Importing furniture and wood products into Canada
Furniture brings several rules together: textile labels on upholstered pieces, formaldehyde limits for composite wood, safety regulations for cribs and bassinets, and plant-health rules for wood. Here is what to check before you order.
- Upholsteryfibre label
- Composite woodformaldehyde label
- Woodtreated packaging
Customs rules change — confirm with the official sources on this page or with a licensed customs broker before you ship.
Two ways to get this done
Do it yourself
Everything you need is on this page, step by step, from official government sources.
Read the guideLet a broker handle it
A licensed customs broker can check labelling, formaldehyde and wood rules and clear every container. Free quote, no commitment.
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What applies to furniture
Upholstered furniture falls under the Textile Labelling Act: the covering needs a bilingual fibre-content label with the dealer’s identity. Leather isn’t a textile fibre, but the fabric parts still need labelling.
Read the details
Furniture made with composite wood — plywood, particleboard, MDF — must meet Canada’s formaldehyde emission limits. Importers need products labelled as compliant and must keep records naming the supplier, with a compliance statement, for 5 years.
Cribs, cradles and bassinets have their own safety regulations: the importer’s name and Canadian place of business must be on the product, and traditional drop-side cribs are banned. Wood crates and pallets must be treated and IPPC-marked, and some non-processed wood products need plant-health documents.
Importing furniture, step by step
List the materials
List what each piece is made of: fabric, leather, solid wood, composite wood. Each brings its own rule.
Label upholstered pieces
Make sure upholstered pieces carry a bilingual label with the fibre content of the covering and the dealer’s name and address, or CA number.
Check composite wood
Get the formaldehyde compliance statement (CANFER or TSCA Title VI) from your supplier, make sure products carry a compliant bilingual label, and keep the records for 5 years.
Children’s furniture
For cribs, cradles and bassinets, confirm compliance with the regulations and keep the compliance records for at least 3 years.
Check wood and packaging
Crates and pallets must be debarked, treated and IPPC-marked. Non-processed wood products from outside the continental U.S. can need phytosanitary documents.
What applies
From the Competition Bureau, Health Canada and the CFIA.
- Upholstered furniture
- Fibre-content label on the covering + dealer identity
- Furniture with composite wood
- Formaldehyde compliance label + supplier records kept 5 years
- Cribs, cradles, bassinets
- Cribs, Cradles and Bassinets Regulations; importer identity on the product
- Wood crates and pallets
- Debarked, treated, IPPC-marked
- Non-processed wood products
- Phytosanitary requirements (CFIA D-02-12)
Children’s furniture is actively checked
Health Canada tests imported cribs, cradles and bassinets and can order recalls or stop sales when they don’t comply. Ask your supplier for test reports against the Canadian regulations before you order.
Common questions
Does leather furniture need a fibre label?
Leather isn’t a textile fibre, so it doesn’t need disclosing — but any fabric parts do.
Is a TSCA Title VI label accepted in Canada?
Yes, as long as it meets Canada’s bilingual labelling requirements.
Are drop-side cribs allowed?
No. Since December 29, 2016, traditional drop-side cribs can’t be imported, sold, manufactured or advertised in Canada.
Can a broker help?
Yes. A customs broker can check the labelling and wood rules before your container ships. Get a broker quote.
- Sources:
- Federal labelling requirements for upholstered furniture (Competition Bureau)
- Formaldehyde Emissions from Composite Wood Products Regulations: guidance (Health Canada)
- Cribs, cradles and bassinets (Health Canada)
- D-98-08: Entry requirements for wood packaging material (CFIA)
- D-02-12: Non-processed wood and other wooden products (CFIA)
Check where you stand
See which import requirements apply to your shipments.
Keep reading
The next steps most people take from here.
Importing
The whole path to importing commercial goods into Canada, in order.
Read →Do I need a customs broker?
No law requires one. What a licensed broker does, and what importing on your own involves.
Read →Import readiness
Check your import readiness: CARM, RPP security, classification, permits.
Read →Get a quote
Describe your shipments and we will connect you with a licensed customs broker.
Read →