Buyer guides
The EU deforestation rules reach wooden furniture on 30 December 2026. Here is what buyers must do
From 30 December 2026, wooden chairs and tables sold in the EU must be deforestation-free and legal. A plain guide for furniture retailers, importers and designers: who does what, and what to ask your supplier.
The problem
Ask ten furniture buyers what the EUDR means for them, and you get ten answers. Some think it is still years away. Some think it only covers coffee and cocoa. Some think a "sustainable wood" line in a catalogue is enough.
None of that is true. The deadline is close, it covers wooden furniture, and it asks for proof, not promises.
What the EUDR is
The EU Deforestation Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2023/1115) says that wood and certain products made from wood can only be sold in the EU if they are (sources 1 and 2):
- deforestation-free: the wood does not come from land that was deforested after 31 December 2020;
- legal: produced in line with the laws of the country where it was harvested.
When it starts
The start date was moved twice. The current dates come from an amendment published in December 2025, Regulation (EU) 2025/2650 (source 3):
| Who | From |
|---|---|
| Large and medium-sized companies | 30 December 2026 |
| Downstream operators and traders, all sizes | 30 December 2026 |
| Micro and small companies, for wood products already covered by the old EU Timber Regulation | 30 December 2026 |
| Micro companies and private persons, for the other EUDR products | 30 June 2027 |
In May 2026 the European Commission published a package of guidance and did not change the legal text. The dates stay. For the timber sector, small companies are also on 30 December 2026 (source 4).
For anyone selling wooden chairs and tables, the date is 30 December 2026.
Who has to do what
The company that first places the furniture on the EU market (or exports it) is the "operator". It must collect the information, check the risk and file a due diligence statement in the EU information system (sources 2 and 3).
Retailers and traders who buy from that company have a lighter job. Large ones still register in the information system. Instead of filing their own statement, they collect and keep the reference number of the statement filed by the operator (source 3).
What makes furniture harder
A chair is not one piece of wood. It has legs, a seat, a back, maybe a veneer or a plywood part. For furniture and other products with several parts, the location of the forest is needed for every wood component, and the system asks for the tree species, not just the family (source 4).
Two useful details from the same guidance (source 4):
- Rattan and bamboo are out of scope. A cane back on a chair does not trigger the check. The wooden frame still does.
- Furniture made from demolition timber and products made fully from recycled material are out of scope.
What to do now
- Find out your role for each product line: operator (you import or make it) or trader (you buy it inside the EU).
- Ask every supplier, in writing, how they will give you the due diligence reference number with each delivery from 30 December 2026.
- Check your product data. Do you know the tree species of every wood part in the chairs you sell?
- Don't rely on catalogue words like "eco" or "sustainable". The EUDR asks for traceable data.
- Check the details with your national authority or an adviser. This article is a summary, not legal advice.
Where RikoStyle fits
We make solid-wood chairs and tables in our own factory in Troyan, Bulgaria, inside the EU. Our range is simple to describe for the EUDR: most of our models are made in solid beech, and 93 of them can also be made in oak.
If you sell or specify our chairs, ask us for the EUDR information you need for each model and each order. We would rather plan it with you now than in December.
We offer all the models below to furniture retailers, importers, interior designers, restaurant and hotel owners, event rental companies and care homes, and we are looking for long-term partners in every one of these groups.
Sources
- EUR-Lex, Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 (EUDR), definition of "deforestation-free" (Article 2): https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/1115/oj
- European Commission, Green Forum, Deforestation Regulation implementation: https://green-forum.ec.europa.eu/deforestation-regulation-implementation_en
- European Commission, Access2Markets, Delay until December 2026 and other developments in the implementation of the EUDR Regulation (28 January 2026): https://trade.ec.europa.eu/access-to-markets/en/news/delay-until-december-2026-and-other-developments-implementation-eudr-regulation
- EUSTAFOR, EUDR: what the Commission's 4 May 2026 simplification package means for wood (5 May 2026): https://eustafor.eu/eudr-what-the-commissions-4-may-2026-simplification-package-means-for-wood-state-forests-and-non-eu-operators/
- RikoStyle product data: models and wood types as published on rikostyle.com, November 2026.
