NEWS

The new Section 232 tariffs affect imports of wood-based upholstered chairs, cabinets, and vanities. Industry executives are reacting and adapting to the change. Demand for locally made furniture is strong enough that the Vaughan-Bassett Furniture plant in Virginia has added hours and overtime to keep up. The company president confirmed that demand has risen as tariffs made imports less attractive, creating support for American-made goods.

On October 2, Treasury Secretary Bessent stated that the White House will announce a bailout for farmers negatively impacted by retaliatory tariffs as soon as this week. The Hardwood Federation is pushing for hardwoods to be included in any aid package.

PHOTO @ Garrett English

On October 3, DHA published a widely distributed press release highlighting the request by nine industry leaders for Section 232 tariffs to be applied to decorative hardwoods.

On September 30, DHA and several member CEOs sent a letter to President Trump asking him to include hardwood plywood, hardwood veneer, and engineered wood flooring imports in Section 232 tariffs. We emphasized that Roseburg Forest Products just made the difficult decision to close their last remaining hardwood plywood plant in the U.S. and that 80% of the U.S. market is now controlled by dumped and subsidized imports from Asia.

On September 29, the Trump administration announced the long-awaited Section 232 tariffs on wood products. It imposes a 10% global tariff on imports of softwood lumber; a 25% global tariff on most upholstered furniture, increasing to 30% on January 1; and a 25% global tariff on kitchen cabinets and vanities, increasing to 50% on January 1. The announcement also imposed reciprocal tariffs on wood products that were previously exempt.