Restaurant Furniture from China to USA | Import Guide

Restaurant, café and hotel operators furnish from China for a simple reason: the Foshan–Shunde furniture cluster builds contract-grade seating and tables in volumes and finishes that domestic suppliers rarely match at the price. But commercial furniture is a different purchase from retail furniture. It has to survive daily use, satisfy fire-code requirements for public spaces, and arrive complete for an opening date that does not move.

AGF's own office in Foshan sits inside that cluster. Our team visits factories, checks samples against your specification, supervises loading and photographs every container, and the shipment clears US customs through our licensed customs brokers before delivery to your restaurant, warehouse or installer.

Last reviewed: October 2026

Shipping Restaurant Furniture from China to USA

Restaurant furniture is volume cargo. Stacking chairs and bar stools nest; table tops and bases ship separately and flat; booths and banquettes are bulky and usually travel assembled or in large sections. A 40ft High Cube is the standard box — as a planning guide it holds roughly 250–300 stacking chairs, and fewer once upholstered seating, booths and knocked-down tables are mixed in. We confirm the load plan from your factory's packing list before booking.

Opening dates drive everything. Build the schedule backwards from the soft opening: production lead time for custom finishes, loading, roughly 3–4 weeks door to door to Southern California for FCL, then clearance and delivery. Booths and custom upholstery are where delays start, so approve samples and fabrics early.

40ft High Cube for full fit-outs; LCL for replacement and trial orders
Nested chairs and knocked-down tables raise utilization; booths ship in sections
Contract-grade cartons and corner protection — commercial pieces are heavy and edge-sensitive
Loading supervised and photographed by our Foshan team

What Drives the Cost

Cubic volume — nesting and knock-down design matter more than weight
Section 232 exposure: upholstered wooden seating carries it; metal and non-upholstered pieces generally do not
Section 301 status of each HS line on Chinese-origin goods
Fire-code testing and documentation your jurisdiction requires
Delivery to site: liftgate, inside delivery and installer coordination
Season — Trans-Pacific rates peak ahead of Q4

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 — dining chairs, upholstered booths and banquettes	Inside the Section 232 action on upholstered wooden furniture (25%, with an increase scheduled for 1 January 2027). Section 301 duties on Chinese goods may apply as well — verify the 10-digit line.
9401.71 / 9401.79	Seats with metal frames — bar stools, café and bistro chairs, upholstered or not	Outside the Section 232 wood action; Section 301 duties on Chinese goods may apply. Steel or aluminum content can raise metals questions on some lines — checked at quoting.
9403.30 / 9403.60	Wooden tables, counters and casework	Not upholstered, so outside the 25% upholstered-furniture rate; Section 301 may apply. The China AD order on wooden bedroom furniture does not reach restaurant tables — confirm scope if a description is borderline.
9403.20	Metal tables and table bases	Section 301 may apply. Aluminum bases shipped as loose extruded parts can raise aluminum-extrusion AD/CVD scope questions.

Regulations and Compliance

Section 232 — upholstered wooden furniture

Since 14 October 2025, upholstered seating with wooden frames has carried a 25% Section 232 tariff from every origin, with an increase to 30% scheduled for 1 January 2027. Upholstered dining chairs and booths usually fall inside it; metal-frame and non-upholstered seating usually does not. Classification decides which side of the line a design falls on, so we review specifications before you order.

Fire codes for public spaces

Upholstered furniture must meet the federal flammability standard (16 CFR 1640, based on California TB 117-2013) where it applies, and many fire codes for restaurants and other public occupancies add requirements of their own — California TB 133 and NFPA standards are common references. Ask your fire marshal or designer which tests apply, then get the factory's test reports before production starts.

TSCA Title VI (formaldehyde)

Table tops, casework and booth carcasses built from plywood, MDF or particleboard must use composite wood certified to EPA formaldehyde emission standards, with compliant labeling and import certification at entry.

Lacey Act

Wooden furniture needs a declaration of genus, species and country of harvest. Your supplier must be able to document what the furniture is actually made of.

Section 301 and AD/CVD scope

Many Chinese-origin furniture lines carry Section 301 duties. The AD/CVD orders on wooden bedroom furniture and mattresses do not cover restaurant tables and seating, but aluminum-extrusion orders can reach unassembled metal parts. A pre-order classification check is cheap; a scope surprise at entry is not.

Door-to-Door Import Service

We start from your specification and opening date: quantities, finishes, fabric codes and the fire-code tests your jurisdiction requires. Our Foshan team checks pre-production samples, follows production, and supervises loading with photographs of every container.

From Foshan or Shenzhen, FCL to a Southern California warehouse runs roughly 3–4 weeks door to door; East Coast and inland destinations add 1–2 weeks. Customs entry is filed by our licensed customs brokers, and we deliver to site with liftgate or inside delivery and coordinate with your installer.

Ocean Freight Customs Warehousing Ground Transport

Frequently Asked Questions

How many restaurant chairs fit in a 40ft container?

Roughly 250–300 stacking chairs fit in a 40ft High Cube. Upholstered dining chairs, booths and bar stools fit fewer, and most fit-outs mix seating with knocked-down tables, so we work from the factory's packing list to plan the load before booking.

Does the Section 232 furniture tariff apply to restaurant chairs?

If the chair is upholstered and has a wooden frame, it usually does: 25% since October 2025, with an increase scheduled for 1 January 2027. Metal-frame chairs and non-upholstered wooden chairs generally fall outside it, though Section 301 duties on Chinese goods may still apply. Classification is decided line by line, so send us the specification before you order.

What fire-safety certification does restaurant seating need?

It depends on your jurisdiction. Upholstered furniture must meet the federal flammability standard where it applies, and many fire codes for restaurants add their own requirements — California TB 133 and NFPA standards are common references. Confirm with your fire marshal or designer, then get the factory's test reports before production starts.

Can you deliver straight to the restaurant?

Yes. We deliver to the restaurant, a staging warehouse or your installer, with liftgate and inside delivery where needed, and we can hold the shipment at a partner warehouse until the site is ready.

Restaurant 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.