Artificial Christmas trees are costing Americans 10 to 15% more this year after months of tariff turmoil, according to industry leaders cited by Fortune. About 85% of the roughly 20 million Christmas trees sold in the US each year are artificial, and about 90% of those are made in China, so threatened duties of up to 145% earlier this year threw sellers into turmoil. Some distributors temporarily halted production in China while others scrambled to move production elsewhere as they waited to see whether the threatened rates would fall. They have, back down to a more manageable 20%, but the disruption still pushed prices up.
Price rises across the board
“We have raised prices and I think most companies have raised prices,” National Tree Company chief executive Chris Butler told Fortune. The bulk of artificial trees sell in the $100 to $300 range, so the tariff effect translates into real dollars in an already stressful holiday season, the report noted. Butler said roughly 50% of his company’s production is now outside China, giving it some flexibility, and large sellers like Walmart and Home Depot have already placed orders for 2026. His company has lobbied lawmakers, meeting with the US Trade Representative, faith-based organisations at the White House and five senators, about the tariff uncertainty.
Deals may still emerge
Expectations that customers will be scarcer this year may create opportunities for deals, Butler said. The average owner of an artificial tree buys a new one every five years, and higher prices could convince some to hold out for one more year. Some 80% of trees are sold after November 1. “We’re seeing a bit of softness early in the season for Christmas trees, and we may have to give back some of those price increases and promotions to get back to where we need to be,” Butler said. Shoppers who can wait may find promotions closer to December, analysts said. The price pressure is not limited to the United States. In Germany, industry groups projected that the running metre price for popular Nordmann firs will rise to about 25 to 33 euros this season, up from 23 to 30 euros last year, citing higher production costs, rising wages, more expensive transport and a tightening supply of homegrown trees. About 16 million natural trees are sold in Germany each year, with roughly 80% domestic production, but growers face weather extremes, labour shortages and fewer successors. The long, dry summer damaged many new plantings in southern Germany — a loss that growers warned will reduce supply visibly in about eight to nine years, when those trees would have reached market size.
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