How to Import Furniture from Indonesia: FOB, CIF, and the Documentation You Need

Importing furniture looks complicated from the buyer's side because most of the moving parts are below the waterline. Once you understand the shape of the system, the surprise drops away. This guide is the working reference we share with new wholesale partners.

The single most useful concept: incoterms

An incoterm is a three-letter code that says who pays for what, and when risk transfers from seller to buyer. The two you will see quoted most often:

• FOB (Free On Board) — the manufacturer delivers the goods onto the vessel at the port of origin. After that, the buyer owns the freight, insurance, and risk. FOB is the default for most wholesale trade.
• CIF (Cost, Insurance, Freight) — the manufacturer pays for ocean freight and insurance to the destination port. Useful for buyers who do not yet have a freight forwarder relationship.

There are eleven incoterms in total; for solid wood furniture, FOB and CIF are the two you will encounter. If a quote uses CIF on a one-piece air shipment, ask questions.

Choosing the right port

For our location in Yogyakarta, the practical origin port is Surabaya (Tanjung Perak). We container-stuff in our yard and truck to the port. Your destination port is usually:

• US East Coast: Savannah, New York / Newark
• US West Coast: Los Angeles / Long Beach
• UK: Felixstowe, Southampton
• EU: Rotterdam, Hamburg
• Middle East: Jebel Ali
• Asia: Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo

What a typical FCL looks like

A 40-foot high-cube container holds roughly 60–70 cubic meters of usable volume. For solid wood dining sets, the typical load is in the range of 25–40 dining sets depending on table size; for bedroom sets, 30–50 sets.

We will provide an estimated container utilization with your quote so you know what you are buying.

Documents you will receive

Originals travel by courier the day the vessel sails. They include:

1. SVLK / V-Legal certificate (see our guide).
2. Commercial invoice — the canonical record of the order.
3. Packing list — line-by-line contents, weights, dimensions.
4. Bill of Lading (B/L) — the title document for the container.
5. Fumigation certificate if required.
6. Phytosanitary certificate for markets that require it.
7. Certificate of Origin if a preferential tariff regime applies (e.g., Indonesia–Australia CEPA, EU GSP+).

The documents arrive before the container does. That is the rule we run on, and it is the rule you should expect of any manufacturer.

Common friction points

• Customs valuation: customs authorities in some markets add duty based on a calculated "constructed value" rather than the invoice price. We work with brokers to ensure the documentation supports the declared value.
• Phytosanitary surprises: a few markets (notably Australia and New Zealand) require ISPM-15 heat treatment or fumigation as a condition of entry. We arrange this at the stuffing stage.
• Damage in transit: rare with proper packaging, but it happens. Marine cargo insurance covers it; CIF quotes include it by default.

Working with a freight forwarder

For first orders we recommend letting our team coordinate the freight on your behalf — we have stable rates and an established lane. Once you reach two-to-three containers per quarter, most of our partners switch to their own forwarder.

Practical timeline

For a standard dining or living-room collection on a stocked item:

• Day 0 — purchase order confirmed, 30% deposit.
• Days 0–7 — production planning, raw material allocation.
• Days 7–35 — production + QC.
• Days 35–42 — finishing, packing, container stuffing.
• Days 42–45 — vessel sails. Documents couriered.
• Days 45–75 — ocean transit, depending on lane.
• Days 75–90 — customs clearance and inland delivery.

For fully bespoke production, add 3–5 weeks for the counter-sample approval cycle.

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If you would like a printable version of this guide, the wholesale buyer's guide PDF has the same content formatted for download and forwarding to your logistics team.