Abstract
Wood-consuming furniture manufacturers (WCFM) are major users of forest products in the United States. Between 2000 and 2009, the real value of domestic WCFM shipments (production) declined by 51%. After 2009, WCFM shipments fluctuated, but by 2019 shipments were 48% below 2000 levels. A major contributor to this decline was furniture imports. In 1997, imports accounted for 6% and 23% of the value of upholstered household furniture (UHF) and wood household furniture (WHF), available to U.S. consumers, respectively. In 2019, imports accounted for 35% and 78% of domestically available UHF and WHF, respectively. The primary source of imported UHF in 2019 was China, while Vietnam was the most important source of WHF. Domestic consumption also influences WCFM shipments. Between 1997 and 2019, consumption of UHF by U.S. end-users increased; since 2002, this increase was primarily supplied through increased imports. Since 2005, domestic consumption of WHF declined by 45%, which contributed to the 75% decline in domestic shipments since that year. Wood office furniture and related products also have experienced a 40% decline in consumption since 2000, which coincided with a 41% decline in shipments. More research is needed to determine the impact of decreased WCFM shipments on U.S. forest product production and prices.
Keywords
Wood household furniture,
Globalization,
Supply chain,
Wood product consumption,
Upholstered household furniture,
Wood office furniture,
Furniture production,
Furniture consumption,
Furniture imports
Citation
Luppold, William G.; Bumgardner, Matthew S. 2022. Analyzing changes in the U.S. wood furniture industry from 1997 to 2019: production, net imports, and consumption. BioResources. 17(1): 939-951.
