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Importing Wood Furniture from Thailand to the US: The Rules to Check Before You Order
Most of what decides whether a container of Thai furniture clears US customs without trouble is settled before production starts: which materials go into each piece, what the timber is, and how the goods are labelled. Four federal rules cover most wooden furniture imports, plus the country-of-origin marking that every import needs. This is general information, not legal advice. The agencies listed at the end publish the full text, and your customs broker or compliance adviser should confirm how each rule applies to your products.
Formaldehyde: TSCA Title VI and composite wood parts
The EPA’s formaldehyde emission standards for composite wood products (40 CFR Part 770) cover hardwood plywood, medium-density fiberboard (MDF) and particleboard, and household and other finished goods that contain them. A piece made only of solid wood contains none of these materials, but a cabinet with a plywood back panel or MDF drawer bottoms does. Composite wood products must be labelled as TSCA Title VI compliant, and importers must certify compliance. The standards are set at the same levels as California’s CARB rule, but since 22 March 2019 products can no longer rely on CARB certification alone.
Before production, ask your supplier for a list of every part made from plywood, MDF or particleboard, the name of the panel producer, and that producer’s certification from an EPA-recognised third-party certifier. If a design can be built entirely from solid wood, say so in the specification, because it changes which paperwork the shipment needs.
Lacey Act: legal timber and the plant product declaration
The Lacey Act makes it illegal to import any illegally harvested plant or plant product into the United States. Separately, many wood products need a plant product declaration at entry that gives the scientific name of each plant in the product and the country where it was harvested. On 1 December 2024 the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) began Phase VII of the declaration requirement, which brings furniture into scope, and since 1 January 2026 APHIS no longer accepts paper declaration forms.
For rubberwood the scientific name is Hevea brasiliensis. Acacia covers many species, so the declaration needs the exact one. Ask your supplier to confirm the species and country of harvest for every timber in the order, including any veneer or plywood, before the goods are packed. Getting this from the factory early is far easier than reconstructing it once the container is at sea.
Clothing storage units: the STURDY tip-over rule
Freestanding clothing storage units manufactured after 1 September 2023, such as chests, dressers and armoires, must meet the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s rule at 16 CFR part 1261 if they are at least 27 inches tall and meet the rule’s other weight and storage-volume criteria. Covered units must pass three stability tests, carry specific warning labels and ship with an anti-tip device that meets ASTM F3096, and they need a General Certificate of Conformity that cites the rule. Check the full scope on the CPSC page before assuming a design is outside it.
If you plan to sell tall chests, dressers or wardrobes in the US, agree the testing plan with your supplier and a testing laboratory before the design is final. The tests are carried out on the finished product, so a failed test can mean changing the design.
Children’s furniture: third-party testing and a Children’s Product Certificate
A children’s product is a consumer product designed or intended primarily for children 12 years of age or younger. Where a consumer product safety rule applies, domestic manufacturers and importers must certify compliance in a Children’s Product Certificate based on test results from a CPSC-accepted third-party laboratory. Desks, chairs and storage made for children fall into this group, so plan the testing and the certificate as part of the order rather than after the goods arrive.
Country-of-origin marking
US customs law (19 U.S.C. 1304) requires imported articles to be marked with the English name of their country of origin, as legibly and permanently as the article allows, so that the final buyer can see it. For furniture made in Thailand that means “Made in Thailand”. Agree the marking method and position with the factory before production, so the mark is not improvised at packing.
What to ask a Thai factory for
- A list of any plywood, MDF or particleboard parts, with the panel producer’s TSCA Title VI certification.
- The scientific name and country of harvest for every timber, for your Lacey Act declaration.
- For chests, dressers and other clothing storage units 27 inches or taller: a testing plan to 16 CFR part 1261 and the anti-tip kit that will ship with each unit.
- For children’s furniture: reports from a CPSC-accepted laboratory to support your Children’s Product Certificate.
- Where and how “Made in Thailand” will be marked.
Planet Furniture makes solid rubberwood and acacia furniture at our factory in Chonburi, Thailand, using rubberwood from FSC-certified suppliers. For European orders, see our guide to EUDR and your furniture order. Send us your specification and tell us which market it is for, so these questions are answered before the first sample.