The Trade Advantage Most UK Design Suppliers Are Missing

UK design suppliers face just 10% US tariffs on qualifying furniture vs 25% for many other origins. A positioning advantage most British makers are missing.

If you were in Paris during Déco Off and Maison&Objet in January, you heard it at every stand. American designers, before they asked about lead times or finishes, asked the same question: what's the tariff on this?

It's not small talk. The same chair made in Vietnam carries a 25% duty into the US. Made in Italy, 15%. Made in Britain, 10%. That gap changes a project budget. It changes who gets specified.

US designers are actively re-evaluating their international suppliers. And most UK makers have no idea they're suddenly at the front of the queue.

The Numbers

In late September 2025, the US announced new Section 232 tariffs on upholstered wooden furniture, kitchen cabinets, and vanities, which took effect in mid-October 2025. The standard rate is 25%, with increases to 30-50% delayed until at least January 2027.

But the structure is tiered. For these product categories, existing UK-US trade arrangements mean tariffs on qualifying UK products are capped at 10%. The EU and Japan sit at 15%. Everyone else — including the major Asian manufacturing hubs — pays the full 25% Section 232 duty, with Chinese producers often facing combined duties in the 50-70% range once other measures are added.

This is product-specific. It covers upholstered wooden seating, kitchen and bathroom cabinetry, vanities, and component parts. Non-upholstered items like dining tables and bed frames fall outside scope. And it's time-bound — current rates hold until at least 2027.

But within those categories, the UK enjoys the strongest tariff position of any foreign supplier to the US.

Why Nobody Is Talking About It

Most UK design trade suppliers heard "tariffs" and assumed bad news. They didn't dig into the detail. They didn't realise that existing UK-US trade arrangements cap these tariffs at 10% for qualifying products. And they certainly didn't update their marketing.

Meanwhile, Italian trade bodies are briefing their members on how to position around the EU's 15% cap, encouraging makers to lean into markets where they enjoy an edge over Asian manufacturers.

UK makers? Largely silent. Not because the advantage doesn't exist, but because nobody has framed it as a positioning opportunity.

That American designer in Paris asking "what's the tariff on this?" — she's doing the maths in real time. If your answer is 10% and the next stand's answer is 25%, you've just moved up her shortlist on price alone. Before she's even seen the finish samples. This is exactly the kind of positioning advantage that matters at events like Decorex and Maison et Objet.

What to Do Now

Check your product classification

The advantage applies to specific HS codes — upholstered wooden seating, kitchen/bath cabinets, vanities, and parts. Specialist customs advisers and trade bodies can help you confirm which of your products qualify before you claim anything.

Update your trade materials

Spec sheets, website, and sales conversations with US designers and showrooms should reference the UK's 10% preferential rate for qualifying products. If a US specifier doesn't know about it, the advantage doesn't exist. If you're not sure whether your brand communications are where they need to be, understanding specification selling is a good starting point.

Lead with it in US-facing outreach

Any communication with American designers, procurement teams, or showroom buyers should mention the tariff position. Not as a headline — as context that removes a cost objection. When you're marketing to architects and specifiers in the US, this is the kind of practical information that changes a conversation.

Frame it inside the bigger story

The 10% cap is not the reason to buy British. It's the reason there's no longer a cost excuse not to. Pair it with material provenance, maker transparency, production standards, and lead time reliability. Getting press coverage in design publications that highlights your British manufacturing heritage alongside tariff advantages creates a compelling narrative for US buyers.

Act while the window is open

Current rates hold through 2026. The delayed increases could take effect in 2027. This is a positioning opportunity with a shelf life.

The Bottom Line

The question is whether you use it, or whether you let it pass without updating a single line of copy on your website. Building digital-first marketing that communicates these advantages is how you turn a policy opportunity into actual specifications.

If you're not sure where your brand positioning stands — take five minutes on the BrandScore quiz. It's a quick read of where things are, and where the gaps might be.

This article discusses publicly available trade policy information for general guidance only. Tariff classifications, rates, and exemptions are complex, product-specific, and subject to change. Always consult a qualified customs adviser or trade specialist before making sourcing or pricing decisions based on tariff information.