Import duty from China to the USA in October 2026 is the base tariff for your product's HTS code, plus the original Section 301 duty of 7.5 or 25 percent if the line is on List 1 to 4A, plus the 12.5 percent layer on goods of China that took effect on July 24, 2026. A zero-rated product on List 3 therefore pays 37.5 percent, and a product on no list pays its base rate plus 12.5. A few strategic categories such as electric vehicles, solar cells and batteries carry far higher rates. There is no single "China duty rate"; it depends on the HTS code.
That is the honest short answer, and it frustrates people who want one number. The real figure comes from your product's classification, its customs value, and a handful of fees. Here is how to work it out for your own shipment.
The five things that decide what you pay
Total duty on a shipment from China is built from five parts. Get each one right and the number is exact rather than a guess.
| Component | What it is | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Base HTS duty | The Most Favored Nation rate for your code | 0% to ~20% |
| Section 301 list duty | Lists 1 to 4A, by 8-digit subheading | 7.5% or 25% (some far higher) |
| 2026 layer (9903.05.31) | On goods of China since July 24, 2026, outside listed exemptions and Section 232 goods | 12.5% |
| Merchandise processing fee | CBP fee on formal entries | 0.3464% (set min and max) |
| Harbor maintenance fee | On ocean shipments | 0.125% |
Duties are calculated on the customs value, which is usually the price you paid for the goods, not the retail price and not the price with freight rolled in for most terms. So a 20,000 dollar ocean shipment of goods on List 3, with a zero base rate, owes 5,000 dollars of Section 301 duty, 2,500 dollars under the July 24 layer, 69.28 dollars of processing fee and 25 dollars of harbor fee: 7,594.28 dollars before freight. Freight and insurance then add to your landed cost even though they are not always part of the dutiable value.
Why the base rate alone misleads you
Look up many products from China and the base HTS duty reads zero or low single digits, which makes importing look cheap. The trap is that the Section 301 surcharge does not show up next to that base rate in a quick lookup. Furniture, auto parts and thousands of consumer goods sit on List 3 at 25 percent; apparel, footwear and electronics on List 4A at 7.5 percent. For the full breakdown of which lists exist and how to check your code, see our guide to Section 301 tariffs. The one rule to carry away: never quote a China landed cost off the base rate alone.
What happened to the de minimis exemption
For years, shipments valued under 800 dollars could enter the US duty-free under the de minimis rule, which is why so many direct-from-China parcels arrived with no tariff. That exemption ended for goods from China first, was suspended for every country on August 29, 2025, and a CBP rule on June 24, 2026 made the suspension indefinite. Every parcel from a Chinese supplier now enters with an HTS code and pays the full stack, so a seller who used to ship single orders direct now needs a code for every SKU, not just the bulk lines.
How to calculate your exact duty
Work it in order. First, classify the product to its 10-digit HTS code, because everything downstream keys off that number. Second, read the base MFN duty for that line. Third, check whether the 8-digit subheading is on a Section 301 list and add that rate. Fourth, apply the processing and harbor fees to the customs value. The hardest step is the first one, since a wrong code changes both the base rate and the 301 status.
Describe your product on the live classifier to get the code, the base duty and the 2026 China total with a rationale, then run the full figure, including fees, in the import duty calculator. If you resell what you import through online marketplaces, it pays to keep the duty in view alongside your revenue; tools that track every marketplace payout make it easier to see whether the margin survives the tariff.
Pricing a whole China catalog before the next purchase order
One product is a lookup. A catalog of 200 or 2,000 China-made SKUs is where the money goes, because the same factory often ships lines on three different Section 301 lists in one container. A screwdriver (8205.40) sits on List 3, a cordless drill (8467.21) on no active list, and an exercise bike (9506.91) on List 4A, so the 2026 China totals are 43.7, 14.2 and 24.6 percent. Average them and you misprice every one.
| Catalog | Broker review at $50 to $200 per product | TariffWise |
|---|---|---|
| 60 SKUs from one supplier | $3,000 to $12,000 | Starter, $59 for the month |
| 800 SKUs across several factories | $40,000 to $160,000 | Growth, $199 for the month, one CSV run |
| Importer adding new China SKUs every week | Billed per product, every time | Business, $499 a month, API and 20 seats |
Upload the product list once and each row comes back with the 10-digit code, the reasoning, the Section 301 list it sits on and the 2026 China total, so the landed cost is known before you sign the purchase order rather than when the broker's invoice arrives. Plans are on the HS code classification pricing page, and if the real question is whether to move a line out of China, the Vietnam duty guide runs the same math for the most common alternative.
Watch for antidumping and countervailing duties
Beyond the base rate and Section 301, some Chinese goods carry antidumping (AD) or countervailing (CVD) duties, and these can dwarf everything else. They apply to specific products the US has found are sold below fair value or unfairly subsidized: examples over the years include furniture, tires, steel, aluminum extrusions, mattresses, solar panels and certain hardware. AD and CVD rates are set per producer and can run from single digits to several hundred percent. They stack on top of the base duty and the Section 301 tariff, so a product that looks like a 25 percent import can, in a worst case, owe far more. If you import anything in a category that has faced trade cases, check whether an AD/CVD order covers your specific product and supplier before you commit to an order.
Customs value and Incoterms change the math
Duty is charged on the customs value, and your shipping terms decide what that value includes. Under most terms the dutiable value is the transaction price of the goods, exclusive of international freight and insurance, but the details depend on your Incoterms and how the sale is structured. Getting this right matters because every percentage point of duty is applied to that base: overstate it and you overpay, understate it and you risk a penalty. Keep the commercial invoice, the packing list and the terms of sale consistent, and make sure the value you declare ties back to what you actually paid the supplier.
Frequently asked questions
How much is import duty from China to the USA?
In October 2026 it is the base HTS duty for your product, plus a Section 301 list rate of 7.5 or 25 percent where the line is listed, plus 12.5 percent on goods of China since July 24, 2026, plus processing and harbor fees. Most listed consumer goods land between 20 and 50 percent in total. The exact figure depends on the product's HTS code.
Do I pay tax on goods imported from China?
Yes. You pay the HTS duty plus any Section 301 tariff, the 12.5 percent layer since July 24, 2026, the merchandise processing fee, and the harbor maintenance fee on ocean freight. These are federal charges collected by Customs and Border Protection at entry. State sales tax is separate and is generally handled when you sell the goods, not at import.
How do I avoid paying too much duty on Chinese imports?
Classify accurately so you neither miss a Section 301 charge nor overpay on the wrong code, check for active product exclusions, and confirm the correct customs value. If the same product is available from a country without a Section 301 action, changing origin (with proper substantial-transformation documentation) can lower the tariff. Never misdeclare origin or value to reduce duty; that is customs fraud.
Is there still a duty-free threshold for China?
No. The 800 dollar de minimis exemption no longer applies to goods from China, it was suspended for all countries on August 29, 2025, and a CBP rule on June 24, 2026 made that indefinite. Every shipment from China, however small, now needs an HTS code and pays duty.
Get the number right from the code up. Classify on the live classifier, total the cost in the import duty calculator, and read how Section 301 tariffs work so the China surcharge never catches you out. If you just need the rates, the Section 301 tariff list by product sets them out by list and effective date.