Exports climb 10% in 2004
By Brian Carroll -- Furniture Today, April 18, 2005
High Point — Although still an afterthought for most of the furniture industry, exports are growing. A 10% gain in 2004, the second consecutive double-digit annual increase, pushed the annual total to $1.9 billion.
Exports jumped 14% in 2003 over 2002 after a dip in 2002 of 10%.
Canada remains U.S. furniture's largest market, and by quite a margin. Canada's 2004 total of $925.5 million represents nearly half of all U.S. furniture exports (49%) and is 3.7 times the total of the next largest market, Mexico.
Nearly 20% of the Canadian total was generated by exports of U.S.-made miscellaneous wood furniture. That category grew by 20% last year to $175.8 million. Four of the next six largest categories were parts, including miscellaneous parts, seat parts, metal parts and wood parts. These four combined for a total of $329.4 million, or more than a third of Canada's total.
No. 2 Mexico is a mystery. That market more than doubled its appetite for U.S.-made goods in 2003, zooming to $339.3 million from a 2002 total of just $146.4 million. Last year, however, Mexico's growth barely moved the meter, edging up 2% to $347.6 million.
The reason for the one-year difference isn't clear, although there is evidence that in 2003, Mexico became an important source for upholstery. That year, the United States sent more than five times more seating parts to Mexico than in the previous year, or 66% of all of Mexico's total furniture buying from U.S. companies that year.
It's possible these parts went into upholstery that re-entered the U.S. market as finished goods. But it was apparently a one-year boom. In 2004, seat parts stabilized at $219.1 million, a 2% decline from 2003.
Parts still dominate the menu of categories Mexico buys from the United States, however, representing nearly 70% of all U.S. furniture exports to that country.
After breaking into the Top 10 destination countries in 2003 at No. 10, China nearly doubled its demand for U.S. furniture last year. China's 2004 total of $19.4 million was good for No. 7. Explaining the fast rise, ironically, are imports. Nearly all the U.S. exports to China last year (94%) were furniture parts. A vast majority of the total likely returns to the United States in finished goods.
The bottom half of the Top 10 is clustered, with less than $2.3 million separating No. 6 Korea ($20.3 million) from No. 10 Italy ($18 million).
A surprise entry on the export roster was Iraq. In 2003, Iraq took in just $8,000 in U.S.-made furniture, the rough equivalent of one high-end bedroom suite. Last year, Iraqi concerns bought $1.2 million, nearly 150 times 2003's figure. The numbers, which come from the U.S. Department of Commerce and are supposed to quantify only residential furniture, do not give any indication why.
The Middle East as a region was not so favorable in 2004 toward U.S. furniture. No. 5 Saudi Arabia bought 16% less furniture from the United States last year than in 2003. The total for No. 8 Kuwait was basically flat, while lower-tier markets like the United Arab Emirates and Qatar were up.
A growth market for U.S. manufacturers is the United Kingdom, the only European market in the Top 10. England added 13% to its total in 2004 to reach $86.8 million in U.S. furniture imports. In 2003, the year-over-year gain was 19%, putting the United Kingdom on a sustained growth track.
| U.S. furniture exports by major destination countries, Jan.–Dec. 2004 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| In Millions of Dollars | |||
| 2004 | 2003 revised | % change from 2003 | |
| Source: U.S. Customs Service, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. International Trade Commission. | |||
| Canada | $925.5 | 797.6 | 16% |
| Mexico | 347.6 | 339.3 | 2 |
| United Kingdom | 86.8 | 76.9 | 13 |
| Japan | 51.2 | 49.4 | 4 |
| Saudi Arabia | 32.8 | 39.1 | -16 |
| Korea | 20.3 | 24.1 | -16 |
| China | 19.4 | 10.9 | 79 |
| Kuwait | 19.0 | 18.7 | 1 |
| Australia | 18.8 | 11.9 | 59 |
| Italy | 18.0 | 14.8 | 21 |
| WORLD TOTAL | $1,890.1 | $1,724.2 | 10% |
