The current status of Foshan's furniture industry and China's furniture exports in the first half of 2026

The current status of Foshan's furniture industry and China's furniture exports in the first half of 2026

1. Foshan Furniture Industry in 2026

Foshan remains one of China’s most important furniture manufacturing and trading hubs, with Shunde—especially Longjiang and Lecong—at its core. The region has developed a highly integrated ecosystem covering raw materials, furniture design, manufacturing, showrooms, warehousing, logistics and international trade.

Lecong is particularly important as a global furniture sourcing center. As of 2026, the area has more than 180 furniture malls, over 10,000 furniture-related merchants and more than 2,600 furniture manufacturing enterprises, with annual transaction volume exceeding RMB 80 billion. Its products are sold to more than 100 countries and regions.

The 2026 Foshan furniture industry is characterized by several major trends:

• Strong industrial clustering: Longjiang focuses heavily on furniture manufacturing, while Lecong functions as a major showroom, wholesale, sourcing and trading center.

• Complete supply chain: Buyers can source upholstery, sofas, beds, dining furniture, case goods, outdoor furniture, office furniture and customized products within a highly concentrated geographic area.

• Shift from OEM to ODM and original design: Manufacturers are increasingly investing in product development, design, branding and customized solutions rather than relying solely on low-cost OEM production.

• Digitalization and flexible manufacturing: Digital design, intelligent production and flexible small-batch manufacturing are becoming increasingly important.

• Greater focus on overseas markets: Foshan companies are accelerating “brand going global,” cross-border e-commerce, overseas showrooms and direct relationships with international distributors.

• Market diversification: Due to tariffs and geopolitical uncertainty in some traditional markets, manufacturers are paying greater attention to the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and Africa.

A particularly notable development is that Foshan is moving from simply “selling furniture” to “selling lifestyles, design and integrated solutions.” The China National Furniture Association specifically identified branding, digital empowerment and international expansion as important directions for Lecong's next stage of development.

According to a recent 2026 Foshan government/media report, Foshan furniture exports reached RMB 10.21 billion in the first half of 2026, up 11.8% year-on-year, indicating that the city's furniture export sector remained relatively resilient despite global trade uncertainty.

2. China's Furniture Exports in the First Half of 2026

China continues to be the world's largest furniture manufacturing and exporting base. However, the export environment in 2026 is becoming more complex.

The latest official China National Furniture Association data shows that in the first half of 2025, China's furniture exports were US$34.915 billion, down 6.72% year-on-year in value, while export volume increased 5.98%. This indicates that Chinese furniture companies were maintaining or increasing shipment volumes while facing considerable price and tariff pressure.

For 2026, the overall Chinese export environment has improved considerably. China's total merchandise exports remained strong during the first half of the year, although traditional products such as furniture have grown much more slowly than high-tech products. Reuters reported that furniture exports increased only 1.9% year-on-year in May 2026, compared with much faster growth in electronics and computing-related products.

Therefore, the key characteristics of China's furniture exports in H1 2026 can be summarized as:

1. Export demand remains resilient.
Chinese furniture manufacturers continue to receive international orders, supported by China's cost competitiveness, mature supply chains and strong production capacity.

2. Price competition has intensified.
International buyers are becoming increasingly price-sensitive, while manufacturers face rising costs for materials, labor, logistics and compliance.

3. The U.S. market is under greater pressure.
Tariffs and trade-policy uncertainty are encouraging Chinese furniture exporters to reduce their dependence on the U.S. market.

4. Market diversification is accelerating.
Europe, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and Africa are becoming increasingly important destinations.

5. Product upgrading is becoming essential.
Chinese suppliers are moving toward higher-value products, customized furniture, contract furniture, hospitality furniture, smart furniture and design-led products rather than competing only on price.

6. China is increasingly exporting complete solutions.
Instead of simply supplying individual furniture products, leading manufacturers are offering OEM/ODM, project-based procurement, whole-house solutions, hotel furniture packages and customized commercial furniture.

In short, China's furniture export industry in 2026 is not shrinking; it is restructuring. The competitive advantage is gradually moving from “low price + mass production” toward “complete supply chain + flexible manufacturing + design + quality + service + international market development.”

3. China's Major Furniture Export Markets

China's furniture exports remain geographically diversified. According to the latest detailed China National Furniture Association statistics, the major export regions in H1 2025 were:

Together, Asia, North America and Europe accounted for approximately 84.75% of China's furniture exports.

Major individual countries

The leading destinations in H1 2025 were:

1. United States – US$8.04 billion, 23.02%

2. United Kingdom – US$1.78 billion, 5.10%

3. Japan – US$1.72 billion, 4.91%

4. Germany – US$1.40 billion, 4.02%

5. Malaysia – US$1.35 billion, 3.86%

6. Australia – US$1.34 billion, 3.84%

7. Singapore – US$1.30 billion, 3.71%

8. South Korea – US$1.10 billion, 3.16%

9. Canada – US$1.04 billion, 2.98%

10. Netherlands – US$0.97 billion, 2.77%

The U.S. remains the single largest market, but its importance is declining relative to the broader global market. In H1 2025, China's furniture exports to the U.S. fell 14.6% year-on-year, while European and some emerging markets showed greater resilience.

The latest full regional data for the first three quarters of 2025 also shows this structural shift: Europe, Latin America and Africa recorded positive growth, while North America declined 13.2% year-on-year.

4. Key Markets to Watch in 2026

For Chinese furniture manufacturers—especially Foshan sofa and upholstered-furniture suppliers—I would divide the international market into four levels:

Tier 1 — Traditional major markets

United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Netherlands, Canada, Australia and Japan

These markets have strong purchasing power and mature furniture distribution networks, but they also have increasingly strict requirements regarding quality, certification, sustainability, packaging and product compliance.

Tier 2 — High-growth markets

Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Mexico and Poland

These markets are attractive because of residential construction, hospitality projects, urbanization and expanding middle-class consumption.

Tier 3 — Emerging markets with strong potential

Central Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa and Latin America

For example:

• Kazakhstan

• Uzbekistan

• Azerbaijan

• Georgia

• Romania

• Serbia

• Hungary

• Poland

• Saudi Arabia

• UAE

• Egypt

• Morocco

• South Africa

• Nigeria

• Mexico

• Brazil

These markets are particularly interesting for Chinese suppliers because they are generally more receptive to competitive pricing, flexible customization and one-stop sourcing.

Tier 4 — Project-driven markets

For contract furniture, sofas and upholstered furniture, another important opportunity is the international project market:

Hotels + apartments + villas + restaurants + offices + commercial spaces + real-estate developments

The Middle East is particularly attractive because large-scale hospitality and real-estate projects create demand for customized furniture, sofas and complete FF&E packages.

5. Overall Assessment for 2026

From a business perspective, the 2026 Chinese furniture industry can be summarized as:

“Stable manufacturing capacity, stronger market diversification, increasing price pressure, and accelerated transformation toward design, branding and integrated solutions.”

For Foshan, the competitive advantage remains especially strong because few other furniture clusters can match its combination of:

Manufacturing + raw materials + design + showrooms + customization + logistics + export experience + huge supplier network.

For overseas buyers, this makes Foshan particularly attractive for sofas, upholstered furniture, hotel/contract furniture, dining furniture, bedroom furniture and customized residential projects.

For Chinese exporters, however, the key strategic change in 2026 is clear: the next growth opportunity is no longer simply finding more customers in the U.S. and Europe, but building a diversified global market structure covering Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa and Latin America.