China supplied 40% of nonhousehold outdoor seat imports from January to August 2026, down from 70% a year earlier

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 08:57:42 -0400

China supplied 40.0% of U.S. imports of nonhousehold outdoor seats by value from January through August 2026, down from 69.7% in the same months of 2025, according to Census Bureau trade data. Vietnam’s share rose from 12.2% to 32.1%, and Cambodia’s from 4.0% to 13.3%. The total changed little: $484.8 million in the first eight months of 2026, 1.5% less than the $492.4 million a year earlier. In August 2026 alone, seats from China were valued at $15.3 million and seats from Vietnam at $15.1 million.

The figures cover the four lines of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS, the U.S. list of product codes and duty rates) for outdoor seats that are not household seats: seats with metal frames under 9401.79.00, and seats of plastics other than reinforced or laminated plastics under 9401.80.40, each split by whether the seat has textile cushions or textile seating or backing. The values are general imports at customs value, which Census defines as the price paid for the goods when sold for export to the United States, excluding U.S. import duties, freight and insurance.

Where the seats came from

China's share of nonhousehold outdoor seat imports fell from 80.5% to 36.7% in two years

Share of the customs value of U.S. general imports, HTS 9401.79.00.15, 9401.79.00.35, 9401.80.40.15 and 9401.80.40.35 combined, monthly, August 2024 to August 2026

China (%)
Vietnam (%)
Cambodia (%)

Not seasonally adjusted. Census revises the prior month with each release. Source: api.census.gov

China’s monthly share was 80.5% in August 2024 and 48.8% in August 2025. It reached its low for the 25 months in March 2026, at 32.9%, the only month in which Vietnam’s share, 39.2%, was larger. In August 2026 China’s share was 36.7% and Vietnam’s 36.1%, the narrowest gap between the two in the period.

The total value of these imports follows the season. It was highest from February through April in 2025 and from March through June in 2026, and lowest in October and November of 2024 and 2025. August 2026 came to $41.8 million, 31.4% above August 2025 and 26.3% below July 2026.

Imports from Vietnam and Cambodia rose as imports from China fell

Customs value of U.S. general imports of nonhousehold outdoor seats by country of origin, dollars, monthly, August 2024 to August 2026. Same scale on every panel.

China ($)

Vietnam ($)

Cambodia ($)

Not seasonally adjusted. Source: api.census.gov

U.S. general imports of nonhousehold outdoor seats by country of origin, customs value in dollars, monthly. August 2026 is a first estimate.
date	All countries ($)	China ($)	Vietnam ($)	Cambodia ($)	Other countries ($)
2024-08-01	$49,151,975	$39,558,897	$2,253,954	$46,298	$7,292,826
2024-09-01	$36,682,132	$28,746,588	$2,669,236	$68,892	$5,197,416
2024-10-01	$27,490,863	$20,806,832	$1,132,811	$122,557	$5,428,663
2024-11-01	$27,645,921	$20,142,011	$1,812,334	$71,021	$5,620,555
2024-12-01	$35,523,513	$27,081,205	$2,364,517	$249,427	$5,828,364
2025-01-01	$67,321,455	$52,969,386	$5,698,163	$1,434,977	$7,218,929
2025-02-01	$81,741,000	$62,422,540	$8,896,932	$1,641,035	$8,780,493
2025-03-01	$82,481,054	$61,502,068	$8,060,313	$2,042,773	$10,875,900
2025-04-01	$85,527,644	$64,571,682	$6,479,232	$4,062,721	$10,414,009
2025-05-01	$58,357,834	$37,372,825	$8,299,088	$2,641,237	$10,044,684
2025-06-01	$40,468,780	$21,338,621	$8,833,784	$2,625,748	$7,670,627
2025-07-01	$44,735,754	$27,431,414	$6,333,747	$2,952,974	$8,017,619
2025-08-01	$31,772,659	$15,519,500	$7,561,184	$2,283,320	$6,408,655
2025-09-01	$26,160,813	$11,662,395	$6,444,866	$2,713,184	$5,340,368
2025-10-01	$24,656,065	$10,129,329	$6,561,625	$1,935,022	$6,030,089
2025-11-01	$17,732,420	$6,989,659	$5,232,750	$1,253,255	$4,256,756
2025-12-01	$28,625,196	$9,990,209	$7,928,033	$3,842,833	$6,864,121
2026-01-01	$38,718,703	$16,835,649	$10,673,388	$2,650,103	$8,559,563
2026-02-01	$59,356,262	$25,048,195	$19,789,768	$7,655,283	$6,863,016
2026-03-01	$74,939,399	$24,669,566	$29,412,849	$10,373,440	$10,483,544
2026-04-01	$70,625,921	$24,314,595	$20,583,141	$12,789,419	$12,938,766
2026-05-01	$72,269,576	$30,099,655	$22,175,373	$9,824,498	$10,170,050
2026-06-01	$70,490,257	$31,677,215	$20,699,775	$8,673,273	$9,439,994
2026-07-01	$56,662,900	$25,987,445	$17,066,087	$7,553,544	$6,055,824
2026-08-01	$41,750,836	$15,315,000	$15,053,308	$4,773,292	$6,609,236

Source: api.census.gov

Over the first eight months of the year, imports from China fell 43.5% to $193.9 million. Imports from Vietnam rose 158.4% to $155.5 million, and from Cambodia 226.6% to $64.3 million. Malaysia rose from $0.5 million to $8.8 million. Indonesia and Bangladesh each supplied a little over 2% in both years.

U.S. general imports of nonhousehold outdoor seats by country of origin, January to August, customs value in dollars. The six largest suppliers in 2026.
Country	Jan-Aug 2025 ($)	Share 2025 (%)	Jan-Aug 2026 ($)	Share 2026 (%)	Change in value (%)
China	$343,128,036	69.7%	$193,947,320	40.0%	-43.5%
Vietnam	$60,162,443	12.2%	$155,453,689	32.1%	158.4%
Cambodia	$19,684,785	4.0%	$64,292,852	13.3%	226.6%
Indonesia	$13,458,314	2.7%	$11,773,051	2.4%	-12.5%
Bangladesh	$12,799,929	2.6%	$10,641,786	2.2%	-16.9%
Malaysia	$502,735	0.1%	$8,848,170	1.8%	1660.0%
All other countries	$42,669,938	8.7%	$39,856,986	8.2%	-6.6%
All countries	$492,406,180	100.0%	$484,813,854	100.0%	-1.5%

Source: api.census.gov

By type of seat

Metal-frame seats with textile cushions or sling seating, line 9401.79.00.15, made up 85.2% of the value in the first eight months of 2026, $413.0 million. Most of the shift happened on this line, where China’s share fell from 72.8% to 38.0%. Metal-frame seats without textile fell 30.6% in value to $52.8 million, and China still supplied 55.6% of them. The two plastic lines are small, at $5.3 million and $13.7 million.

U.S. general imports of nonhousehold outdoor seats by HTS line, January to August, customs value in dollars, and China's share of each line.
HTS line	Jan-Aug 2025 ($)	Jan-Aug 2026 ($)	China share 2025 (%)	China share 2026 (%)
Metal frame with textile cushions or sling (9401.79.00.15)	$399,852,825	$413,020,711	72.8%	38.0%
Metal frame without textile (9401.79.00.35)	$76,062,767	$52,786,991	59.2%	55.6%
Plastic with textile cushions or sling (9401.80.40.15)	$2,556,878	$5,279,906	68.8%	43.8%
Plastic without textile (9401.80.40.35)	$13,933,710	$13,726,246	38.1%	39.3%

Source: hts.usitc.gov

The household outdoor seat lines moved further. China’s share of those four lines fell from 59.3% to 25.4% over the same months, and Vietnam’s rose from 23.3% to 43.7%, making Vietnam the largest supplier of household outdoor seats.

Shares of the customs value of U.S. general imports, January to August 2025 and 2026, nonhousehold and household outdoor seat lines.
Lines	China share Jan-Aug 2025 (%)	China share Jan-Aug 2026 (%)	Vietnam share Jan-Aug 2025 (%)	Vietnam share Jan-Aug 2026 (%)	Cambodia share Jan-Aug 2025 (%)	Cambodia share Jan-Aug 2026 (%)
Nonhousehold outdoor seats	69.7	40.0	12.2	32.1	4.0	13.3
Household outdoor seats	59.3	25.4	23.3	43.7	1.7	9.5

Source: api.census.gov

Census also reports the number of seats entered for consumption. Dividing value by count gives an average of $9.87 a seat across all countries in 2026, against $11.81 in 2025. Seats from China averaged $7.21, from Cambodia $9.23 and from Vietnam $14.24. Each line mixes products from folding sling chairs to cushioned lounge seating, so these averages show the product mix as much as any change in price.

Seats entered for consumption and their customs value, January to August 2026, with the average value per seat in 2026 and 2025. Nonhousehold outdoor seat lines combined.
Country	Seats Jan-Aug 2026	Customs value Jan-Aug 2026 ($)	Average value per seat 2026 ($)	Average value per seat 2025 ($)
China	26,771,320	$192,888,283	$7.2	$10.3
Vietnam	10,901,641	$155,220,989	$14.2	$19.3
Cambodia	6,967,773	$64,292,852	$9.2	$9.4
All countries	48,987,957	$483,333,414	$9.9	$11.8

Source: api.census.gov

Duties by origin

The general duty on all four lines is free. Additional duties depend on the country of origin. In ruling NY N343273 of October 2024, CBP held that products of China in 9401.79.00.15 and 9401.79.00.35 owe the 2018 Section 301 duty of 25 percent, reported under 9903.88.04.

From July 24, 2026, the U.S. Trade Representative added Section 301 duties on products of 60 economies over forced-labor import rules. The notice sets 12.5 percent for products of China and Vietnam and 10 percent for products of Cambodia, with exceptions listed in its annexes. August 2026 was the first full month of entries at those rates. The Census figures record the origin and value of each entry, and the reasons an importer chose a supplier fall outside them. The tariff guide lists the rates by economy and how they combine with the 2018 China duty.

What this means for an order

Ask for the country of origin of each item on a quote, and whether the price includes duties at the rates in force when the goods enter. A seat from Vietnam and the same seat from China carry different additional duties, and the forced-labor rates have applied since July 24, 2026.
When a product line you have bought before now comes from a different country, ask the dealer whether the frame material, finish, sling or cushion fabric and the warranty terms are unchanged. The warranty guide covers what makers’ published commercial warranties say.

Caveats

The August 2026 figures are first estimates. Census revises the prior month with each monthly release to add transactions that arrived late, and each June it revises the previous three years. September 2026 data are scheduled for November 4, 2026.

The data are not seasonally adjusted. Census adjusts trade data for season only at the level of broad end-use categories, so this article compares January to August with the same months a year earlier.

The nonhousehold lines take more than furniture for hotels, restaurants and parks. In ruling NY N343273, CBP placed seats on hunting tree stands in 9401.79.00.15 and 9401.79.00.35.

Country of origin is where the goods were made or last substantially transformed, under the rules of origin Census cites, and it can differ from the country the goods shipped from. Customs value leaves out duties, ocean freight and inland freight, so it is lower than the landed cost a buyer pays.

Tariffs | Commercial Outdoor Furniture

China supplied 40% of nonhousehold outdoor seat imports from January to August 2026, down from 70% a year earlier

Where the seats came from

By type of seat

Duties by origin

What this means for an order

Caveats