Teak outdoor furniture from Italy brings a form with it at the US border. RODA, the Lake Varese company behind RODA outdoor furniture, uses solid teak across many of its families, and each shipment of those pieces needs a Lacey Act declaration. The form is short, and knowing what goes on it helps you read your import paperwork.
The law in two sentences
The Lacey Act makes it illegal to bring into the US any plant or timber that was cut in breach of the laws where it grew. For furniture, it means the importer declares the wood in each product at the border, on a form called PPQ 505.
The form asks for the scientific name of each wood, the country of harvest, the value and quantity, and the share of recycled wood. It covers solid wood and wood hidden inside a product, such as MDF or particleboard.
Form PPQ 505
What the wood declaration lists
- PPQ 505
- 1scientific name of the wood
- 2country of harvest
- 3value of the wood part
- 4quantity of the wood
- 5share of recycled wood
Network: teak in bands
RODA Network was the first collection Rodolfo Dordoni designed for RODA, and RODA still names it as the turning point in its design. The frame is a grid of solid teak in horizontal bands with woven belts between them. The top of the sofa back is wide enough to act as a shelf.
The family runs from modular sofas and a lounge chair to dining chairs, bar stools and low teak coffee tables. For the declaration, that is one wood across many piece types. The broker lists teak against each product line on the invoice.
Teseo: teak sewn together
RODA Teseo comes from AMDL CIRCLE, the Milan studio Michele De Lucchi founded. A thin polyester cord, dyed mole, runs in and out between the teak slats of the chair and the table top, and the stitching becomes the decoration. RODA calls it sewing wood.
Teseo uses FSC certified teak, from forests managed under Forest Stewardship Council rules. RODA itself holds certificate FSC-C155819. FSC and the Lacey Act do different jobs. FSC is a voluntary chain of custody that shows where the wood came from. The Lacey Act declaration is a legal filing at the border. An FSC claim makes the declaration easier to back up, and the broker still files the form.
Iroko and larch on the same form
Teak is the main wood at RODA, and two others turn up. Iroko, a dense African hardwood, carries Zania and Eolie, with FSC certification on the Eolie wood and the Zania armchair. Larch appears in the shelves and cutting boards of the Norma outdoor kitchen. Each goes on the form under its own name.
Teak at home
Once the papers clear, teak asks little of you. Its natural oils keep water out, and it needs no paint. Left unoiled, Network and Teseo turn a soft silver gray over a few seasons, which suits Teseo's gray-brown cord. A teak oil from time to time keeps the honey tone, if you prefer it.
Teseo's table comes about 87 3/8 or 119 1/2 inches long and 43 1/4 inches deep, with the legs close to the ends. That leaves about 78 3/4 or 108 5/8 inches between them, so chairs line the long sides with no leg in the way.
Ask for the paperwork with the quote
Network adds a detail that saves you side tables. Dordoni made the top of the sofa back wide enough to hold a drink or a book, and a console of the same height can stand behind the sofa. The bar stool and the counter stool, with seats near 29 1/2 and 21 5/8 inches, suit a hotel bar or a home outdoor kitchen.
Before you order, ask which woods each piece contains and whether the invoice carries an FSC claim. After delivery, keep a copy of the declaration with your invoice.
Put the teak pieces you are pricing in the form below. Each gets a written price and the wood details the broker will need.
