How important is Iran for Italian woodworking technologies?

As the conflict between Iran, Israel, the United States and their allies enters an increasingly delicate phase, the attention of global markets is focusing on the possible economic consequences of the crisis. From energy to oil, from trade routes to industrial supply chains, numerous sectors are closely watching how the situation evolves. The military escalation that began at the end of February with coordinated attacks by the United States and Israel against Iranian targets, followed by Tehran’s response, has already had effects on energy markets and on strategic routes such as the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one fifth of the world’s oil passes.
The highest price of this conflict is of course the human one, with thousands of victims and a region that is becoming increasingly unstable. But the consequences also have a concrete economic dimension for many countries, including Italy. Among the sectors closely monitoring the evolution of the crisis is also that of woodworking technologies, a supply chain strongly oriented toward exports and highly present in Middle Eastern markets.

The Middle East in Italy’s trade in the sector

According to analyses based on data from Acimall, in 2024 Italian exports of woodworking technologies to the Middle East exceeded 34 million euros. Although the area has not yet fully expressed its potential, it plays a strategic role thanks to the presence of growing furniture industries and investments linked to urban and real estate development.
However, trade flows are highly concentrated in a few countries: in 2024 the main markets in the region for Italian manufacturers were the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Israel, which absorb the largest share of Italian exports to the area. Alongside these are smaller markets that are nonetheless present in trade flows, such as Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and Iran.
Data relating to the first nine months of 2025 show exports to the region of about 25 million euros, confirming the central role of the Gulf countries and Israel in trade relations with Italy.

Iran’s weight

Within this regional framework, Iran represents a relatively limited market for Italian woodworking technologies, especially when compared with the main partners in the area. In 2024 Italian exports to the country amounted to around one million euros, a modest share compared with the volumes directed to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia or Israel.
This figure mainly reflects the difficulties that have characterized trade relations with Tehran in recent years, including international sanctions, political instability and financial restrictions that have reduced the possibility of developing broader industrial relations.
Despite this, the potential of the Iranian market remains significant. With more than 90 million inhabitants and a furniture industry estimated at around 2.5 billion dollars in consumption, the country represents one of the largest markets in the region for products in the wood-furniture supply chain. In other words, the end market exists, but access to international technologies – including Italian ones – remains strongly influenced by the geopolitical context.

Israel

Among the countries in the region, Israel represents one of the most relevant markets for Italian woodworking technologies. In 2024 Italian exports to the country reached about 7.8 million euros, placing Israel among Italy’s main partners in the Middle East for this sector.
The Israeli market stands out for a relatively developed furniture industry and for domestic demand supported by high per capita income (over 54 thousand dollars per year) and the dynamism of the real estate sector. Despite geopolitical tensions in recent years, the country therefore continues to represent one of the regional reference points for technologies in the wood-furniture supply chain.

United Arab Emirates

Even more significant is the role of the United Arab Emirates, which in 2024 absorbed more than 10 million euros of Italian exports of woodworking technologies, confirming themselves as the main market in the area for Italian manufacturers.
The Emirates indeed represent an industrial and commercial hub for the entire region, thanks to the presence of a rapidly developing real estate sector and a logistics system linking the Gulf with Africa and Asia. It is not uncommon for some of the machinery exported to the Emirates to be used in production projects aimed at other Middle Eastern markets as well.