Young Hands vs. Weakening Exports: The Pulse of the Furniture Industry

02 · Exports and Markets

Italian Furniture Exports Lose Ground - Hit Hardest in the US and China [2]

That counterpoint comes courtesy of the Italian industry association FederlegnoArredo, which on September 23 published data for the first half of 2026. The entire Italian wood and furniture sector recorded a 4.5 percent drop in exports, down to €9.2 billion, while furniture exports alone shrank by 5.7 percent over seven months.

The hardest-hit relationships were with two key sales destinations. Exports to the United States fell by between 11.3 and 12.9 percent depending on the segment, while exports to China plunged by as much as 17.7 percent. Not every direction is in the red, though: Spain and Switzerland both posted gains, showing that demand for European furniture hasn't disappeared - it's simply shifting geographically toward closer, more stable markets. Federation president Claudio Feltrin has no doubts about where to look for the cause, pointing to the geopolitical instability that is making planning and long-term investment difficult for exporters.

For the rest of the European furniture industry, this is a clear warning sign. Italy has been setting furniture design trends for decades and is one of the pillars of European furniture exports, so the scale of the slowdown in the American and Chinese markets should give pause to manufacturers in other countries too, including Poland. It's worth watching whether the shift in demand toward Spain and Switzerland is a temporary correction or a more lasting change in export directions across Europe - for many furniture manufacturers in our region, this could mean a new window of opportunity in markets that had until now lived in the shadow of the US and China.