Importing Project Furniture from China: A Buyer's Checklist

1. When importing project furniture makes sense

For a whole villa, hotel or apartment building, importing furniture from China alongside the building materials is usually cheaper and far more consistent than buying locally piece by piece — provided it is specified and packed properly. The mistake is treating furniture as an afterthought rather than part of one material package.

2. Match furniture to the rest of the package

Furniture should be chosen with the surfaces it will sit against: the timber tone to the flooring, the metal to the door and lighting hardware, and the upholstery to the stone and wall finishes. Specifying it inside the same order as the flooring, lighting and furnishing materials avoids the classic mismatch of three wood tones in one room.

3. Specify construction, not just appearance

Two sofas look identical in a render and last five years apart. Ask for:

• Frame and joints — kiln-dried hardwood and dowel/screw joints; avoid softwood or staple-only construction.
• Foam density — for seating, higher-density foam holds its shape; ask for the density figure.
• Core material for cabinets and case goods — plywood or solid wood, not particleboard, in humid projects.
• Suspension — webbing or sinuous springs, and how it is fixed.
• Finish — real timber veneer or lacquer, and on metal, the actual finish (brushed, powder-coated).

4. Custom versus stock

Beds, wardrobes and fitted case goods are usually made to size; sofas, dining tables and chairs are often stock or semi-custom. Custom gives a better fit and consistency but needs drawings, a sample and realistic lead time. Decide per item, and record the choice in the schedule.

5. Quantities, MOQ and lead time

• Give the quantity per room type so the supplier can standardise and price properly.
• Respect MOQs where they exist — a sample item at volume price is not available.
• Allow for production lead time plus packing and shipping; furniture is often the crate that misses the container if ordered last.

6. Packing for containers

Furniture travels flat and protected:

• KD (knock-down) packing where possible — less volume, less damage, cheaper freight.
• Foam corners, edge protection and stretch film on finished edges.
• Numbered parts and an assembly drawing per room, especially for flat-packed units.
• Hardware bagged and labelled per unit so nothing goes missing on site.

Plan the load together with the tiles and sanitary ware — see how many categories fit in one container — so bulky, light furniture fills the space that heavy tiles leave.

7. Inspection and sample approval

Approve the upholstery swatch and the timber/metal finish before production, and inspect a finished unit against that sample before the order is packed. Check the joints, the foam feel, the finish and the hardware, not just the fabric colour.

8. Documents and duties

Furniture usually needs the same document set as other building materials — packing list, invoice, bill of lading, certificate of origin — and may attract different duty rates than construction goods in your country. Confirm the HS codes and duties with your customs broker before ordering, and check whether your Incoterm makes duties your responsibility (see Incoterms explained).

9. Importing furniture through VIGOHOME

VIGOHOME supplies project furniture — sofas, beds, dining and tea tables, side tables, TV stands, wardrobes, leisure and restaurant furniture — matched to the project's finishes and shipped with the rest of the material package in the same container. See the Furniture section and the import buying guide.

Frequently asked questions

Next: plan the load with how many categories fit in one container.