According to The Centre for Industrial Studies (CSIL) in Milan, Italy, the total value of global upholstered furniture in 2021 will be approximately $73.7 billion. Upholstery sofa manufacturing is a labour-intensive industry, influenced by higher labour costs in developed countries. The global upholstery sofa industry continues to move to developing countries with labour price advantages and enough raw material resources. The main upholstered sofa manufacturing countries are China, the United States, Poland, India, Italy, Germany. In 2021, China’s upholstered sofa output value was approximately 46% of the world and had become the world’s largest producer and exporter of upholstered sofa.
Upholstered furniture mainly refers to the furniture with sponge, fabric, leather as the main body, mainly including sofas, soft beds, mattresses, bedside tables and other products; sofas are the essential upholstered furniture. There are countless sofa manufacturers in China, and after our detailed research, here is a list of the top 10 best sofa manufacturers in China. We hope this article will help you identify the best sofa suppliers for your business.
1. List of Top 10 Sofa Manufacturers in China
| Rank | Sofa Manufacturers | Main Products |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | KUKA | upholstered sofa |
| 2 | Cheers | functional sofas |
| 3 | ZUOYOU | upholstered sofa |
| 4 | QuanU | upholstered sofas |
| 5 | SUNHOO | upholstered sofas |
| 6 | COOMO | upholstered sofas |
| 7 | LANDBOND | upholstered sofas |
| 8 | SCIHOME | fabric sofas |
| 9 | Steel-Land | leather sofas |
| 10 | Aris | fabric sofas |
1. KUKA
Development: KUKA HOME is one of the leading China sofa manufacturers, ranking No.1 on the list of top 10 sofa manufacturers in China. The Company was established in 1982 in Nantong, Jiangsu Province. Kuka Home has five production bases in Zhejiang, Hubei, and Hebei. With 6,000 brand stores, KUKA products are exported to more than 120 countries and regions. The Company was officially listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange on October 14, 2016.
Features: The Company sells a complete line of sofas and sectionals, sleepers, and more, in addition to its full line of furniture collections. KUKA HOME is the only distributor of American sofa manufacturer La-Z-Boy and Italian high-end furniture company Natuzzi in China.
2. Cheers
Development: Since its establishment in Hong Kong in 1992, Man Wah Holdings Limited has set up twelve manufacturing bases in Guangdong, Jiangsu, Tianjin, and Chongqing. It ranked No.2 on the list of top 10 sofa manufacturers in China. The company has three brands, namely “Cheers”, “First Class” and “NICOLETTI HOME”. Man Wah has set up more than 200 branches around the world, and its products have been sold well in nearly 100 countries and regions. Thousands of containers are exported to all parts of the world every month.
Features: Man Wah is one of the powerful global functional sofa manufacturers in China. Man Wah’s self-developed products have authorized more than 200 appearance and technology patents, and keep its products at the core of continuous innovation.
3. ZUOYOU
Development: ZUOYOU Home Furnishing was established in 1986 in Shenzhen, which is a living room culture leading enterprise founded by Mr Huang Huakun. It ranks No.3 on the list of top 10 sofa manufacturers in China. The company has more than 4,000 employees, with five production bases located in Shenzhen, Huizhou, Anhui, and Sichuan, with a total area of 1 million square meters. To date, ZUOYOU has thousands of brand stores in the terminal, achieving deep coverage of the Chinese market.
Features: ZUOYOU focused on the upholstered sofa for 35 years, accumulated six entire production processes, and is a famous sofa manufacturers in China.
4. QuanU
Development: QuanU Furniture has been in the furniture industry since 1986 in Chengdu, China. It ranks No.4 on the list of top 10 sofa manufacturers in China. The company operates four manufacturing bases, located in Chengdu, Dongguan, Langfang, and Puyang, China, with over 4600000 square meters. QuanU is very popular in worldwide markets, including China, the US, Europe, and Southeast Asia.
Features: QuanU’s main products include plate-type suites furniture, solid wood furniture, mattresses, couches, soft beds, customized furniture, and project furniture. QuanU always held the designing concept of being “Modern, Green, Ecological and International.”
5. SUNHOO
Development: SUNHOO began operations in 1989 in Sichuan, China. It ranks No.5 on the list of top 10 sofa manufacturers in China. The company has more than 10,000 employees and has set up three production bases in Chengdu, Suqian, Jiangsu, and Henan, with a total area of 130,000 square meters. SUNHOO has more than 1,500 brand stores, with a sales network covering 31 provinces in China, as well as Europe, America, Southeast Asia, and other countries.
Features: SUNHOO mainly produces sofas, panel suite furniture, solid wood furniture, glass furniture, mattresses, and house-wide customization. The company has been carrying on the principle of “we only make good furniture”.
6. COOMO
Development: In 2003, COOMO Furniture was founded by Mr Xu Guofang. It ranks No.6 on the list of top 10 sofa manufacturers in China. The company is located in Houjie, Dongguan, which is known as the “capital of furniture” in China, with 15 furniture factories and more than 6000 employees. COOMO has more than 2000 brand stores in China and abroad; the products are exported to Europe, America, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East.
Features: COOMO furniture covers living room furniture, bedroom furniture, dining room furniture, closets, cabinets, home textiles, and other home furnishing products. The company takes ” strong manufacturing. Excellent service and quality” as a long-term development strategy.
7. LANDBOND
Development: Landbond Home Furnishing Group was founded in 1984 in Nanhai, Foshan, a well-known private enterprise in China’s furniture industry. It ranks No.7 on the list of top 10 sofa manufacturers in China. The company has two states of advanced production facilities, one in North china sited in Shangdong, near Qingdao port, and the other in Foshan based in South China, offering options to ship out of Shenzhen port.
LANDBOND•Minim is a professional sofa brand built by Landbond Group, which represents environmental protection and healthy sofa brand, and its products are exported to more than 100 countries worldwide.
Features: Landbond manufactures medium and high-end solid wood furniture, leather sofas, fabric sofas, mattresses, custom wall cabinets, carpets, etc. The company owns a large group of senior skilled workers who have created several unique product processing techniques. Landbond is recognized as one of the leading companies that insist on the original design.
8. SCIHOME
Development: Founded in Nanjing in 1999, SCIHOME is a high-quality China fabric sofa manufacturer. It ranks No.8 on the list of top 10 sofa manufacturers in China. The company operates six production bases covering an area of about 1.2 million m2, with the headquarters in Suzhou. SCIHOME exports to more than 40 countries and regions and has more than 2000 distribution branches all over the world.
Features: SCIHOME mainly produces fabric sofas, leather sofas, upholstered beds and so on. SCIHOME is one of the leading fabric sofa manufacturers in China’s furniture industry.
9. Steel-Land
Development: Steel-Land, founded in 1993, is a leading brand in China’s furniture industry. It ranks No.9 on the list of top 10 sofa manufacturers in China. The company headquarters is located in “China furniture manufacturing center” Foshan Longjiang town. Steel-Land has more than 1,000 brand stores all over the world, and the products are exported to more than 160 countries and regions worldwide.
Features: Steel-Land supplies leather sofas, fabric sofas, mattresses, and solid wood furniture. It is a highly recommended sofa manufacturers in China, no matter the design and craftsmanship, both are perfect.
10. Aris
Development: Founded in 1995 in Beijing, Aris is a fashionable fabric sofa manufacturer in China. It ranks No.10 on the list of top 10 sofa manufacturers in China. Initially, operating under the brand name Aris, Mr Sui’s company began to expand in the China furniture market, expanding from just a few sofa sets to a staggering number of nearly a hundred fabric sofas, leather sofas, and upholstered beds. The company operates the Aris (Tangshan) Manufacturing Base, covering an area of 300,000 square meters.
Nowadays, Aris has 1000 furniture brand stores in China, with distribution networks in more than 30 countries and regions, including the United States, Dubai, France, Russia, and Canada.
Features: Aris supplies fabric sofas, leather sofas, and smart sleeping. “To create a comfortable sofa” is the motto of Aris.
Part 2: FAQ of Finding the Best Sofa Manufacturers In China
After knowing so many sofa manufacturers in China, you must feel it is hard to find the best one. Actually, the key to choosing a sofa manufacturer in China is to choose the right one for you, not the bigger the better or the cheaper the better.
2. Choose Sofa Manufacturers in China or other countries?
Based on the analysis of the different situations in the sofa industry in different countries, I suggest you choose China when you want to sell sofas because the price will be lower than in other countries. Outsourcing manufacturing in China can help your brand upgrade and grow to the next level faster. But before you decide to take the risk, it’s important to understand the pros and cons of manufacturing in China.
Pros: cheaper purchasing costs, faster production and better service.
Cons: communication difficulties, high MOQs, complex logistics and quality control issues.
Pros: Cheaper purchasing costs
One of the most well-known advantages of sofa manufacturers in China is that it is cheaper than produce from many other countries. Lower product costs translate into higher profits and lower prices. Your brand’s gross profit can increase with lower production costs.
When your product is competing with other products in a store or online mall, the lower price can convince many people to buy. Even when shipping costs are considered, it’s still cheaper to manufacture in China.
Pros: Faster production and flexibility
Improving the speed to market can help your company maintain a competitive advantage. No other country in the world has as many factories ready for stock and production of new products.
You can also increase production volume to meet demand easily. For example, if your furniture is displayed on a popular shopping website, you can scale up production to handle a large number of new orders without disappointing your customers.
Pros: Better service
Sofa manufacturers in China are usually very willing to work with small and unknown companies if the order minimum is met. You don’t have to have a brand like IKEA to get good service from a Chinese sofa manufacturer.
Cons: Communication difficulties
At a basic level, the difficulty can come from the language barrier. Chinese is a complex language for many Westerners to learn, and it’s not a language you can learn from an airport brochure. Manufacturing partners often have a basic level of English, but it’s not good to rely on that for agreement on complex manufacturing contracts. Using a translator may be essential.
Cons: High minimum order quantity
Minimum order quantities for sofa manufacturers in China can be very high. This is because they usually have small margins and rely on economies of scale. You may have to look for sofa manufacturers in China that can produce for you if you want a one-off or custom sofa.
Cons: Quality control issues
“Made in China” used to have a negative connotation. Many people are familiar with poor quality products that represent the original product appearance and fall apart in use. However, today you can find quality sofa manufacturers in China.
The key is to enforce quality control at every stage of the sofa manufacturing process, not to assume that every sofa will be exactly the same as the samples. In addition, some product categories may be more prone to quality issues than others. It’s a good idea to work with a Chinese furniture sourcing agent responsible for quality control.
Conclusion
Deciding whether to purchase from China takes careful consideration. Every company’s sourcing requirements are different, and it always pays to hire an experienced and professional sourcing China agent who can help you avoid scams and horror stories.
Once your company starts importing from China, you can closely monitor the production of your products through a Chinese agency such as Rix Sourcing. Our company’s furniture experts have the experience to help you identify and eliminate threats so you can benefit from China imports.
3. Selecting a Sofa Style
Before working with sofa manufacturers in China, it is important to know which style of sofa you want to buy. Is your interior design more traditional or more modern? Do you prefer a more elaborate shape or a simpler one? The style of sofa you choose will greatly impact how the other furnishings in your room will look.
Here is a small sampling from some of the most popular sofa styles, not the whole range; for example, I didn’t include recliners or settees. But it gives you an idea of some of the most popular sofa shapes and what styles you can look for.
1) Mid-Century: This is the classic sofa of the 60s. Imagine the clean lines, rectangular shape, exposed tapered legs and tufted back.
2) Tuxedo: The arms of the Tuxedo Sofa are streamlined and quadrilateral in shape, an extension of the backrest, creating a unified superstructure. It has a sizeable upholstered seat with no cushions.
3) Camelback: This traditional sofa has a curved back, similar to the slope of a camel’s hump, and sometimes it has two. The camelback usually has bare legs, rolled up arms and without cushions.
4) Chesterfield: the Chesterfield sofa is a large sofa with rolled up arms at the same height as the backrest. The classic Chesterfield is upholstered in dark leather and trimmed all over with deep button tufting and nailhead trim.
5) Lawson: The Lawson is a customized, streamlined sofa that can be traced back to the early 1900s. The Lawson features rolled up or square arms that go down approximately from the middle of the cushions.
6) English Roll-Arm: The symbols of the English roll arm sofa are Rolled-up arms, bare legs, and soft curves. Versatile enough to live in various decorative styles, it’s all about ingrained comfort.
7) Art Deco Style: Art Deco sofas are characterized by soft colours, shiny metal accents, quirky shapes and polished finishes. The Art Deco style can still be incorporated today into contemporary furniture and design, usually as an accent or to create a focal point.
8) 1970s Style: The 1970s is known for its ability to bring back nostalgia, and the 1970s sofa is no exception. You’ll find a rustic brown and orange colour scheme and a coarse pile carpet, as well as some real design gems.
9) Modular: Modular sofas are composed of a series of removable parts called modules. These modules are available in various styles, such as armchairs or chaise lounges, allowing you to configure the sofa that best meets your needs.
10) Sectional: Larger modular sofas consisting of two or more pieces arranged in an L- or U-shape. The apartment-sized parts are approximately the same size as a standard sofa, but the larger size can seat five or more people.
4. Selecting a Sofa Fabric
Before finding the best sofa manufacturers in china, need to ensure that you can understand the content of the fabric section more efficiently, we have made a guide chart:
Let’s watch a video on how to choose a leather sofa or fabric sofa：
Leather Sofa
1) Full grain leather: Full grain leather is the leather that has been tanned, dyed, fatted, dried and other processes, which can be called genuine leather.
2) Split Leather: Split leather is covered with a thin coating of Polyurethane after peeling the top layer of Full grain leather. The coating can be any colour and can be embossed with a roller. Split leather is not as high quality as full grain leather, much inferior in texture and veining.
However, full grain leather is also divided into good and evil; embossed leather with a smooth surface is worse than full grain leather. And the authentic Italian Napa calf leather sofa, also full-grain leather, the cheapest set of sofas, will cost $15,000.
In addition to the quality of leather, another factor affecting the price is the leather area. According to the material area, a leather sofa can generally be divided into “full leather sofa” and “half leather sofa”.
1) Full leather sofa: Full leather sofa is the visible and invisible places all covered with full grain leather, high value, breathable and eco-friendly, but such a sofa will consume full grain leather of ten cattle, the price is costly.
2) Half leather sofa: When you go to China to purchase sofas, many China sofa manufacturers will say that their sofas are half leather sofas. So, what is a half leather sofa?
The half leather sofa is the sofa side, back or some other hidden parts will use PU leather or artificial leather to replace the full grain leather, and the area of human contact still use full grain leather, the cost is much lower than the full leather sofa, the cost performance is outstanding, highly recommended. Generally, no one can see the hidden parts. The tanning technology is now more developed; to be honest, if you are not in the furniture industry, it is difficult to distinguish.
How to choose a leather sofa?
- Sofa leather surface should be fine and bright, without obvious scratches.
- Slightly pull the surface of the leather; it should be relatively ductile.
- Try to sit down and then stand up to observe the depression; the folds can disappear after the rebound, so that is a good leather sofa.
Fabric Sofa
1) Leathaire: Leathaire is waterproof, stain and scratch resistant. However, the disadvantage is the short service life and the risk of the coating peeling off after two years using.
2) Cotton cloth, linen cloth and flannel cloth: most of them are woven, the majority of components are chemical fibres, such as acrylic, polypropylene, polyester and so on, the benefit is not pilling, no shrinkage and wear-resistant.
How to choose a cloth sofa:
- The sofa’s fabric should choose relatively thick, the same fabric, the greater grams, the more expensive, and need to check whether there are no threads, seams and other defects.
- Try to choose the one with a liner, easy to clean after dirty. Without the lining, you can only wipe with a linen cloth; it is difficult to clean.
- Each joint should be natural and without obvious folds.
- Try to sit; if the sofa is too soft, too deep or the sofa frame is too low, it will not work.
In summary, if the budget is enough, choose leather sofas. Full leather sofas are the best, while half leather sofas are more cost-effective; If you prefer the new trendy design, you can choose a fabric sofa. Fabric sofas do not need much maintenance and are cost-effective.
5. 5 Way to find Reliable Sofa Manufacturers In China
Any experienced seller will tell you that the risk of finding dishonest sofa manufacturers in China or getting stuck with poor quality goods is high. Whether you’re delving into online B2B marketplaces, online supplier directories, or visiting China furniture fairs or China furniture markets, you need to beware of a few bad apples. In this section, we’ll discuss your sourcing options and recommend the best ways to find reliable sofa manufacturers in china to build long-term relationships.
1) Attend China Furniture Fairs
The exhibition is actually a good choice. You can communicate with the china sofa manufacturers face to face, in-depth understanding of the product details and craftsmanship, and roughly get an idea of the supplier’s product quality and grade from the exhibition samples. And the most important point, because many china sofa manufacturers are gathered in the same exhibition hall at the same time, you can intuitively see the current product trends.
CIFF (China International Furniture Fair) is known as “Asia’s furniture sourcing center” and “the weatherglass of China’s furniture industry”. It is held twice a year: March in Guangzhou and September in Shanghai.
Canton Fair (China Import and Export Fair) is a comprehensive trade fair held in the spring and autumn of each year in Guangzhou, China. It is the most historic, largest, and most representative trade fair in China.
International Furniture Fair (Dongguan), commonly known as Dongguan 3F fair, as the most effective furniture sourcing gateway in China, is held in Dongguan City each March and is the first UFI certified professional international furniture fair in China.
Shen Zhen Creative Week (Shenzhen International Furniture Exhibition) Held in Shenzhen each March, it is an exhibition that integrates furniture, soft furnishings, and housing.
I wrote an in-depth article about the “Top 5 Recommended Furniture Fairs in China” in the latest article. You can take it as your reference.
2) Foshan Furniture Market
Foshan Furniture Market, known as the “Furniture Capital of the World”, has a wide variety of furniture, low prices, ten miles of furniture street is not a joke, most of them are direct sales of furniture manufacturers. Foshan furniture market is located on both sides of National Highway 325. Currently, the market consists of more than 180 furniture malls of different sizes, with more than 3,800 furniture stores, selling more than 20,000 kinds of furniture products from all over the country and the world, which are sold in domestic and exported to the United States, the Middle East, Europe, etc.
Here, the price can go as low as you want, but the quality will go up or down accordingly. If your target market is highly segmented and you are selling in multiple channels or distributing to other sellers, the Foshan furniture market is a good option.
If the item you want is not ready for sale, make sure you are clear about your quality requirements so your supplier can place an order with a matching factory. Arguing over price will only lead to factories using cheaper materials, which will result in lower quality.
You can hire a professional furniture sourcing agent to make your purchases easier. Foshan sourcing agent services typically include picking you up from your hotel and taking you to the furniture markets to meet with wholesalers, negotiating prices and order terms, and coordinating procurement, to includes collecting different orders in one shipment.
3) B2B marketplaces
You can search online for sofa manufacturers in China. Alibaba, Made in China, and Global Sources are popular sites for finding sofa manufacturers in China. As usual, there are a few things you need to be wary of to avoid being scammed on these B2B marketplaces.
These sites rate their suppliers, but nothing is 100% transparent. For example, suppliers who become Alibaba Premium members through an annual fee can earn Gold Supplier status, which increases their visibility on the site. Still, it doesn’t mean anything as far as ethical behaviour and quality levels are concerned. As a result, the sofa suppliers that get the most exposure on Alibaba, those that may pop up when you search for their product category, must still be audited.
After contacting the China sofa manufacturers, you can request samples and place your order. But the process can be very long, taking weeks rather than days from initial contact to receiving the samples. Considering the communication with your supplier, you will want both to have a common language. Communication barriers make it challenging to explain your exact requirements via email or live chat.
As the major B2B sites provide an accessible platform for almost all Chinese suppliers to showcase with buyers, this over-saturated venue may be causing many quality suppliers to opt-out.
A reminder:
Trading companies can act as sofa manufacturers in online directories. They will rank higher in search results if they pay a fee, regardless of buyer feedback and ratings.
Finding reliable China sofa manufacturers on B2B marketplaces can be daunting. You need to screen each China sofa supplier individually, which should ideally include a factory visit.
It’s easy to get attracted to the lowest price or minimum order quantity. The lowest price comes at the sacrifice of product quality. Once production begins, costs change, so the massive price advantage is not set in stone. Find out the market price/price floor for the product – offers that are 20-30% below this price should set off alarm bells.
4) Furniture Sourcing agents
A Foshan furniture sourcing agent is the ideal choice when you need products manufactured to exact specifications. A sourcing agent based in China visits the factory to closely check quality control. After you have approved mass production, the agent will visit the factory again to check the raw materials and even check the quality of previous batches.
Sourcing agents in China are fluent in Mandarin, so you can overcome language barriers and communicate your requirements clearly. Chinese suppliers are very careful about what they share and are unlikely to notify you of production delays or ask questions if they are unsure of your product specifications. Sourcing agents are also helpful here to ensure that suppliers are on the same page as you before production begins.
When you work with an agent, you get full support throughout the purchasing process. If you want to do it right the first time and build a long-term relationship with your suppliers, then hiring a professional sourcing agent is the right choice.
5) Google
Google search for sofa manufacturers in China seems like a logical first step for new furniture sellers. Sofa manufacturers in China have business websites and a presence on social media. Usually, they have generic names on social media channels, such as China Direct Suppliers or China Wholesale Marketplace. Some of these suppliers may be agents that offer to help you find suppliers.
Use a specific keyword to search products or locations, such as “China sofa suppliers” or “China sofa manufacturers”. A Google search using key terms is also a quick way to find relevant supplier pages in directories and B2B sites.
As mentioned earlier, many English supplier websites are traders and not manufacturers. If you find a China sofa manufacturer’s website that appears genuine, go ahead and inquire. You may be able to get a quick quote, get a sample without a long wait, and then get on a plane to China to visit the factory.
Thank you for reading this article.
We are Rix Sourcing, the leading sourcing company in China Foshan. If you are looking for China sofa manufacturers for wholesale sofas or customized sofas, welcome to contact us. Our sofa sourcing experts have more than 10 years of experience in the furniture industry. We will provide you with the most competitive wholesale prices.
