Furniture Orders Dip 4% in August Amid Yearly Gains

New residential furniture orders fell from July but remain up 11% from August 2025, according to a monthly industry report.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Economic Indicators

Furniture Orders Dip 4% in August Amid Yearly Gains

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New residential furniture orders dropped 4% in August compared to July, while rising 11% compared to August 2025. The monthly report, produced by accounting and consulting firm Smith Leonard and published in the October issue of Furniture Insights, shows orders have grown year over year for four straight months.

Why it matters

Sustained year-over-year order growth signals steady demand for residential furniture across the United States, even as the month-to-month decline points to some softening. Backlogs and sales trends offer a view of how manufacturers and retailers are positioned heading into the coming quarters.

The monthly survey shows new orders fell 4% from July but rose 11% from August 2025, with year-to-date orders up 5%. August backlogs climbed 17% compared to 2025, while shipments were down 2% from July and up 1% from last year.

The players

Smith Leonard

Smith Leonard is an accounting and consulting firm that produces the monthly residential furniture order survey published in Furniture Insights.

Furniture Insights

Furniture Insights is an industry publication that releases monthly data on residential furniture orders, shipments and inventories.

The details

Approximately two-thirds of participants reported order increases in August compared to a year ago. Shipments declined 2% from July, while receivables rose 1% from July and inventories fell 1% from July. Separately, seasonally adjusted sales at U.S. furniture and home furnishings stores rose 1.3% in September from August.

August 2025: baseline year for the August order and shipment comparisons.
July 2026: baseline month for the August order and shipment comparisons.
August 2026: residential furniture orders dropped 4% from July.
September 2026: furniture store sales rose 1.3% from August.
October 2026: the monthly report was published in the October issue of Furniture Insights.

Economic Indicators

The August figures extend four consecutive months of year-over-year order growth in Smith Leonard's monthly residential furniture survey, while the 4% month-over-month decline marks a short departure from that pattern. The survey is one of the closest industry-specific gauges of household durable goods demand tracked in the monthly economic indicators series.

For consumers planning furniture purchases, the strong year-over-year order growth suggests manufacturers are running with higher backlogs, which can affect delivery timelines. The month-to-month dip and flat shipments indicate that lead times and pricing may be worth comparing across retailers before buying.

The takeaway

Year-over-year growth in furniture orders has held for four straight months, but the August dip is a reminder that monthly swings can differ from the longer trend. Tracking both views helps readers gauge where demand is heading.