folding chairs

China exported about $5 billion worth of living room furniture (including folding chairs）in 2004. This figure accounted for approximately 30 percent of all furniture exports from the country. In terms of volume, overseas shipments comprised an estimated 15 million coffee and end tables, 7 million sofas and 5 million entertainment units. Although export sales (including folding chairs） are growing by about 20 percent annually, the industry could be headed for rough times as it deals with numerous challenges including rising material costs, power shortages, and increasing competition. One of the main challenges facing China's living room furniture (including folding chairs） makers today is the increasing cost of raw materials, particularly wood. The cost of imported timber has been continuously moving up since last year. This is mainly due to steadily escalating oil and freight costs coupled with soaring timber demand from within the country. According to a report published by World Wildlife Fund in 2004, China is the second largest consumer of timber in the world after the US. The high demand is driven primarily by the furniture industry, which consumes about one-third of the country's wood supply.