Global and Indian Home Textile Trade: A Market Under Pressure from Both Ends
The global home textile trade entered 2026 under visible strain. Across the four largest import markets tracked through March 2026, aggregate imports fell 11% year-to-date, with the US recording the steepest decline at 20% on a YTD basis. That compression is not uniform, but it is directionally consistent, and it is running into India’s export performance at a difficult moment.
The Import-Side Constraint
US home furnishing store sales stood at US$ 4.9 Bn in April 2026, down 5% from April 2025, and the January–April 2026 cumulative total of US$ 19.2 Bn is 3% below the same period in 2025. Within the US import basket, India held a 21% share in 2025, up 1 percentage point from 2024, as China’s share slipped from 51% to 43%. That supplier-side gain, however, is being absorbed by a shrinking total pool. The EU and Japan show softer but similar dynamics: EU imports were down 5% YTD through February 2026; Japan was broadly flat.
One outlier: the UK, where home textile imports grew 7% year-to-date through March 2026. India holds an 8% share of the UK market, unchanged year-on-year.
India’s Export Picture: Broad Declines, One Bright Spot
India’s home textile exports reached US$ 1.6 Bn in January–March 2026. The 3% CAGR from 2019 to 2025 tells a story of structurally flat trade, with the 2021 peak of US$ 8.0 Bn remaining the high-water mark. In Q1 2026, total category exports fell 12% YTD. Category-wise performance through March 2026:
- Carpets & Floor Coverings: US$ 163 Mn, down 11% YoY, 10% YTD
- Bed Linen: US$ 122 Mn, down 23% YoY, 17% YTD
- Kitchen & Table Linen: US$ 133 Mn, down 17% YoY, 12% YTD
- Furnishings: US$ 36 Mn, down 5% YoY, 6% YTD
- Mattress Support & Other Mattresses: US$ 32 Mn, down 11% YoY, 14% YTD
- Terry Towel: US$ 18 Mn, down 22% YoY, 17% YTD
- Blankets: US$ 12 Mn, down 40% YoY, 28% YTD — the sharpest decline across all categories
- Curtains: US$ 16 Mn, up 45% YoY, 23% YTD — the sole category with consistent growth
- Quilts & Comforters: US$ 8 Mn, down 27% YoY, up 4% YTD
At the company level, OPM compression has accompanied revenue softness across India’s leading home textile manufacturers. Welspun Living’s OPM fell from 12% in FY25 to 8% in FY26. Indo Count Industries’ OPM declined from 13% to 10% over the same period. Trident held margins steady at 13%, an outlier in a margin-pressured environment.
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The full report tracks monthly trade flows across nine home textile categories, covering key import markets (USA, EU, UK, Japan) and India’s export performance from January 2019 through March 2026, with supplier share and company financials
