Are mattress imports a rising force? Or are they on the decline?
The answer depends on whom you ask.
Leggett & Platt, one of the mattress industry’s largest suppliers, which also produces some mattresses, says that mattress imports have risen dramatically over the past decade and now command more than 40% of the U.S. market in units. That would put mattress imports at about 13 million units last year.
But the International Sleep Products Association, in its 2024 Mattress Industry Trends Report, says that mattress imports have declined steadily in recent years, falling from 9.2 million units in 2020 to 5.6 million units in 2024, almost a 40% decline.
An analysis of the domestic and imported mattress units listed in the ISPA report indicates that mattress imports have lost share since 2020. In 2020, mattress imports had about a 27.7% unit share, while the imports’ unit share fell to about 22.7% in 2024, the analysis reveals.
ISPA says there have been “fluctuations” in mattress imports over the past 10 years.
Asked to respond to L&P’s assertions on mattress import growth, ISPA said it agrees that mattress imports have grown over the past decade, although it shows steady unit declines since 2021. It also said it sees how L&P could arrive at the 40% import share figure.
“While our current data reporting may differ from L&P’s methodology, ISPA supports the view that up to 40% of mattresses purchased could be imported units, depending on classification and sales channel assumptions,” ISPA said in a statement to Bedding News Now.
Leggett & Platt CEO Karl Glassman challenges the accuracy of the ISPA import figures presented in ISPA’s 2024 Mattress Industry Trends Report. He said that mattress imports have grown every year since 2021, according to L&P’s analysis of the import figures.
He said L&P closely tracks import data and notes that the company uses multiple data sources to triangulate its market share estimates.
L&P declined to reveal its specific estimates for import totals, but did share detailed insights on how it views key issues on mattress imports.
The company recently weighed in on the growth of the mattress import market when it was discussing the issue of flammability testing.
It released test results showing that some imported mattresses fail the federal mattress flammability standard and added that imports are a growing force in the industry.
“Over the past decade,” L&P said, “imported mattresses have risen from approximately 10% to over 40% of the U.S. market. The vast majority of mattresses sold on Amazon are imported and sold at lower prices than their American-made counterparts, raising question as to whether the foreign manufacturers used the materials necessary to make compliant mattresses with appropriate flammability protections.”
Glassman said L&P is confident that mattress imports are on the upswing and now command more than 40% of the market in units.
L&P says it tracks mattress imports through six Harmonized Tariff Schedule codes that report mattress import data. It believes that the figures captured in those six codes provide a reasonably accurate representation of the total mattress import picture.
L&P says that the ISPA figures only track mattress imports through three HTS codes and are missing significant mattress import volume.
ISPA says that while it tracks all six HTS codes commonly associated with mattress imports, it only reports on the three codes that it “worked with industry partners to designate specifically adult mattress units.”
But L&P says it believes that “the majority of the volume in all six HTS codes does represent adult/non-crib mattresses.”
ISPA acknowledges “that some mattresses may be misclassified under adjacent HTS codes and that these codes are used inconsistently and may include a mix of products.”
In addition, L&P notes that its analysis addresses “consumed imports,” not “landed imports,” which ISPA tracks. “We do this,” Glassman said, “to try to reflect what actually happened in the retail market during a certain period of time.”
He added that L&P enjoys a good partnership with ISPA on industry issues.
“Leggett & Platt is a long-standing ISPA member,” Glassman said. “We regularly collaborate on industry data initiatives, including efforts to refine import classifications and reporting practices. We also serve on the ISPA Statistics Committee, collaborating on best-practice, quality data reporting for both imports and domestic production.”
ISPA echoed those views and added that it works with the ongoing guidance of its members and its Statistics Committee to identify opportunities to refine import classifications and reporting practices. “Our goal is to maintain a focus on data quality, transparency and consistent methodology, and we remain committed to collaborating with industry partners to ensure our reporting reflects the most accurate and useful data available,” ISPA said.
