The furniture industry produces furnishings made of wood, metal and plastic and is part of the manufacturing sector. In 2023, the German furniture industry generated a turnover of more than 19.9 billion euros and still employed almost 92,500 people despite decades of structural change. The kitchen industry is the most important segment of the sector, ahead of the manufacture of office and shop furniture.

Sales in the German furniture industry by segment in the years 2008 to 2023


Structure of the furniture industry in Germany
The furniture industry in Germany is characterised by relatively small companies: More than two thirds of the companies in the furniture industry achieve a turnover of less than 500,000 euros per year. The federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg are prominent centres of furniture production. Despite the high turnover, only 77 of the almost 1,000 companies in the sector produce kitchen furniture. This is due to the high order values for kitchens compared to many other pieces of furniture. With a share of 1.6 per cent of total industry turnover of all companies, the industry spent rather little on innovation in 2022, with process innovations saving around 1.3 per cent of costs.

Foreign trade in the German furniture industry
In a European comparison, the German furniture industry is just behind Italy. German furniture manufacturers generate more than two thirds of their turnover domestically. Furniture exports from Germany are mainly exported to European countries, making Germany the second largest furniture exporter in the world after China. France is the largest buyer of furniture from Germany. On balance, furniture imports in Germany exceed exports. The most important sourcing countries are Poland, China and the Czech Republic.