If you’re in the process of choosing furniture for your new home, hotel or office, you’ve probably already realized: there are so many styles and price differences that it can be difficult to choose.
Don’t worry, China is actually a great place to make choosing furniture easy and save money. It’s home to the world’s largest furniture factories, with a wide range of styles, and the ability to have them made to your specifications in your size and color.
This post will introduce you to the major furniture producing regions in China, what they each specialize in, and how easy the whole sourcing process is. After reading it, you will realize: it turns out that buying furniture across the border is not difficult at all.
Table of Contents
China in The Global Furniture Market
According to China Customs, from January to November 2024, China’s exports of furniture and related accessories totaled 432.61 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 7.5% (compared with 402.52 billion yuan in the same period in 2023) . (Data from www.lizz-furniture.com)
This figure equates to more than $63 billion, suggesting that China remains the world’s largest furniture exporter.
In addition, the data shows that in 2024, only one month in December, the export of furniture and related products reached 7.06 billion U.S. dollars, and the annual export exceeded 500 billion yuan. (Data from www.china-briefing.com)
Foshan in China's Furniture Export Market
Foshan is known as the “heartland” of China’s furniture manufacturing, with more than 5,000 furniture manufacturers covering upholstery, customized cabinets and whole-ouse solutions.
Although Foshan’s total exports are not published separately, based on its large manufacturing volume in Guangdong Province and its leading position in the national furniture industry, it is estimated that its contribution to national exports is close to or over 20%.
| Manufacturing Location | Location and Size | Product Type | Annual Exports (estimated) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foshan | Shunde-Lecong, showroom 3M ㎡+3000 vendors+150,000 laborers | High-end customized cabinets, upholstery, hotel furniture | 14.08 billion yuan in half a year, exports accounted for more than 50% of Guangdong |
| Dongguan | Houjie Town Furniture Avenue 5km, 2300+ export furniture manufacturers | Middle and high-end upholstered and panelized customized furniture | Exports account for 24% of the city's total, reaching $10 billion+ annually |
The Main Production Concentration
Foshan(Shunde Lecong)
Location and scale: Foshan is located about 35 kilometers southwest of Guangzhou, is an important city in the turn triangle region.
Shunde Lecong’s International Furniture Expo Center showroom belt, the scale of more than three million square meters, gathering more than 3,000 furniture enterprises and more than 150,000 employees.
Main export products: Foshan furniture categories are rich, including high-end customized cabinets, closets, hotel suite furniture, light luxury upholstered furniture and solid wood customization. It produces its own feared brands as well as provides OEM/ODM services for global projects
Export capacity: Foshan’s furniture and accessories exports continued to grow in 2024, with an export value of about RMB 14.08 billion in the first half of the year (+65% year-on-year). Its exports account for more than 50% of Guangdong Province.
Hangzhou, Jiaxing
Although Jiaxing does not have a centralized furniture showroom, it has a number of industrial parks and clusters of enterprises, such as the Jiaxing Economic and Technological Development Zone, which covers an area of approximately 110 km² with a focus on home furnishing manufacturing.
The park has a well-established cluster of furniture factories and most export directly to international markets.
Furniture exports from Jiaxing in 2023 are estimated to be in the billions of RMB. The main focus is on modular furniture and upholstery, targeting the mid- to high-end market.
Xianghe, Hebei
Xianghe is known as the “Furniture Trade Capital of Northern China”. The showroom attracts about 4,800-7,000 brands.
The categories cover mahogany, solid wood suites, office furniture, soft beds, outdoor rattan and so on.
By 2024, 32 large-scale furniture exhibition halls will be introduced, attracting more than 3 million visitors and an annual turnover of about RMB 30 billion.
Products are exported to a total of more than 10 countries, including South Korea, U.S and Canada.
Chengdu
Chengdu is located in Southwest China, without a specialized large furniture mall, relying on industrial parks and small production bases.
Wooden panel furniture (closets, desks, dining tables and chairs, etc.), covering apartments, bed and breakfast, office furniture.
Positioned in the low-end, the price is friendly, suitable for high-volume projects to complement.
What Furniture Can Be Bought From China
Whole-house Residential Furniture
Suitable for villas, apartments, house, model project.
- Living room: sofa, coffee table, TV cabinet, side table
- Dining room: dining table, dining chairs, sideboard
- Bedroom: bed, nightstand, closet, chest of drawers, dresser
Study: desk, bookshelf, office chair - Children’s room: children’s beds, multi-functional storage cabinets
Hotel Project Furniture
Suitable for hotels, B&Bs, resorts, service apartments projects.
- Guest room sets: (beds, nightstands, writing desks, luggage racks)
- Public Area Furniture: (lobby sofas, dining room tables and chairs, outdoor rattan chairs)
- Hotel Functional Cabinets: (wardrobe cabinets, minibars, TV cabinets)
Commercial and Office Furniture
Suitable for office, reception room, conference room, teacher, clinic projects.
- Desk, staff space, conference table, reception desk, filing cabinet
- Industrial chairs, parlor chairs, sofas, coffee tables, etc.
- Educational space tables and chairs, training tables, rows of chairs
Customized Furniture
Suitable for projects with design requirements, such as high-end homes, private clubs.
Customized furniture for size, color, material according to drawings. Customized production can be modeled after the customer’s favorite brand style or images on Pinterest
Five Advantages
Save Money
Lower prices for the same grade, less pressure on the budget. Not cutting corners, China’s supply chain is mature.
Material concentration, high labor efficiency, convenient logistics, you can buy the same quality grade of furniture at a more reasonable price.
Customizable
Color, size, hardware can be changed according to drawings
Do you have a favorite brand style?
Have a dream furniture that you see on Pinterest or other online? Send pictures to us, the production workshop can restore or even upgrade for you.
Many Styles
Italian minimalist, cream style, American style, Southeast Asian style are all available. Whether you like Italian minimalist, American vintage, or French elegance, China’s furniture factories can find the matching styles.
Living room, bedroom, kitchen, office, each space can be one-stop with a good, save the trouble of running around looking for furniture.
Fast Mass Production
Are you operating a hotel, dozens of apartments or office buildings? That need fast delivery, quantity, quality and stability of furniture solutions.
China’s furniture manufacturers are very good at this kind of mass customization, can be completed in a short period of time, large volume orders, but also to assist in packing, loading cabinets, export customs clearance.
One-stop Shopping
We don’t just sell sofas and beds but can help you match the furniture for every space in the house, even curtains, lighting and carpets.
As long as you have a floor plan or style reference, we come to give you a good program to build a project, from the selection, packaging to export, the whole process you do not have to worry about.
Simple Procurement Process
Tell Us What You Need
(1) Send a few pictures of your favorite furniture style
(2) Provide us with a drawing of the house or a list of furniture.
(3) Tell us your budget, the type of project (is it a villa, apartment, or hotel)
We will help you recommend suitable products according to your needs, or directly customize the matching program for you.
Help You Select, Match and Auote
According to your requirements, we will:
(1) Select the furniture with similar style from the factory’s product library.
(2) Match the complete program according to the space (living room + bedroom + dining room + office)
(3) Give you a detailed description of product size, material, price and MOQ.
(4) If you like the style of a certain brand, we can also customize for you as a flat version, the same effect, but the price can even be the original 20%!
Payment of Deposit, Production Arrangements
(1) After the implementation of the product offer, pay 30% deposit. We will arrange production according to your confirmed program
(2) Before loading the cabinet to take pictures and videos to you for confirmation
(3) You can ask the third party to come to inspect the goods, we will actively cooperate with you.
Load and Shipping
We can provide the whole container or container export program, for you to deal with export documents, customs clearance, logistics arrangements.
If you have your own freight forwarder, we can also cooperate with the delivery, you just need to wait for the goods to the port, arrange customs clearance and receipt of goods on the line.
Furniture Exhibitions
CIFF Guangzhou
- Time: March every year
- Type: One of the world's largest furniture exhibitions, exhibits covering residential furniture, office furniture, outdoor furniture, soft furnishings
- Highlights: You can see the latest trends and innovative designs; many overseas buyers, perfect language services; an excellent opportunity to find mid-end and high-end furniture and OEM factories.
Dongguan Famous Furniture Fair
- Time: Generally in April and October each year
- Type: Whole-house customization, finished furniture, upholstered furniture, hotel project furniture
- Highlights: The exhibition hall is surrounded by China's largest furniture distribution center, you can walk into the factory to see the spot directly after the show, choose materials. It is very suitable for customers who want to complete the whole project at once.
Hangzhou International Furniture Fair/Jiaxing Furniture Fair
- Time: September every year
- Type: Light luxury modern, Scandinavian style, solid wood complete sets of furniture mainly
- Highlights: Young style, suitable for petty customers, apartment projects. There are many e-commerce and cross-border contributions, and the price is friendly. Suitable for customization and mid-range projects to land quickly.
Conclusion
Buying furniture is not as hard as you think.
Many customers who purchase furniture from China for the first time initially hold the mentality of trying and uncertainty.
Whether you are renovating a villa, preparing for a hotel project, or just want to change a set of more textured furniture for your home – China, especially Foshan, is definitely a place worthy of your serious consideration.
George Group accompanies its global clients to complete their dream projects step by step. If you are still hesitating, why don’t you send us a favorite picture and a drawing, and we will be happy to start from your idea and give you a suitable matching suggestion and budget plan.
