According to reports, the Trump administration’s import tariffs that took effect on October 14 have caused unintentional harm to the international trade in antiques and decorative arts.
The executive order signed on September 29 aims to support domestic manufacturers by imposing a 25% tariff on lumber imports and products such as upholstered furniture and kitchen cabinets. Due to the tariffs, imported softwood lumber and lumber will rise by 10%, while upholstered wood products such as sofas and chairs will rise by 25%. Imports of kitchen cabinets and their assembled parts per order also increased by 25%.
On January 1, 2026, these tariffs will be further increased to 30% for upholstered furniture and to 50% for kitchen cabinets, units and related parts.
While paintings, sculptures and fine art media are exempt from these duties under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977, many other collectibles and luxury goods such as watches, wine, furniture and classic cars are not subject to the same protection.
“I know our goal is to help manufacturers in North Carolina,” Millicent Ford Creech, a Memphis, Tennessee-based dealer in American and European antique furniture, told reporters. The Art Newspaperpointing out that tariffs on IKEA products may be justified. “However, most of my clients want furniture from before 1800; most of them prefer furniture from before 1770.”
These additional costs are largely borne by companies and are constantly fluctuating and can be difficult to predict, with many companies, such as shipper Convelio, providing guidance on how to respond to rising costs.
“When I asked my shipper in the UK ‘how much does it cost to ship to New York’, he told me he didn’t know,” New York antiques dealer Michael Pashby also told me this The Art Newspaper. “It might be one rate when he leaves the port and another rate when he gets to the United States.”
While the full impact of the tariffs remains to be seen, their legality will be assessed by the Supreme Court today. The judiciary will decide whether the tariffs are unconstitutional and, if so, whether Trump exceeded his powers under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
