US import costs: check the goods and entry date, not the seller’s address
A non-mainland business does not automatically receive a tariff exemption for goods made elsewhere.
Source checked:
Timing: Official guidance checked 24 October 2026. Rates and interactions must be confirmed for the actual entry.
Does this affect my business?
Businesses importing products into the US, including low-value orders and goods potentially affected by Section 232 or 301 measures.
What do we know?
Separate the facts that determine treatment. Your company’s registration country is not necessarily the goods’ customs origin. Give the declarant a product description, composition, manufacturing history, value and planned entry date. Ask which tariff measures apply to those facts and how they interact; do not simply add every headline rate.
Do not rely on old metal exclusions. BIS states that it stopped accepting/issuing steel and aluminium exclusion requests in February 2025, and revoked general approved exclusions and country alternative arrangements in March 2025. That makes the old advice to rely generally on allied-country quotas or apply for a new ordinary exclusion unsuitable without a current specific basis.
Check low-value orders separately. CBP’s published guidance suspended the general duty-free de minimis route from 29 August 2025, with exceptions and different entry arrangements. It does not mean every product has the same duty rate. For current filing, obtain the applicable entry procedure and calculation from the broker rather than reusing an expired postal-duty table.
Start with these checks. You may already have what you need.
| Question | What to check | Useful next step |
|---|---|---|
| What product and origin am I declaring? | Classification, materials, manufacturing origin and entry date. | Give the broker evidence rather than only a seller address. |
| Which measures and exceptions apply? | Base duty, applicable Chapter 99 provisions and current interaction rules. | Request a dated, itemised calculation. |
| Is the proposed low-value or exclusion route current? | Current CBP filing guidance and the specific legal basis. | Reject assumptions based only on old quotas or the former US$800 threshold. |
You can use this checklist yourself or with your existing adviser. To ask OCW, describe the missing facts in your own words. This article is available for reading and manual follow-up; it does not enable an automatic answer for this topic.
Sources and review date
Official source — BIS — Section 232 steel/aluminium exclusions and revoked arrangements
Official source — CBP — De minimis guidance CSMS 66065494
Official source — CBP — Duty waiver policy, published February 2026
Official source — USITC — Current Harmonized Tariff Schedule
Sources checked on 24 October 2026. The explanation distinguishes current requirements, platform access and practical checks; the check date is not a new effective date.
Source checked:
Reading version
us-import-tariff-checks / ocw-us-import-tariff-checks-20261024-v1
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I sell across borders. What product and origin am I declaring? My business is based in __; my goods and shipping route are __; my existing arrangements are __.
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