For solar distributors, EPCs and installers
HS code for solar panels and the solar module HS code, with the 2026 US duty by origin
A module from Malaysia, an inverter from China and a battery cabinet from Korea land at three very different rates, and two new duty programs start before the end of 2026. Describe each item on the right and get the 10-digit code, the US duty and the reasoning to keep in your entry file.
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The short answer
The HS code for solar panels is 8541.43, photovoltaic cells assembled in modules or made up into panels. In the US the 10-digit line is 8541.43.0010 for crystalline silicon modules and 8541.43.0080 for thin film and other types, and the general duty rate is Free. Loose cells go to 8541.42. What you actually pay comes from origin: 12.5 percent from Vietnam, 10 percent from Malaysia, 62.5 percent from China, plus anti-dumping orders on seven Asian origins.
One module is a two-minute check in the demo above. The work is the rest of the container: inverters, optimizers, batteries, racking, cable and connectors, each in a different chapter with its own Section 301 list and its own exposure to the Section 232 metals duties. That is where a classifier earns its keep, because one wrong line on a utility-scale order is a five-figure difference.
Anatomy of a code: a 430 W monocrystalline module
8541.43
- 85
- Chapter: electrical machinery and equipment. Modules, inverters, cable and switchgear all start here, which is why a solar bill of materials looks deceptively uniform.
- 8541
- Heading: semiconductor devices, including photosensitive devices and photovoltaic cells. A solar cell is a semiconductor device in the eyes of the schedule, not a power generator.
- 8541.43
- Subheading: photovoltaic cells assembled in modules or made up into panels. Its sibling 8541.42 covers cells not yet assembled, which is how cell imports for US module lines are reported.
- .0010
- Statistical suffix: crystalline silicon cells of the kind described in statistical note 12 to Chapter 85. Thin film and other modules report under .0080. The suffix does not change the Free general rate, but it tracks the line the anti-dumping orders are written around.
Where a solar bill of materials classifies
A starting map, not a ruling. General rates are from the 2026 HTSUS. The China figure adds the Section 301 list rate and the 12.5 percent 2026 layer, before any anti-dumping deposit or fee. Confirm each item with the classifier above before you file.
8541.43.0010
Crystalline silicon modules
Free general rate. From China 62.5 percent (301 at 50 percent plus the 2026 layer), plus the 2012 and 2015 anti-dumping and countervailing duty orders.
8541.43.0080
Thin film modules
Free general rate and the same 301 line from China. Thin film sits outside the crystalline silicon anti-dumping orders, which is a material difference for utility buyers.
8541.42
Solar cells, not in modules
Free general rate, 50 percent Section 301 from China. Cells for US module assembly are the main target of the new polysilicon minimum price of $0.22 per watt.
8504.40.95
String and central inverters
Static converters at a Free general rate. From China on Section 301 List 3, so 37.5 percent with the 2026 layer.
8507.60.00
Lithium-ion storage batteries
3.4 percent general rate. Battery energy storage systems fully encased in a housing report under .0030. From China 40.9 percent since the 2026 Section 301 step-up.
7610.90.00
Aluminum racking and rails
5.7 percent general rate. Aluminum structures sit in Section 232 metals territory, so check the annex status of each part before you price it.
8544.42.90
PV cable with connectors
2.6 percent general rate for insulated conductors fitted with connectors. Unterminated cable reels go to 8544.49 and split by voltage.
8537.10
Combiner boxes and switchgear
2.7 percent general rate for boards and panels for 1,000 V or less, which covers most residential and commercial DC combiners.
GRI 3
Kits and portable solar generators
A panel shipped with a battery and an inverter is classified as a set, by the component that gives it its essential character, not automatically as 8541.43.
Solar panel tariff by country of origin in October 2026
The figures below are for a crystalline silicon module under 8541.43.0010, read from the Chapter 99 notes of the 2026 HTSUS, Revision 20. The general rate is Free from every origin, so the number in the third column is the whole ad valorem duty before trade remedy deposits and fees. Anti-dumping and countervailing duty rates are company-specific, which is why they get their own column instead of a number.
| Origin | Layers that apply | Ad valorem total | Anti-dumping and countervailing |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | Section 301 at 50 percent (9903.91.02) plus the 12.5 percent 2026 layer (9903.05.31) | 62.5% | Orders since 2012 on cells whether or not in modules, and since 2015 on modules from China made with third-country cells |
| Vietnam | 12.5 percent 2026 layer | 12.5% | Orders issued June 2025, company-specific rates |
| Thailand | 12.5 percent 2026 layer | 12.5% | Orders issued June 2025, company-specific rates |
| Malaysia | 10 percent 2026 layer | 10% | Orders issued June 2025; the lowest-rated producer pays 0 percent dumping and 14.64 percent subsidy |
| Cambodia | 10 percent 2026 layer | 10% | Orders issued June 2025, with some of the highest rates in any solar case |
| India | 10 percent 2026 layer | 10% | Final determinations September 2026: dumping 123.04 percent, subsidy 126.09 percent; ITC vote October 14 |
| Indonesia | 10 percent 2026 layer | 10% | Final: dumping 94.36 percent, subsidy 73.2 to 173.7 percent; ITC vote October 14 |
| South Korea | Top-up layer to a 12.5 percent total | 12.5% | None |
| Japan | Top-up layer to a 12.5 percent total | 12.5% | None |
| Turkiye | 12.5 percent 2026 layer | 12.5% | None |
Laos is also covered by the 2026 anti-dumping case (final dumping margin 65.43 percent, subsidy 82.03 to 153.67 percent), with orders expected in early November if the ITC votes yes on October 14. Every row also pays the Merchandise Processing Fee and, by ocean, the Harbor Maintenance Fee; the import duty calculator adds both to a customs value for you.
Four solar duty changes that land in 2026
Most solar classification guides still describe the 2024 picture. This is the one buyers are pricing against now.
1
Section 201 is gone
The safeguard on crystalline silicon cells and modules expired on February 6, 2026, after the eight-year legal maximum. It had stepped down to 14 percent. The bifacial exclusion and the cell quota that came with it no longer matter for new entries.
2
A 2026 layer replaced the reciprocal tariffs
After the Supreme Court ended the IEEPA tariffs in February and the temporary Section 122 surcharge lapsed in July, a new layer under headings 9903.05.20 to 9903.05.84 took effect on July 24, 2026: 12.5 percent for China, Vietnam and Thailand, 10 percent for Malaysia, Cambodia, India and Indonesia. Modules and cells are not in its exemption annex.
3
Anti-dumping now covers seven origins
China since 2012 and 2015, Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam since June 2025, and India, Indonesia and Laos with final determinations in September 2026. Moving production one country over has stopped being a duty strategy.
4
Section 232 on polysilicon from December 4
A proclamation signed on August 6, 2026 adds a 15 percent duty on polysilicon derivatives, including wafers, cells and modules, from 12:01 a.m. Eastern on December 4, plus minimum import prices of $0.22 per watt for cells and $0.38 per watt for modules. Importers must certify at entry that the entered value and the first US resale meet the floor. Japan, Korea, Taiwan and the EU have a combined cap of 15 percent and the UK pays 10 percent.
One open question to watch: in Revision 20 of the schedule, the Section 232 actions that switch the 2026 layer off are steel, aluminum, copper, vehicles, wood, semiconductors and pharmaceuticals. Polysilicon is not on that list yet. If CBP's implementing notes leave it off, a Chinese module from December 4 stacks Section 301, the 2026 layer and the new 15 percent. Separately, CBP has detained solar shipments under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act since 2022, so traceability back to the polysilicon is part of getting a container released, whatever the code says.
How to find the HS code for a solar product
Ask first whether the item generates power from light by itself. If it does and it is laminated, framed or otherwise made up, it is a module under 8541.43, whatever the wattage or whether it is rigid, flexible or bifacial. If it converts, stores, carries or mounts that power, it belongs to the heading for that function: 8504 for inverters and many charge controllers, 8507 for batteries, 8544 for cable, 8537 for boards and switchgear, Chapter 73 or 76 for racking by metal. A product that combines several of these in one retail box is a set, and General Rule of Interpretation 3(b) sends it to the component that gives it its essential character. For the general method behind every step, see the Harmonized System code guide.
Why the module code is the easy part
Nobody gets 8541.43 wrong for long. The money is in the lines around it. Inverters from China sit on Section 301 List 3, batteries moved to 25 percent at the start of 2026, aluminum rails can pull in Section 232 metals duty, and a mislabeled optimizer can be classified as a converter or as a part depending on what it does. A residential distributor carrying 300 balance-of-system SKUs from four countries has more classification risk in those lines than in the panels themselves.
What it costs to classify a solar catalog before December 4
The Section 232 minimum price program makes every cell and module entry a certification, and the anti-dumping orders make origin a line-by-line question. Broker bands below are the documented per-product review rates in the US market; TariffWise figures are the published plans.
| Catalog | Broker review per product | TariffWise |
|---|---|---|
| An installer importing 40 module, inverter and battery SKUs | $2,000 to $8,000 at $50 to $200 each | $59 for one month of Starter, 100 classifications |
| A distributor with 600 balance-of-system lines from four countries | $30,000 to $120,000 | $199 for one month of Growth, 1,000 classifications with bulk CSV |
| An EPC or wholesaler re-checking 5,000 lines by origin | Not realistic per product | $499 for one month of Business, 10,000 classifications |
Run the classification once, keep the reasoning saved with each line, and drop to a smaller plan when the catalog settles. The cost of every route per product is on the classification cost for importers page. If the inverters and optimizers are the bulk of your catalog, the HS code for electronics guide covers the finished device versus part question, and the electronic components importers comparison covers bills of materials. Racking buyers should read the steel and aluminum importers comparison for the Section 232 annex checks.
Solar panel HS code questions, answered
What is the HS code for solar panels?
Solar panels classify in HS subheading 8541.43, photovoltaic cells assembled in modules or made up into panels. In the US schedule the full line is 8541.43.00, split into .0010 for crystalline silicon modules and .0080 for other types such as thin film. The general duty rate is Free, so everything you pay comes from Chapter 99 layers and trade remedy orders.
What is the HS code for solar modules?
A solar module is the same thing as a panel for customs purposes, so it also goes to 8541.43. Loose cells that are not yet laminated into a module go to 8541.42 instead. The split matters in the US because the anti-dumping orders, the Section 232 minimum prices and the statistical suffixes all treat cells and modules separately.
What is the tariff on solar panels from China?
In October 2026 a crystalline silicon module from China pays 62.5 percent before any trade remedy: a Free general rate, 50 percent under Section 301 heading 9903.91.02 and 12.5 percent under the 2026 layer in heading 9903.05.31. China is also covered by anti-dumping and countervailing duty orders dating from 2012 and 2015, with company-specific cash deposit rates on top.
Are solar panels subject to tariffs in 2026?
Yes, though not the one most guides still describe. The Section 201 safeguard expired on February 6, 2026. What applies now depends on origin: the 2026 layer of 10 or 12.5 percent for most suppliers, Section 301 at 50 percent for China, anti-dumping and countervailing duty orders on seven Asian origins, and from December 4, 2026 a Section 232 duty and minimum import price on polysilicon derivatives.
What is the HS code for solar inverters?
String and central inverters are static converters and normally classify in heading 8504.40, with the US line 8504.40.95 at a Free general rate for most grid-tie units. From China that line sits on Section 301 List 3 at 25 percent and also pays the 12.5 percent 2026 layer, so an inverter from China lands at 37.5 percent before fees.
Did the Section 201 solar tariff expire?
Yes. The Section 201 safeguard on crystalline silicon cells and modules ended on February 6, 2026 after eight years, the legal maximum. It had stepped down to 14 percent in its last year. Its expiry did not make modules cheaper to import from most origins, because anti-dumping orders, Section 301 and the 2026 layer were already in force or arrived the same year.
Classify the whole container, modules to connectors, before the December 4 floor starts.
Related: HS code lookup by product, HS code for machinery, Section 301 tariff list by product.