Importing Wooden Contract Furniture into Australia: What the Illegal Logging Prohibition Rules 2024 Ask of the Importer
What the Rules require from the importer, which furniture headings they list, and what to ask the factory for before ordering.
Wooden contract furniture shipped to Australia is covered by the Illegal Logging Prohibition Act 2012 and the Illegal Logging Prohibition Rules 2024. The Rules set out what an importer of regulated timber products must collect, assess, record and keep. This article follows the text of the Rules (Authorised Version F2024L01758, registered 02/01/2025) and turns it into a list of what a project team can ask a factory for before an order is placed.
It is a buyer’s reading aid, not legal advice. The Rules are written for the importer, so your customs broker or adviser decides how they apply to your arrangement, and you should check that you are reading the current compilation of the Rules.
Which furniture is a regulated timber product?
The Rules do not regulate furniture in general. Section 5 lists the tariff headings that count as regulated timber products. For contract furniture the entries to look at are:
- 9401.61 and 9401.69: seats with wooden frames, upholstered and other
- 9403.30, 9403.40, 9403.50 and 9403.60: wooden furniture of a kind used in offices, the kitchen, the bedroom, and other wooden furniture
- 9403.91: parts of wooden furniture
- 4412 (plywood, veneered panels and similar laminated wood) and 4418 (builders’ joinery and carpentry of wood), which matter for wardrobes, panelling and joinery
Furniture made of metal, plastic or other materials does not appear in these headings. A chair with a metal frame and a wooden seat needs a tariff classification, not a guess, so ask your customs broker which heading applies to each item on your schedule.
What the Rules require from the importer
Section 8 sets the requirements. In outline, before importing a regulated timber product the importer must:
- obtain, as far as is reasonably practicable, the information listed in section 8(3);
- identify and assess the risk that the product is, is made from or includes illegally logged timber, to a reasonable standard, and write that assessment down;
- if a risk is identified and it is not a low risk, run a risk mitigation process that is reasonable and proportionate, reassess, and write that down too;
- keep the records for five years from the day the product is imported.
Section 7 also prescribes the information that the importer’s due diligence system must contain, such as the importer’s contact details and, for a business, the person responsible for maintaining the system.
The information to ask the factory for
Section 8(3) lists what the importer collects. Most of it can only come from the supplier, so it belongs in the request for quotation, not in a scramble after the goods have shipped. Ask for each wooden item:
| Section 8(3) item | What to ask the factory |
|---|---|
| Description of the product | Product type and trade name, and the common name and scientific name of the tree from which the timber was derived. |
| Where it was harvested | The country, and the area of the country, in which the timber was harvested. |
| Where it was made | The country in which the product was processed or manufactured. |
| Supplier details | The supplier’s name, address, trading name and business registration number, if any. |
| Quantity | The quantity of the shipment, in volume, weight or number of units. |
| Sales or delivery document | The document for the purchase, which should match the other records. |
The Rules ask for “as much as is reasonably practicable”. An answer such as “solid wood” does not name a species, so write the question so that the factory has to answer it item by item. Keep the answers against the item code on your schedule.
Certified timber and the risk assessment
Section 8(4) describes a certified timber product. The importer has a copy of a record from a database maintained by the Forest Stewardship Council or the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification showing that the product is within the scope of the supplier’s certification; has verified that the details in the record are true and correct; and has a sales or delivery document from the supplier containing a certification claim consistent with that record. A certificate number quoted in an email does not do this.
Certification does not remove the assessment. For certified products, section 8(5) still requires the importer to identify and assess the risk and write it down. For products that are not certified, section 8(6) lists more matters to consider, including any country specific guideline, the species or genus and its conservation status, illegal logging in the area where the timber was harvested, armed conflict, corruption and the governance of forest management.
Put the timber questions in your enquiry
Send your item schedule and we will tell you which timber details are missing before suppliers quote.
When the Rules do not apply, and repeat orders
Section 6 exempts a regulated timber product that is recycled material or made entirely from it, and a regulated timber product imported in a consignment whose total customs value of regulated timber products does not exceed $1,000. Check the customs value of the regulated timber products in each consignment with your broker before relying on that exemption.
Section 8(10) relaxes the risk steps for a repeat import if the importer imported a regulated timber product in the previous 12 months, complied with the earlier steps, the information in section 8(3)(a) to (d) is the same, and the importer has considered and recorded whether there has been a significant change in circumstances. The information gathering in section 8(3) still applies. Because paragraphs (a) to (d) cover the species, harvest area, processing country and supplier, a change in any of them needs the full steps again.
What to put in your enquiry and specification
- A line in the schedule for each wooden item naming the tariff heading your broker has confirmed.
- A requirement that the factory states the species (common and scientific name), harvest country and area, and processing country for every wooden component, including plywood and veneer.
- A requirement that the supplier gives its registered business details and issues sales documents that match the quotation.
- For any certified timber claim, the certificate holder, the database record and the certification claim to appear on the sales document.
- A statement that substitutions of species or board are not made without your written approval, recorded against the item code.
Our Australia and New Zealand compliance page explains how we approach the main rules for these markets, and the samples, finishes and approvals guide shows how approvals are recorded against the item code. Send the schedule with the species and documents request attached and we will tell you which details are missing before suppliers quote.
Frequently asked questions
Who has to do the due diligence under the Illegal Logging Prohibition Rules 2024?
The Rules place the requirements on the importer of the regulated timber product. Who the importer is for your shipment is a question for your customs broker or adviser.
Which wooden furniture is covered?
Section 5 of the Rules lists the tariff headings, including seats with wooden frames (9401.61 and 9401.69), wooden furniture (9403.30, 9403.40, 9403.50, 9403.60), parts of wood (9403.91), plywood (4412) and builders’ joinery (4418).
What information should a factory give us about the timber?
The product type and trade name, the common and scientific name of the tree, where the timber was harvested, where the product was made, the supplier’s details, the quantity, and the sales or delivery document.
Is a certificate enough?
For a certified timber product the Rules require a copy of a record from an FSC or PEFC database, verification of its details and a sales document with a consistent certification claim. The risk assessment and written record are still required.
How long must the records be kept?
Section 8(11) of the Rules sets five years from the day the regulated timber product is imported.
How does FBM Furniture charge?
For suppliers you nominate, we charge a 5% commission; for products we source for you, we quote a direct price. Our own team performs one inspection after bulk production is complete and before shipment, and your team is welcome to attend.
Put the timber questions in your enquiry
Send your item schedule and we will tell you which timber details are missing before suppliers quote.