How home décor and household goods ship
Home goods rarely travel as one material. A single order can mix ceramics, glass, metal, wood, textiles, lighting décor and small furniture parts, each a different shape and each breaking differently. Getting it there intact comes down to four things: packing by fragility, using strong cartons, controlling humidity and labeling shipments clearly. Bulk orders suit FCL (a full container), mixed small orders suit palletized LCL (a shared container), and high-value or urgent pieces suit air freight.
What this guide covers
Décor
Vases, frames, mirrors, candle holders
Kitchen & dining
Bowls, serving ware, trays
Soft home textiles
Cushions, throws, table runners, curtains
Lighting & accessories
Lamps, lampshades, decorative fixtures
Mixed-material goods
Wood-and-metal items, glass-and-metal décor
Shipping home accessories and household goods?
Get a quoteFour packing risks and how to handle them
Mixed household loads face four main risks: breakage, scratched finishes, shifting inside half-empty cartons, and moisture.
Glass, ceramic, metal and fabric in one shipment each take shocks differently.
- Sort cartons by fragility
- Use cushioning and separators
- Bubble-wrap sensitive surfaces
- Load fragile cartons on top
- Never pack heavy metal pieces in the same carton as delicate décor.
Polished surfaces and painted finishes scratch easily.
- Wrap in soft layers (foam sheets, tissue)
- Keep rough cardboard off polished items
- Cover metal edges with corner guards
- Shrink-wrap delicate surfaces
- One surface mark on a décor piece can mean a customer return.
Irregular shapes leave gaps in cartons, so items shift.
- Fill voids with paper or foam peanuts
- Use fit-to-size cartons when possible
- Don't ship underfilled boxes
- Reinforce carton bases with tape
- Empty space inside a carton raises the risk of impact damage in transit.
Wood, fabric, rattan and bamboo absorb moisture, then warp or grow mildew.
- Put desiccants inside cartons on long ocean routes
- Shrink-wrap pallets
- Avoid stuffing containers in humid weather when possible
- Keep cargo away from container walls
- Condensation can leave a mold smell and swell surfaces.
Documents for household goods shipments
| Document | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Commercial Invoice & Packing List | States product type, HS code, quantity and packing |
| Certificate of Origin (COO): confirms where the goods were made | Required by many customs authorities |
| Material and finish notes (if requested) | Helps customs classify and clear mixed-material items |
| ISPM-15 confirmation for wooden pallets (if used) | Wood packaging must be heat-treated and stamped |
Requirements by destination
- Certificate of origin often required
- Use packaging and labels that survive transloading (cargo moved to another container or truck after arrival)
- Certificate of origin frequently required
- ISPM-15 wood-packaging rules apply
- Certificate of origin commonly mandatory
- Mixed cargo is often inspected for packing quality
FCL, LCL or air: which to use
| Mode | Suitable For |
|---|---|
| FCL (full container) | Bulk home goods orders |
| Palletized LCL (shared container) | Mixed small orders |
| Air freight | High-value or urgent décor |
Shipping home accessories and household goods?
Get a quoteHS codes for common household goods (examples)
| HS Code | Description |
|---|---|
| 7013 | Glass kitchenware and tableware |
| 6912 | Ceramic household items |
| 4420 | Wooden décor articles |
| 9405 | Lamps and lighting fittings (non-electrical parts) |
| 6304 | Cushions, blankets and soft furnishings |
These codes are indicative starting points, not a classification. Find the exact 10-digit line for your product in the HTS Code Finder. Getting the classification right is the importer of record’s legal responsibility.
Household shipments often span several HS codes, so classify each item type separately. Estimate US import duty on these codes with our free tariff simulator.
Home décor shipping FAQs
Yes, it's recommended: pallets protect the cartons and make them easier to handle.
Yes, as long as they're separated and cushioned inside the cartons. Never put heavy metal pieces in the same carton as delicate décor.
Yes. Pack desiccants with them and avoid loading in high-humidity weather.
Yes. Some types can be vacuum-packed to save volume.
Usually only a Certificate of Origin (COO). Other certificates apply only if items include electrical components or batteries.
Shipping terms in this guide:Full Container Load (FCL)Less than Container Load (LCL)Commercial InvoicePacking ListHarmonized System Code (HS Code)Transloading
U.S. import duty on Home Accessories & Household Items by country of origin
Total duty on the highest-value tariff lines in this category, by country of origin, calculated with our tariff engine and U.S. Census import values. Each page breaks down the duty components, how the rate has changed by entry date, and the landed-cost math.
- Vessels from China
- Artificial flowers from China
- Artificial flowers of plastics, assembled from China
- Artificial flowers from China
- Artificial turf from Vietnam
- Hand-hooked wool carpets from India
- Hand-hooked tufted wool carpets from India
- Tufted man-made fiber rugs, up to 5.25 m² from India
- Carpets and other textile floor coverings from India
- Carpets and other textile floor coverings from India
- Basketwork and wickerwork from India
- Carpets and other textile floor coverings from India
- Carpets and other textile floor coverings from India
- Carpets and other textile floor coverings from India
- Carpets and other textile floor coverings from India
- Kelem, Schumacks, Karamanie and similar hand woven rugs from India
3 more in this group. Rates are our tariff engine's total for a commercial entry today. Open a page for the duty lines behind a rate and how it changed by entry date, browse all import duty pages, or price your own shipment.
Shipping home décor or household goods?
We can help with packing methods, pallet planning, moisture control and routing for household goods.
Get a quote to ship home accessories and household goods
Tell us the product, where it ships from and to, and the container size or weight. We reply with the freight rate, the destination charges and the services included. The guide you were reading is already in the notes.