Why are furniture prices down 2.4% from a year ago?

The short answer

• Furniture and bedding prices declined 2.4% over the 12 months to September 2026 as depressed housing turnover and excess inventory forced aggressive retail discounting, while overall consumer inflation rose 3.7%. [1] [2]

What's driving the price

Political, regulatory and trade factors

• Antidumping duties on imported mattresses (Jul 2024 to Sep 2026), U.S. Department of Commerce: The U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission finalized antidumping duties on mattresses from twelve nations, including Mexico, India, and Spain, raising import tariffs and preventing steeper mattress deflation. [pushed prices up] [7] [8] [9]

Macro factors: supply, weather, disease, energy

• Stagnant housing turnover and high mortgage rates (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026): Depressed existing home sales limited household relocations, which according to the Commerce Department cut furniture store sales by about 8% and curbed demand for major furnishings. [pushed prices down] [2] [3]
• Ocean shipping rate normalization (Sep 2024 to Sep 2026): Ocean container shipping costs fell substantially from peak pandemic levels, lowering landed import costs for space-consuming, bulky items like bedroom and living room sets. [pushed prices down] [5] [6]
• Sticky domestic manufacturing and material costs (Jan 2025 to Sep 2026): Domestic producers absorbed elevated wages alongside steady raw material expenses for performance fabrics, foam, and lumber, preventing manufacturers from passing on deeper price cuts. [pushed prices up] [5] [10]

Retail, brand and seasonal factors

• Inventory clearances and retail liquidations (Nov 2024 to Sep 2026): Retailers struggled with heavy inventory backlogs, leading to widespread discounting and store liquidations such as American Freight closing 328 locations and Conn's shutting 550 stores. [pushed prices down] [2] [4]

Supply chain right now

• Raw materials and components (stable): Prices for core inputs like industrial foam, timber, and steel innersprings have leveled off following multi-year supply chain adjustments. [11]
• Manufacturing and assembly (moderate): Factory output remains subdued as producers adjust run rates to match softer wholesale order volumes from retailers. [12] [13]
• Freight and bulky logistics (moderate): Normalizing container rates have reduced ocean transport costs, but bulky last-mile home delivery remains an expensive component. [5] [14]
• Retail distribution and showrooms (critical): Brick-and-mortar furniture dealers face declining customer traffic and elevated warehouse carrying costs that force persistent promotional discounting. [2] [4]

Researched 2026-10-18 with Google Search. Every point links to its sources; unsourced claims were removed.

Furniture & mattresses prices, last 12 months

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index (CPI-U), series CUUR0000SEHJ.

Sources

1. Table 2. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): U. S. city average, by detailed expenditure category - 2026 M09 Results (bls.gov)
2. America’s furniture stores struggle amid frozen housing market (americanbazaaronline.com)
3. Zelman – A Walker & Dunlop Company (zelmanassociates.com)
4. Challenges Facing Furniture Companies in 2025 | UCFS (ucfs.net)
5. Why Furniture Prices Stay High as Shipping Drops | Furniture Discover (furniturediscover.com)
6. Why are ocean freight rates declining in 2025? | Cello Square (cello-square.com)
7. Mattresses From India, Kosovo, Mexico, and Spain: Antidumping Duty Orders (federalregister.gov)
8. Mattresses From Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Burma, Italy, the Philippines, Poland, Slovenia, and Taiwan: Antidumping Duty Orders (federalregister.gov)
9. usitc.gov (usitc.gov)
10. US Furniture Market Size, Trends, Share, Forecast 2026-2035 (custommarketinsights.com)
11. Mattresses From the People (federalregister.gov)
12. homes.com (homes.com)
13. Home Furnishings Business | Furnishing industry's publication of choice for news & relevant content. (hfbusiness.com)
14. Weak housing market hurts big and bulky last-mile delivery (freightwaves.com)

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