamese manufacturers have increasingly redirected goods, originally intended for the US market, to Germany, following obstacles posed by American tariffs. Between January and September, imports from China rose by 12.4 percent to €2.4 billion, and imports from Vietnam increased by 17.4 percent to €197 million. China now accounts for 30 percent of German furniture imports, ahead of Poland (29 percent).
Significant import growth was also recorded from Italy (+25.4 percent) and Lithuania (+28 percent). Overall, furniture imports into Germany increased by 11 percent to approximately €8 billion.
More information:
die möbelindustrie - Verbände der deutschen Möbelindustrie
www.moebelindustrie.de
