Import Furniture from Malaysia | Rubberwood & Duties

Malaysia's furniture industry is built on rubberwood: timber from rubber plantations that have reached the end of their latex-producing life, kiln-dried and treated into a stable hardwood that takes stain and lacquer well. The cluster around Muar in Johor makes dining sets, bedroom furniture, occasional pieces and knock-down furniture for retailers and e-commerce sellers, and the United States is its largest export market. Anyone searching for rubberwood furniture from Malaysia is usually comparing it with China and Vietnam, and the tariff picture is genuinely different.

Wooden furniture that is not upholstered pays its normal duty — often zero — plus the 10% Section 301 layer on Malaysian goods. Upholstered wooden seating, kitchen cabinets and vanities fall under Section 232 instead, and Malaysian mattresses carry an antidumping order. We work through WCA partner agents in Malaysia; AGF has no office there. Our partner agent coordinates loading in Johor, and our licensed customs brokers file the entry, including the Lacey Act declaration.

Last reviewed: October 2026

Shipping Furniture from Malaysia to USA

Furniture is volume cargo, so the 40ft High Cube (about 76 CBM) is the standard box. Knock-down dining chairs and tables multiply the number of units per container compared with assembled pieces, which is why packing design is worth settling with the factory before production. Most Muar factories load at their own premises, and the container is trucked to Tanjung Pelepas, Pasir Gudang or Port Klang depending on the carrier's service. We plan the load from the factory's packing list before booking.

Moisture is the main damage risk. Rubberwood must be kiln-dried properly, and a container crossing from the tropics can build condensation that marks finishes or grows mould, so ask for desiccant and moisture readings at loading. Wood pallets and crates need ISPM-15 treatment. Los Angeles / Long Beach is about 18–24 days port to port on a direct sailing (3–7 days more if transshipped), New York about 30–38 days and Savannah about 28–36 days. Load before Chinese New Year and Hari Raya, when much of the industry stops.

40ft High Cube (about 76 CBM) is standard; knock-down designs multiply units per box
Kiln-dried rubberwood, desiccant and moisture checks — tropical humidity marks finishes
ISPM-15 pallets and crates
Book ahead of Chinese New Year and Hari Raya closures

What Drives the Cost

Cube — knock-down design and carton size decide how many units fit in a 40HC
Section 232 exposure on upholstered wooden seating, cabinets and vanities versus the 10% layer on other wooden furniture
Antidumping duty on mattresses, and any chance a product falls in the scope of a China AD/CVD order
Packing quality and moisture protection
Trucking from Muar or the factory to Tanjung Pelepas, Pasir Gudang or Port Klang
US delivery: distribution center, stores or e-commerce fulfillment

HS Codes and Duty Notes

Classification guidance only — duty rates change and depend on your exact product. Our licensed customs brokers verify every code before you commit to an order.

HS Code	Products	Notes
9401.61	Upholstered seats with wooden frames — sofas, upholstered dining chairs, accent chairs	Inside the Section 232 action on upholstered wooden furniture: 25% since 14 October 2025, with an increase to 30% scheduled for 1 January 2027. Section 232 goods are exempt from the 10% Section 301 layer. Verify the 10-digit line with our licensed customs brokers.
9401.69	Other wooden seats, not upholstered — rubberwood dining chairs, benches, stools	Normal duty plus the 10% Section 301 layer. A chair with a padded, fabric-covered seat is usually classified as upholstered, which moves it into Section 232 — check before you order.
9403.50 / 9403.60	Wooden bedroom furniture; other wooden furniture — dining tables, sideboards, occasional furniture	Normal duty plus the 10% layer. The antidumping order on wooden bedroom furniture covers China only. Kitchen cabinets and vanities are under Section 232 (25%, with an increase scheduled for 2027).
9404.21 / 9404.29	Mattresses	Under an antidumping duty order on Malaysian mattresses, with company-specific rates. Commerce continued the order after its 2026 sunset review and opened a circumvention inquiry in 2026. Rates are verified at quoting.

Regulations and Compliance

Section 232 — upholstered furniture, cabinets and vanities

Since 14 October 2025, upholstered seating with wooden frames, kitchen cabinets and vanities have carried a 25% Section 232 tariff from every origin, Malaysia included. Increases — to 30% for upholstered furniture and 50% for cabinets and vanities — were postponed to 1 January 2027. Goods under Section 232 are exempt from the 10% Section 301 layer, so a single design change, such as adding an upholstered seat pad, can move a chair from one regime to the other. We review specifications before you order.

Section 301 layer on Malaysian goods

Since 24 July 2026, most Malaysian goods have paid a 10% Section 301 tariff on top of their normal duty. Most wooden furniture lines have a low or zero normal duty, so for non-upholstered rubberwood furniture the layer is usually the main duty cost. Rates and exemptions change, so the total for your exact lines is confirmed at quoting.

Antidumping duty on Malaysian mattresses

Mattresses from Malaysia have been under an antidumping order since 2021, with rates that differ by producer. Commerce found in its 2026 sunset review that dumping would likely continue if the order were revoked, and it opened a circumvention inquiry on the Malaysian order in 2026. If mattresses are part of your range, check the producer's rate before you buy — and remember that mattresses also need the federal flammability standards.

Lacey Act declaration (PPQ 505)

Wooden furniture needs a Lacey Act declaration on PPQ Form 505, filed electronically with the entry: the genus and species of each wood (rubberwood is Hevea brasiliensis), the country of harvest, quantity and value. MDF and particleboard components count too. Your supplier must be able to document where the timber came from, including any lumber it bought from outside Malaysia.

TSCA Title VI, STURDY and flammability

MDF, particleboard and plywood components must be certified to EPA's TSCA Title VI formaldehyde standard and labeled, with the import certification made at entry. Dressers, chests and other clothing storage units must meet the CPSC STURDY tip-over standard (16 CFR 1261) with test reports and a certificate. Upholstered pieces fall under the federal upholstered-furniture flammability standard (16 CFR 1640), and mattresses under 16 CFR 1632 and 1633.

Origin and transshipment

Origin is where the furniture is substantially made, not where it is packed. CBP has found, in several EAPA investigations, Chinese wooden cabinets and vanities repackaged in Malaysia and declared as Malaysian, and Commerce has treated Chinese cabinets and components passing through Malaysia as still subject to the China AD/CVD orders. Since 6 May 2025 only MITI issues non-preferential certificates of origin for US-bound goods. Ask your supplier for production evidence — timber purchases, factory photos, production records — and expect us to ask too; we will not ship furniture whose origin documents we cannot stand behind.

Door-to-Door Import Service

We start with your product list and specifications: which pieces are upholstered, whether cabinets or vanities are involved, the wood species and country of harvest for the Lacey declaration, and the TSCA, STURDY and flammability documents. Our WCA partner agent in Malaysia then coordinates loading at the factory, trucking to Tanjung Pelepas, Pasir Gudang or Port Klang, and the K2 export declaration in uCustoms; the exporter obtains the MITI certificate of origin where you need one.

A direct sailing reaches Los Angeles / Long Beach in about 18–24 days port to port, 3–7 days more if transshipped; New York takes about 30–38 days and Savannah about 28–36. The ISF is filed before loading, our licensed customs brokers file the entry with the Lacey Act declaration, and partner carriers deliver to your distribution center, stores or fulfillment warehouse.

Ocean Freight Customs Warehousing Ground Transport

Frequently Asked Questions

What is rubberwood furniture from Malaysia?

Furniture made from the timber of rubber trees (Hevea brasiliensis) that have stopped producing latex and are cleared for replanting. The wood is kiln-dried and treated, then made into dining, bedroom and occasional furniture, much of it in the Muar area of Johor. For import it is ordinary wooden furniture: it needs a Lacey Act declaration naming the species and country of harvest, and composite-wood parts must meet the TSCA Title VI formaldehyde standard.

What is the import duty on furniture from Malaysia to the USA?

It depends on the piece. Non-upholstered wooden furniture pays its normal duty, often zero, plus the 10% Section 301 layer on Malaysian goods since 24 July 2026. Upholstered wooden seating, kitchen cabinets and vanities are under Section 232 at 25% instead, with increases scheduled for 1 January 2027. Mattresses carry an antidumping duty. We confirm the total for each line at quoting.

Do mattresses from Malaysia have antidumping duty?

Yes. Mattresses from Malaysia have been under a US antidumping order since 2021, with rates that vary by producer. Commerce continued the order after its 2026 sunset review and opened a circumvention inquiry the same year, so check the producer's current rate before buying.

How long does furniture take to ship from Malaysia to the USA?

About 18–24 days port to port from Tanjung Pelepas or Port Klang to Los Angeles / Long Beach on a direct sailing, 3–7 days more if the service transships. New York takes about 30–38 days and Savannah about 28–36. Add trucking from the factory, export clearance, US customs and delivery for the door-to-door time, and allow for factory closures at Chinese New Year and Hari Raya.

Furniture is just one example. AGF ships whatever your business moves — on this lane and beyond. If your commodity isn't covered by one of our guides, tell us what you ship and we'll build the logistics around it.