With his trade war, Donald Trump wanted to reduce the United States’ dependence on foreign products and thus revive domestic production. After years of clashes with China, and months after the start of the new round of tariffs, what emerges is that the United States continues to depend on the rest of the world in some specific sectors.
Federlegno Arredo, based on UNComtrade data, analyzed the data relating to duties and the value of American imports. What emerges is that Donald Trump’s decisions have not reduced the United States’ dependence on foreign countries, but have only redrawn the map. The specific field examined is that of furniture produced in Italy and how American decisions have influenced, or not, the market.
The case of the made in Italy furniture sector
The Federlegno Arredo report (UNComtrade data) shines a light on a fact that has long been overlooked, concerning a highly appreciated sector in the United States: furniture. The data, in fact, examines the import of furniture into the United States over the last thirty years, showing how tariffs have also penalized Made in Italy, without affecting its solidity in the highest end of the market.
In fact, from 1990 to today, the import of furniture into America has increased more than tenfold, going from 6.7 billion to 80 billion dollars. Italy remains the fifth largest furniture supplier to the United States today, with a decline limited to -2.1% in the first seven months of 2025.
As the FederlegnoArredo study center explains: “The American trade war has not reduced dependence on imports, but has changed the geography of suppliers”. One effect of this is in the numbers: while China and Italy lose ground, new players emerge on the market.
Tariffs: an advantage or a disadvantage? Trump’s logic
Trump’s goal was to revive American manufacturing, but tariffs introduced between 2018 and 2020 had the opposite effect. Companies have relocated production to countries neighboring China, bypassing sanctions and keeping trade flows towards the United States unchanged.
The data thus began to take another path, the one that shows the new emerging markets on the map. Between January and July 2025, furniture imports from abroad (particularly from Asia) grew:
- +12.4% from Vietnam;
- +15.9% from Malaysia;
- +15.2% from Indonesia;
- +47.7% from Cambodia;
- +27.7% from Thailand.
Federlegno Arredo further observes that “although there are no certainties, the question of whether a strategy to circumvent the duties imposed on China is hidden behind the parallel growth of exports from various Asian countries is legitimate”.
Did the tariffs benefit China?
Despite a decline of 24.6%, China continues to dominate the furniture supply chain and is stable in its position as the second largest exporter to the USA.
Made in Italy also resists and does so by focusing on quality and brand reputation. “The United States is a competitive but strategic market, it will still provide great satisfaction,” declared Giulia Molteni, CMO of the Molteni group.
However, this is a market under pressure due to tariffs. The president of FederlegnoArredo, Claudio Feltrin, estimates that the duties translate into an increase in prices of 5-6% for the final consumer. A “manageable” increase, we read in the report, but only because an already high-end range of products is taken into consideration.
