Where Is Ikea Furniture Made? (Sweden or China?)

Ikea furniture is affordable and well-designed. A popular question many have is where Ikea furniture is manufactured. Is it made in Sweden? China? Where is Ikea furniture made?

Ikea has stated on their website that approximately 22% of their furniture is made in China. Other countries that manufacture Ikea furniture include Myanmar, Malaysia, Vietnam, Poland, and Romania. Ikea furniture is all designed in Sweden.

Read on to learn more about where Ikea furniture is made and how it is so cheap.

Where Is Ikea Furniture Made?

Ikea furniture is made in China, Myanmar, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Eastern European nations such as Poland and Romania.

Ikea furniture is designed in Sweden, but most of the actual manufacturing is in China. There are also manufacturing facilities in Myanmar, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Eastern European nations such as Poland and Romania.

Ikea is a Swedish company that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture and other products. They are known as the world’s largest furniture retailer. However, it does not manufacture the pieces that it sells. It has manufacturing plants in different countries and has more than a thousand vendors that supply its furniture.

Swedwood is one of Ikea’s subsidiaries. It focuses on the production of the company’s wood-based products. Their largest factory is situated in Southern Poland.

There are 50 manufacturing sites in 10 countries that consist of more than 16,000 employees. The manufacturing workers make roughly 100 million furniture pieces sold by Ikea on an annual basis.

How Is Ikea Cheap? How Do They Keep Their Prices Low?

A big part of Ikea’s success is how they are able to sell beautiful furniture at such low prices. For instance, you can purchase a well-built Ikea couch for US$400.

Many other furniture stores will sell a comparable couch for double that price. How can Ikea keep its prices that low? It’s all about its selling approach.

Ingvar Kamprad, the Ikea founder, introduced the “Flat Packing” technique in 1956. This technique allows shoppers to buy furniture in pieces and assemble them at home all by themselves. This allows Ikea to charge less for all its products.

Let’s go through the factors that allow Ikea to lower its costs:

1. How Ikea Makes Furniture

Ikea makes furniture by layering sheets of wood over a honeycomb core. Such a construction design allows Ikea to save money. Thus, it allows them to lower the price of their products.

2. Bulk Production

Ikea also makes everything in bulk. Pieces are manufactured in large volumes to get discounts on product costs.

3. Application of the Flat Packaging Method

The pieces are packed completely flat. That way, it will not be bulky, and it will be less costly when transported.

4. Ikea Hires a Few Store Associates

Ikea only hires a few store associates. Instead of that, Ikea makes sure that they provide extensive details about their products. These details are indicated on the price tag of each of their items.

5. Shoppers Take Their Newly Purchased Products Home on Their Own

If you are buying Ikea products, make sure they all fit inside your vehicle. Ikea does not have a delivery service. Otherwise, it will require them to hire staff specifically for this job. This then means higher overhead costs and, therefore, higher product costs.

6. Allowing Shoppers to Assemble Their Own Furniture

It may be dismaying to assemble furniture pieces on your own. However, if Ikea hires staff to build them for you, they will not sell products at low prices.

Ikea will be forced to raise prices to make up for their overhead expenses, such as their employees’ salaries and electric consumption, among others.

It’s quite understandable that some shoppers would find it annoying to assemble furniture pieces. But, surprisingly, many Ikea customers find it interesting and enjoyable to make pieces on their own.

Besides, Ikea has already established its impressive reputation as a designer and seller of ready-to-assemble furniture.

Ikea furniture is manufactured and made in many countries around the world including China, Myanmar, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Eastern European nations such as Poland and Romania. Approximately 22% of Ikea furniture is made in China.

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Who Founded Ikea?

Ingvar Kamprad founded this furniture business in the 1940s. Kamprad was known for his entrepreneurial skills, which he discovered at an early age. At 5 years old, he was already selling matches.

When he reached the age of 7, he discovered that he could buy matches in bulk at a discount. He then sold them individually for an affordable price and still made a good profit.

This discovery led to his decision to sell other products. These included pencils, pens, seeds, Christmas decors, and fish, among others.

When Kamprad succeeded in his studies at 17, his father gave him a cash reward. He used his money to establish IKEA, which he founded at his uncle’s kitchen table. At that time, Ikea was selling various items until he added furniture to his portfolio in 1948.

He would then buy furniture pieces produced by local manufacturers and sell them at slightly higher prices. Most of his sales were made via mail order.

While operating as a mail-order business, he decided to open a furniture showroom in 1953. That way, shoppers could see the quality of his products and conveniently choose which ones they preferred to order. Three years later, Ikea started designing its own furniture pieces.

Ikea Furniture Makers

Ikea’s approach has always been to design furniture pieces and scout for manufacturers who can meet their specifications and objectives. That way, the company merely has to buy products from manufacturers.

Ikea does not have to hire workers, thus, maintaining reasonably low overhead costs. This then translates to Ikea’s capability to offer products at low prices.

The company believes in constant expansion and in adjusting to the ever-evolving economies of various countries. Ikea is proactive in choosing which products to be made and where they should be made. This is why Ikea has partnered with various manufacturers all over the world.

Again, where is Ikea made? While Ikea furniture pieces are all designed in Sweden, they are manufactured in different parts of the world. Most of the actual manufacturing takes place in China.

Some products are manufactured in developing nations such as Myanmar, Malaysia, and Vietnam. But there are also manufacturing plants in Eastern European countries such as Poland and Romania.

Ikea’s Efforts to Strive for Sustainability

Ikea has to have assured access to a dependable supply of raw materials, specifically when it comes to wood and wood products. In fact, the company is known for being the third-largest consumer of wood worldwide.

Thus, IKEA Holding decided to acquire a forest in Lowndes County, Alabama measuring 25,000 acres. Campbell Global has been managing the forest since it is a leader in sustainable timberland investment.

Ikea also owns a forest land located in Romania and the Baltic States, measuring over 250,000 acres. By acquiring and managing its own forests, the company can optimize its long-term productivity. Furthermore, it also assures the sustainable provenance of the company’s supply of timber.

Benefits of Buying IKEA Furniture

There are several benefits to buying and owning Ikea furniture. Among these are the following:

Affordability

Your Opportunity for Self-designing
It Occupies Less Space
Convenient to Assemble

Wide Range of Selection

1. Affordability

The number one reason why shoppers choose Ikea is its affordability. Who would not want to own impressively unique furniture pieces at such low prices?

It is not common to find furniture pieces in other stores that look like the ones sold at Ikea. However, it is not impossible. Try visiting a furniture shop, and you will indeed find an item or two.

In which case, try taking a look at the price. For sure, Ikea products cost way lower than the ones from competitors.

2. Self-Design Opportunities

Aside from affordability, self-designing is one of the things that shoppers love about Ikea. Effortlessly, shoppers get to decorate their homes by merely buying from one store impressively — where else, but the Ikea store.

Should you want a minimalist interior design for your entire house, you can literally buy everything from Ikea. From sofas to beds to dining sets to kitchen stuff, you will find matching designs at Ikea.

If you want a modern home interior, everything is in Ikea too! Ikea has always been known for its uniquely designed pieces.

3. It Occupies Less Space

Ikea designs and sells furniture that occupies minimal space. This is ideal for people who are minimalists.

This minimal design is also perfect for those who love to fill their homes with many different types of furniture. They can place as many furniture pieces as they want.

4. Convenient to Assemble

At first, it may seem not very pleasant to assemble your own furniture. But then, Ikea makes it a point to make this activity a convenient one for all its shoppers.

Each product comes with step-by-step instructions. However, once you get hold of the pieces, you might not need to read the instructions anymore. It is fairly easy to assemble Ikea furniture on your own.

However, there are times when assembling the product you bought seems to be challenging. Even if you read and re-read the instructions that go along with it, the way you do it doesn’t seem right. In which case, don’t get frustrated.

You can always contact Ikea to seek assistance. If not, you may also seek help from other professional assembly service providers.

5. Wide Range of Selection

Everyone familiar with Ikea knows that each of its stores has a wide range of selections. It does not only sell home furniture, but it also sells furniture for office spaces. Furthermore, it offers furniture pieces for other types of business spaces such as restaurants or schools.

Furniture shopping at Ikea is perfect for startup businesses. You will surely be able to fill your space with stylish furniture pieces, all bought at very affordable prices.

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Types of Furniture Available at IKEA

When it comes to furniture, Ikea offers various types and styles. Among the types of furniture it offers are the following:

Sofas

Cabinets and Cupboards
Chaise Lounges and Armchairs
Beds

Chests of Drawers and Drawer Units
Tables and Desks
TV Stands and Media Furniture

Chairs
Bookcases and Shelving Units
Children’s Furniture

1. Sofas

To briefly discuss, Ikea has a wide selection of sofas for your living room. It offers fabric sofas, leather sofas, and modular ones, among others. These are offered in different styles and colors. You will indeed find the ones that you need.

2. Cabinets and Cupboards

Ikea also offers cabinets and cupboards. One of their bestsellers is a living room storage system that can be mounted on the wall. They also have display cabinets, sideboards and buffets, and other types of storage units.

3. Armchairs and Chaise Lounges

For armchairs and chaise lounges, Ikea indeed has a wide range of selections. It offers coated fabric armchairs, rattan armchairs, and recliners, among others.

4. Kids’ Furniture

Adults are not the only ones who will enjoy shopping at Ikea. Children will love it too! Ikea sells various furniture pieces for children — not to mention, they are all so cute! Among these are chests for children, small chairs, and outdoor furniture.

There are also dining chairs for kids, and even stools, armchairs, and benches. Moms will surely enjoy furniture shopping for their kids.

Suffice it to say that Ikea indeed always has the perfect product for everyone.

Conclusion – Where Is Ikea Furniture Made?

Ikea furniture is mainly designed in Sweden. But most of the actual manufacturing occurs in China. There are some manufacturing facilities located in Myanmar, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Manufacturing plants in Eastern European nations also exist, such as Poland and Romania.

Ikea makes it a point to have a design for everyone. Ikea wants to emphasize that even those who are not rich can dream big. Even those who are not rich can nonetheless make their home stylish and fabulous.