INTERNATIONAL TRADE LAW
How to Export Furniture: U.S. Compliance Guide
To export furniture from the United States, classify it under HTS/Schedule B Chapter 94, screen every party to the sale, file Electronic Export Information (EEI) when required, and make sure your wood packaging meets the international ISPM 15 standard. Furniture is rarely a controlled commodity, so the legal work is less about export licenses and more about correct classification, party screening, packaging compliance, and satisfying the destination country’s import rules.
Classify the Furniture for Export
Furniture is classified in Chapter 94 of the Harmonized System. For a U.S. export you use the 10-digit Schedule B number that matches the piece — seating, wooden bedroom furniture, metal furniture, and so on. That number drives your EEI filing and the statistics the government keeps on the shipment. It also helps your buyer anticipate the duty they will owe on import, because their tariff classification mirrors the same Harmonized System chapter.
Most furniture is EAR99 — subject to the Export Administration Regulations but not specifically controlled. That means no license is required for typical commercial destinations, but the EAR still applies: you cannot ship EAR99 goods to an embargoed country, a sanctioned party, or a prohibited end user.
Screen the Buyer and Intermediaries
Because furniture itself is uncontrolled, the real export-control risk is who you are selling to. Before shipping, screen the buyer, the end user, and any forwarder or intermediary against the Consolidated Screening List, which combines the restricted-party lists from the Departments of Commerce, State, and Treasury. Re-screen before each shipment; the lists change constantly.
File EEI When the Value Triggers It
You generally must file EEI through the Automated Export System (AES) when the value of the commodity under a single Schedule B number exceeds $2,500, or whenever a license is required. Furniture orders cross that threshold easily, so for most commercial shipments EEI is mandatory. Shipments to Canada are usually exempt unless a license applies. Agree in the contract who files — the seller (the U.S. Principal Party in Interest) or the buyer’s agent in a routed transaction.
Meet ISPM 15 for Wood Packaging
This is the requirement furniture exporters most often miss. Solid-wood pallets, crates, and dunnage used in international shipments must comply with ISPM 15, the international phytosanitary standard for wood packaging material. Compliant packaging is heat-treated or fumigated and stamped with the IPPC mark. Non-compliant wood packaging is routinely refused, treated, or returned at the destination port — at the exporter’s expense — even when the furniture itself is fine. Note that ISPM 15 governs the packaging, not the furniture; manufactured wood furniture and processed panels are treated differently from raw solid-wood packing material.
Satisfy the Destination Country’s Import Rules
Your buyer’s country sets its own conditions of entry, and those often matter more than U.S. export law for a furniture deal:
| Destination requirement | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Import duties and tariff classification | Determines the landed cost your buyer pays |
| Formaldehyde / emissions standards | Many markets regulate composite-wood emissions |
| Flammability and safety rules | Upholstered furniture frequently must meet local standards |
| Labeling and country-of-origin marking | Required for customs clearance and retail sale |
| Timber-legality declarations | Some markets require proof of legal wood sourcing |
Build these into the quote and the sales contract. If the buyer is responsible for import clearance under your Incoterms rule, say so; if you have agreed to deliver duty-paid, you have taken on those obligations and costs. (The mirror image — what U.S. law requires when goods come the other way — is covered in our guide to importing furniture.)
Put It in the Contract
A furniture export contract should fix the specifications and quantity, the Incoterms rule and named place, the payment mechanism (a confirmed letter of credit is common for new overseas buyers), inspection and acceptance terms, and a clause obligating both parties to comply with U.S. export-control and sanctions law. Allocating who handles export filing, ISPM 15 packaging, and destination clearance prevents the finger-pointing that surfaces only after a container is stuck at port.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need an export license to ship furniture overseas?
Almost never. Standard furniture is EAR99 and needs no license for ordinary commercial destinations. You still must avoid embargoed countries and restricted parties, and you must screen everyone in the transaction before you ship.
What is ISPM 15 and does my shipment need it?
ISPM 15 is the international standard for solid-wood packaging — pallets, crates, and dunnage. If your furniture ships on or in untreated solid wood, that packaging must be heat-treated or fumigated and stamped with the IPPC mark, or the destination may refuse, treat, or return it.
Do I have to file EEI for a furniture export?
Usually yes. EEI is required when the value under one Schedule B number exceeds $2,500, which most furniture orders do. Shipments to Canada are generally exempt unless an export license is required.
Who handles import duties in the destination country?
That depends on your Incoterms rule. Under terms like DDP you deliver duty-paid and absorb the destination duties and clearance; under terms like FOB or CIF the buyer handles import clearance and duties. Make the allocation explicit in the contract.
Exporting furniture is mostly about precise classification, party screening, and packaging that clears foreign customs — small details with large consequences. Reidel Law Firm prepares flat-fee Import/Export Compliance Memos tailored to your products and destination markets, with direct attorney access — get a flat-fee import/export compliance memo before your next container ships.
