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Shipping Furniture from Vietnam to Los Angeles
For U.S. furniture brands and retailers buying from Vietnamese factories. This page covers how long it takes, which container to book, the wood and plant rules furniture must meet, and what drives the cost of a shipment into the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
Lane at a Glance
| Origin | Ho Chi Minh City (Cat Lai, Cai Mep) or Hai Phong |
| Destination | Port of Los Angeles or Port of Long Beach, then your warehouse |
| Mode | Ocean FCL (usually 40′ or 40′ high cube) or LCL for smaller orders |
| Ocean transit | About 22–24 days port to port from Ho Chi Minh City; about 22 days from Hai Phong |
| Door to door | About 4–5 weeks, depending on pickup, customs and delivery |
| Rates | Change weekly. Get today’s rate |
What Affects Your Furniture Shipping Cost
Furniture is bulky and light for its size, so you pay for space more than weight. These are the lines on a furniture quote and what moves each one:
| Cost component | Why it matters for furniture |
|---|---|
| Ocean freight | Priced per container for FCL, or per cubic meter for LCL. Sofas, tables and cabinets fill space fast, so a 40′ high cube often gives the lowest cost per piece. |
| Fuel (bunker) surcharge | Moves with fuel prices and is usually adjusted monthly or quarterly. |
| Origin fees | Factory pickup, export clearance and terminal handling in Vietnam. |
| Destination fees | Terminal handling in Los Angeles or Long Beach, chassis rental and any pre-pull. |
| Customs brokerage and ISF | A licensed broker files your entry, the ISF, and the Lacey Act declaration when one is needed. |
| Duties | Set by the HTS code of each item. Furniture is mainly in Chapter 94 of the tariff schedule. |
| Trucking (drayage) | Port to warehouse. Floor-loaded furniture takes longer to unload, so ask your warehouse about unloading time. |
- Flat-pack vs. assembled. Knock-down furniture fits far more pieces per container than assembled pieces.
- Season. Furniture importers stock up for the holidays, so the Q3–Q4 peak and the weeks before Tet are the tightest times for space.
- Floor-loaded vs. palletized. Floor loading fits more cartons in the box; pallets are faster to unload but take space and must meet ISPM 15.
For the current Asia to U.S. West Coast trend, see the Drewry World Container Index or the Freightos Baltic Index FBX01 (East Asia to U.S. West Coast).
Wood, Plant and Safety Rules for Furniture
- ISPM 15 wood packaging. Pallets, crates and wood bracing must be debarked, heat-treated or fumigated, and stamped with the ISPM 15 mark. APHIS says shipments with noncompliant wood packaging will not be allowed to enter, and they may have to be re-exported (USDA APHIS: ISPM 15 wood packaging).
- Lacey Act declaration. Furniture made with wood or other plant material may need a Lacey Act declaration. It lists the genus and species of the plant, the country where it was harvested and the quantity. APHIS lists furniture among the products newly covered (USDA APHIS: File a Lacey Act Declaration; USDA APHIS: Lacey Act requirements). Get species and harvest country from your factory before the goods ship.
- Dressers and other clothing storage units. Importers of clothing storage units must issue a certificate of compliance based on testing under the CPSC tip-over rule (CPSC: Clothing storage units).
- Upholstered furniture and kitchen cabinets. Some upholstered furniture, kitchen cabinets and vanities are subject to additional Section 232 tariffs, and the scheduled increase was moved to January 1, 2027 (White House fact sheet on timber, lumber and furniture tariffs (Dec 2025)). Rates and scope change, so confirm with your customs broker.
Duty guidance here is general. Look up your items in the USITC Harmonized Tariff Schedule and confirm the HTS code with a licensed customs broker before you order.
How a Furniture Shipment Moves
1
Book
Send product list, carton count and cubic meters. Book 3–4 weeks before the cargo is ready.
2
Pick up and export
Trucking from the factory, export clearance and loading at Cat Lai, Cai Mep or Hai Phong.
3
Ocean
About 22–24 days to Los Angeles or Long Beach. ISF is filed before loading.
4
Customs and delivery
Entry, Lacey Act declaration if needed, terminal pickup and delivery to your warehouse.
Documents for Furniture
- Commercial invoice: seller, buyer, product descriptions, values and Incoterms
- Packing list: cartons, weights and dimensions per carton
- Bill of lading: issued by the carrier or our licensed forwarding partner
- ISF (10+2) data: filed at least 24 hours before the container is loaded in Vietnam
- Certificate of origin: when your product or buyer needs one
- Lacey Act data: plant genus and species, harvest country and quantity for each wood item
- ISPM 15 stamp on all wood pallets and crates
- Test reports or certificates for dressers and other products under CPSC rules
Common Furniture Pitfalls
- Untreated or unstamped pallets and crates, which can hold up or turn away the whole container.
- Missing species or country-of-harvest details, which delays the Lacey Act declaration.
- Cartons too weak for a 4–5 week trip, leading to crushed corners and damage claims.
- Booking a 40′ standard when a 40′ high cube would fit the order and lower the cost per piece.
Furniture Shipping Questions
Which container is best for furniture?
Most furniture orders ship in a 40′ or 40′ high cube because furniture fills space before it reaches weight limits. Small orders can go LCL.
Does my furniture need a Lacey Act declaration?
Often, if it contains wood or other plant material and enters as a formal entry. Your customs broker confirms based on the HTS code.
How long does furniture take to arrive from Vietnam?
About 22–24 days on the water from Ho Chi Minh City, and usually 4–5 weeks door to door.
How much does it cost to ship a container of furniture?
Rates change weekly, so we don’t publish them. Get today’s rate with your carton count and cubic meters.
Related Routes
Ready to ship furniture from Vietnam?
Sources (checked October 28, 2026): USDA APHIS: ISPM 15 wood packaging; USDA APHIS: File a Lacey Act Declaration; CPSC: Clothing storage units; White House fact sheet on timber, lumber and furniture tariffs (Dec 2025); USITC Harmonized Tariff Schedule; Ho Chi Minh City to Los Angeles sailing schedule data (46 tracked sailings); Cogoport, Hai Phong to Long Beach sailings (late Oct 2026).
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: AgainErick / CC BY-SA 4.0.
