CULP INC

Raw materials account for approximately 60%-70% of mattress fabric production costs. The mattress fabrics segment purchases primarily synthetic yarns (polyester, polypropylene, and rayon), certain greige (unfinished) goods, glue adhesives, laminates, dyes, and other chemicals. Most of these materials are available from several suppliers, and prices fluctuate based on supply and demand and the general rate of inflation. Additionally, because many of our basic raw materials are produced from petrochemical products, our costs are highly sensitive to the underlying price of oil.

The mattress fabrics segment has generally not had significant difficulty in obtaining raw materials, apart from some delays experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, which have since subsided. However, our use of outside suppliers to source materials makes the mattress fabrics segment vulnerable to price increases, delays, or production interruptions caused by problems within businesses that we do not control.

The upholstery fabrics segment generally does not purchase raw materials directly, but raw materials, particularly synthetic yarns (polyester, acrylic, rayon, and polypropylene) and dyes, are important to our suppliers of finished and unfinished fabrics. Raw materials account for approximately 60%-70% of upholstery fabric manufacturing costs for products the company manufactures. As with our mattress fabrics, our costs fluctuate with the price of oil.

Increased reliance by both our U.S. and China upholstery operations on outside suppliers for basic production needs such as base fabrics, yarns, and finishing services has caused the upholstery fabrics segment to become more vulnerable to price increases, delays, or production interruptions caused by problems within businesses that we do not control.