Almost every machine, weight and mat a gym equipment importer brings in sits under one HTS subheading, 9506.91, and from China that line pays 24.6 percent in 2026. The surprise is everything around it. The rubber floor tiles in the same container pay 40.2 percent, the massage guns 12.5 percent, and the same treadmill built in Taiwan pays 10 percent. This is a buyer's comparison of the software that classifies a fitness catalog, with the 2026 duty by line and origin and what it costs per SKU.
What is the best HS code classification software for fitness equipment importers?
For a US home fitness brand, a commercial gym equipment distributor or an Amazon seller of weights and accessories, the best fit is a classifier that returns the full 10-digit HTSUS code from a plain product description, separates exercise equipment from the floor coverings, apparel and electronics sold next to it, and shows the 2026 duty by country of origin on the same screen. TariffWise does that from $59 a month, with bulk CSV classification of a whole catalog on the $199 Growth plan. A licensed customs broker is still the right call for contested lines and for filing the entry.
The reason fitness catalogs go wrong is not the main line. Any lookup gets a treadmill to 9506.91. The errors live in the add-ons and bundles: the gym flooring, the smart mirror, the recovery tools, the lifting gloves and the home gym "complete package" that ships as one SKU. Each of those can leave 9506.91, and the duty moves by up to 15 points when it does.
Where fitness equipment sits in the US tariff schedule in 2026
Rates below are the column 1 general rate and the total for goods of China, read from the 2026 HTSUS, Revision 20. The China total adds the original Section 301 list rate, where the line is on one, and the 12.5 percent layer under heading 9903.05.31 that took effect on July 24, 2026.
| Product | HTSUS line | General rate | From China in 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exercise bikes, upright, recumbent and spin | 9506.91.0010 | 4.6% | 24.6% (List 4A 7.5% plus 12.5%) |
| Rowing machines | 9506.91.0020 | 4.6% | 24.6% (List 4A plus 12.5%) |
| Treadmills, ellipticals, benches, racks and home gyms | 9506.91.0030 | 4.6% | 24.6% (List 4A plus 12.5%) |
| Dumbbells, kettlebells and weight plates | 9506.91.0030 | 4.6% | 24.6% (List 4A plus 12.5%) |
| Yoga mats, resistance bands and exercise balls | 9506.91.0030 | 4.6% | 24.6% (List 4A plus 12.5%) |
| Gym floor tiles and mats of vulcanized rubber | 4016.91.0000 | 2.7% | 40.2% (List 3 25% plus 12.5%) |
| Massage guns and other massage apparatus | 9019.10.20 | Free | 12.5% (no Section 301 list) |
| Leather sports gloves, other than golf and the listed sports | 4203.21.80 | 4.9% | 42.4% (List 3 25% plus 12.5%) |
The line that catches people is the floor. A yoga mat is exercise equipment and stays in 9506.91, because it is made for use during exercise. Interlocking rubber tiles for a garage gym are a floor covering of vulcanized rubber, heading 4016.91, and that line is on Section 301 List 3 at 25 percent, not List 4A at 7.5 percent. Ship 400 square feet of flooring with a power rack and the flooring carries the higher duty even though it cost less. Describe it as "gym mat" on the invoice and nobody can tell which one it is.
The same treadmill pays 10, 17.1 or 24.6 percent depending on origin
The 2026 layer is not one rate. The presidential memorandum behind the July 24 action, published by USTR in the Federal Register on July 28, 2026, sets 12.5 percent for China and Vietnam, a flat 10 percent for a group that includes Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia and Mexico, and a top-up for Taiwan and the EU so that the general rate plus the new layer equals 10 percent. Taiwan is a major source of commercial cardio machines, so origin is a pricing decision, not a footnote.
| Origin of a 9506.91 product | General rate | 2026 layer | Section 301 List 4A | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | 4.6% | 12.5% | 7.5% | 24.6% |
| Vietnam | 4.6% | 12.5% | None | 17.1% |
| Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia | 4.6% | 10% | None | 14.6% |
| Taiwan | 4.6% | 5.4% top-up | None | 10% |
Two cautions. Origin follows substantial transformation, so a bike frame welded in China and assembled in Vietnam may still be Chinese for duty purposes, and that is exactly what CBP asks about when a product line moves countries in a year. And steel-framed machines, racks and iron plates can also fall under the Section 232 metals duties, which since April 6, 2026 work off the full customs value for articles on the metals annexes. Goods covered by Section 232 are outside the July 24 layer, so check each model's annex status before you price it. The steel and aluminum importers comparison covers that check line by line.
Four fitness products that leave 9506.91
Smart mirrors and screens sold alone. A treadmill with a built-in touchscreen is still a treadmill, because the screen is part of the machine. A wall-mounted fitness mirror with a display, speakers and a camera, sold without any exercise apparatus, is argued as a monitor or a communication device, a different chapter with a different 301 status. The product page wording matters, so record what the device actually does.
Recovery tools. Massage guns and powered foam rollers with a motor are massage apparatus under 9019.10.20, free of general duty and on no Section 301 list. Plain foam rollers and massage balls without a motor stay with exercise accessories. Same shelf, very different duty.
Gloves, belts and apparel. Workout gloves follow their material: leather gloves made for sport go to 4203.21, where the "other" line 4203.21.80 is on List 3 and pays 42.4 percent from China, while textile ones go to Chapter 61 or 62. Lifting belts and gym bags have their own homes too. A brand that sells accessories under its own label should classify them as separately as the machines.
Bundles. A home gym package with a rack, a bench, a barbell, plates and flooring in one box is a classification question under General Rule of Interpretation 3(b). Treated as a set put up for retail sale, it takes the code of the item that gives it its essential character, usually the rack. Shipped as separate cartons with separate invoice lines, each item is classified on its own, and the flooring lands on List 3.
Fitness equipment classification software compared
| Tool | Code depth | Shows why the code applies | Best for | Published pricing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TariffWise | 10-digit HTSUS with the 2026 duty stack by origin and landed cost | Yes, reasoning on every result plus runner-up codes | US fitness brands and distributors pricing a container before the purchase order | $59, $199, $499 a month |
| Gaia Dynamics | HS and HTS, several countries | Yes, with ruling citations | Brands selling into several markets, yearly billing | $99, $379, $1,399 a month, billed yearly |
| Quickcode | HTS with rulings and notes beside it | Yes, research panel | Brokers and classifiers who read rulings first | Free for 10 a month, then from $749 a month |
| GingerControl | HTS with stacked duty | Yes, interactive questions | Importers that also want refund and audit services | No published rate card |
| Carrier and marketplace lookups | Usually 6-digit HS | No | One outbound shipment at a time | Free |
| Licensed customs broker | 10-digit on the entry | On request | Contested products, origin questions and the entry itself | About $50 to $200 per product review |
The wider field is on the best HS code classification software roundup. Test any tool with ten products your team has argued about: a spin bike, a rubber floor tile, a yoga mat, a massage gun, a smart mirror, leather lifting gloves and one bundled home gym. A tool that returns 9506.91 for all ten is not reading the product. A tool that explains why the tile and the massage gun differ is the one to buy.
How much does it cost to classify a fitness catalog?
| Catalog | Broker review at $50 to $200 each | TariffWise |
|---|---|---|
| 60 SKUs for a home fitness brand on Amazon | $3,000 to $12,000 | Starter, $59 for the month |
| 600 machines, weights, flooring and accessories | $30,000 to $120,000 | Growth, $199 for the month, one CSV run |
| A commercial distributor with 5,000 lines and parts | Rarely quoted per line at this size | Business, $499 for the month |
Run the catalog once as a CSV with a description, material, power source and country of origin for each row, then read the reasoning on anything flagged. The handful of genuinely contested items, usually the bundles and the connected devices, go to your broker with the reasoning attached, which shortens that conversation. The HS code lookup by product page shows how the classifier handles other categories, and full plan details are on the HS code classification pricing page.
Duty is a cash line as well as a cost line. It is paid at entry, usually through the broker's statement, weeks before a gym chain or a marketplace pays you, and matching those broker charges to the right shipments in your books takes longer than most teams expect. Reconciliation software that matches bank lines to invoices keeps that from piling up at month end.
Questions fitness importers ask before choosing a tool
What is the HS code for gym equipment?
Most gym equipment is HS code 9506.91, articles and equipment for general physical exercise. In the US schedule exercise bikes are 9506.91.0010, rowing machines 9506.91.0020, and treadmills, ellipticals, weights, benches, racks and yoga mats 9506.91.0030. Rubber floor tiles, massage guns and apparel are classified elsewhere.
What is the import duty on fitness equipment from China?
In October 2026 most fitness equipment from China pays 24.6 percent: the 4.6 percent general rate for 9506.91, 7.5 percent under Section 301 List 4A, and the 12.5 percent layer in force since July 24, 2026. Rubber gym flooring under 4016.91 pays 40.2 percent because it is on List 3.
Is the HS code for a treadmill the same as for an exercise bike?
Both sit in subheading 9506.91 at the same 4.6 percent general rate, but the 10-digit statistical suffix differs. Exercise bikes are 9506.91.0010 and treadmills fall under 9506.91.0030, the "other" suffix. The duty is the same, yet the suffix must still be right on the entry.
Is fitness equipment from Taiwan cheaper to import than from China?
Yes, in 2026 it is. A 9506.91 product of Taiwan pays 10 percent in total, because the new layer for Taiwan only tops the general rate up to 10 percent and Taiwan is not on the Section 301 lists. The same product of China pays 24.6 percent, as long as origin is genuinely Taiwanese.
Can software classify a whole fitness catalog at once?
Yes. On TariffWise's Growth and Business plans you upload a CSV with a description, material and origin per row and get a 10-digit HTSUS code, the reasoning and the 2026 duty by origin for each line. A 600-line catalog is one run on the $199 plan, and the flagged rows show where a fact is missing.
Who is responsible if fitness equipment is misclassified?
The importer of record. Under 19 USC 1484 you must use reasonable care in classifying your goods, whether a broker, a tool or an employee chose the code. Keep the spec sheet behind each code, because material, motor and what the product is sold to do are the facts a CBP reviewer asks for.