Of the big furniture exporting nations, India could be most affected by reciprocal tariffs

WASHINGTON — Of all countries that could face reciprocal tariffs under President Trump’s new order, India might take the biggest hit, at least in terms of raw numbers.

Of the top 15 U.S. trading partners, India has the highest average tariff rate of around 17%. The U.S., by comparison, has an average rate of just 3.3%. Vietnam and China by contrast, two of the biggest furniture exporters to the U.S., have rates of 9.4% and 7.5%, respectively.

Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met at the White House last week and were reported to have positive talks. Before the meeting, India announced it would cut tariffs on 30 items, including bikes, cars and chemicals. This was likely done to pre-empt any Trump tariff moves.

Trump told reporters though before the meeting that India is “a hard place to do business” because of tariffs, adding “whatever they charge us, we’re charging them.”

India’s specific tariffs vary widely by industry. Non-agricultural goods face lower tariffs of around 14.7% on average. Agricultural tariffs are much higher at an average of nearly 40%. Home furniture items are in the range of 5% to 20%, per Reuters.

The U.S. is India’s top export destination, accounting for nearly 18% of all India’s imports in 2023-24. According to the State Bank of India, U.S. tariff rates on Indian goods have increased only marginally over the past few years: rising from 2.72% in 2018 to 3.83% in 2022. Indian tariffs on U.S. imports have seen much sharper increases, rising from 11.6% in 2018 to 15.30% in 2022. Per the Times of India, the U.S.-India trade relationship is currently valued at $190 billion, with a $50 billion surplus in favor of India.

India is an increasingly important country for sourcing furniture. In 2023, it was the eighth-largest furniture exporter to the U.S. according to Furniture Today data, exporting $479 million in furniture. Key positives for the country are its immense population, political stability and its appreciation for craft. Downsides are its still-developing infrastructure —which doesn’t stand up to the likes of China and Vietnam —and its still-lingering reputation for only excelling in handicraft product.

The country has become important for many furniture suppliers, including Ashley, Classic Home, Hekman, Porter Designs, HH2 and Martin Svensson.

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