Minotti furniture comes from Meda, a furniture town north of Milan, and a Minotti table or sofa for a US terrace crosses the Atlantic before it reaches you. The price you see on a quote carries more than the piece: freight, customs entry, a duty, a few fees and some paperwork that US law asks for. None of this is hard, and knowing the parts helps you read the numbers when they arrive.
The route in six steps
A Minotti outdoor order follows the same route whether it holds one Pilotis coffee table or a whole terrace. We send a written quote. You confirm the order. The factory builds the pieces to order in Italy, since Minotti makes outdoor pieces to the finish, fabric and size you choose. Freight carries the crates across. A customs broker files the entry in the United States. A delivery team brings the pieces to your address.
From Meda to your terrace
We confirm the timing of each step when we price the order. Production time depends on the collection and the finishes, and freight depends on the season and the port, so a single number on a web page would mislead you.
Tariff codes: seats and tables
US customs sorts furniture under chapter 94 of the tariff schedule. Two headings cover almost any Minotti outdoor order:
- 9401 for seats. Sofas, armchairs, chairs, stools and daybeds with a seat all sit here.
- 9403 for other furniture. Dining tables, coffee tables and side tables go here.
A dining set from Minotti Fynn, the solid teak family by GamFratesi, splits across both headings. The Fynn table, with its stave top in two sizes, goes under 9403. The chairs with armrests, laced with cord in a mud brown tone, go under 9401, and so does the Fynn bench. The broker assigns the full code to each line, and each code carries its own rate. See the Fynn collection.
Duty and fees
Goods from Italy enter under the trade terms between the European Union and the United States. The duty is a percentage of the declared value of each line. We leave the rate off this page on purpose: rates move with trade policy, and a figure printed here in September could be wrong by spring. The broker confirms the rate on the day of entry, and we show it on your quote.
Two fees sit on top of the duty. The merchandise processing fee is a small percentage of the value of the shipment. The harbor maintenance fee applies when the goods arrive by sea. Both appear as separate lines, so you can see them.
A separate US tariff applies to upholstered wooden seating from most countries, and goods from the EU sit outside it at the time of writing. The broker checks that status on each shipment, since exemptions change.
Papers that travel with the crates
Three sets of papers matter for outdoor furniture.
The Lacey Act declaration. Any piece with wood in it needs a declaration that names the species and the country where the timber grew, part by part. A Fynn chair in teak needs one. So does a Bellagio table with a teak top.
The TB 117-2013 label. Upholstered seats and cushions sold in the United States carry a flammability label of at least 2 by 3 inches, fixed so it cannot tear off. It also says whether the maker added flame retardant chemicals.
Prop 65. California asks for a warning where a product contains listed chemicals above set levels. Sellers across the country tend to follow the same practice.
Minotti Bellagio shows how one table can touch two of these rules. Gordon Guillaumier drew round tables with a top of polished Basaltine stone or natural teak on a stainless steel base painted in bronze, pewter, ecru or dark brown. The stone version needs no wood declaration for its top. The teak version does. A Lazy Susan tray in brushed Basaltine can sit at the center of either. See the Bellagio collection.
The codes, fees and papers
| Item | What it covers | Who handles it |
|---|---|---|
| Tariff code 9401 | Seats: sofas, armchairs, chairs, stools, daybeds with a seat | The customs broker, at entry |
| Tariff code 9403 | Other furniture: dining, coffee and side tables | The customs broker, at entry |
| Import duty | A rate set under the EU and US trade terms for goods from Italy | The broker confirms the rate for each code |
| Merchandise processing fee | A small percentage of the declared value | Paid at entry |
| Harbor maintenance fee | Charged on goods that arrive by sea | Paid at entry |
| Lacey Act declaration | Wood species and country of harvest for each wooden part | Filed with the entry |
| TB 117-2013 label | Flammability label on upholstered seats and cushions | Sewn on at the factory |
| Sales tax | Set by your state | Shown on the final invoice |
One desk for the whole route
You deal with one party: us. We place the order with the factory, arrange freight and work with a licensed customs broker who files the entry. Before the first shipment the broker settles who acts as the importer of record and whether a customs bond applies. Sales tax follows the rules of your state, and the final invoice shows it.
Two habits save time. Give us the delivery address early, since a house on a hill with a narrow drive needs a different truck than a building with a loading dock. Tell us about stairs, a roof terrace or a lift, because a stone tabletop weighs a lot and the team needs to plan the carry.
Reading a quote from us
A Minotti quote from our desk lists each piece with its finish and fabric, the price of the piece, freight, the duty line and fees as the broker estimates them, delivery, and sales tax where it applies. Anything we cannot confirm yet, we mark as an estimate and say when we will confirm it.
Send us the pieces you want, the delivery address and any access notes with the form below. We reply with a written quote for the whole route from Meda to your terrace, and we confirm the production time with it.
