Import Duties on Chinese Goods by Category: What You'll Pay

The Duty Question Every Buyer Asks

After the HS code, the next question is always the same: what will I actually pay at customs? The honest answer is that duty has three layers, and only the first is the same for everyone. Layer one is the MFN (Most-Favored-Nation) base rate — the standard tariff your destination country applies to goods from WTO members, and the number you can read off any tariff schedule. Layer two is country-specific overlay — for goods of Chinese origin, the US adds Section 301 / IEEPA / reciprocal tariff overlays on top of the MFN base for many chapters. Layer three is the national line: the 8–10 digit subheading your destination actually uses sets the final rate, and it can differ from a neighboring country's line for the same product. This guide gives you the MFN base picture by category, flags where overlays bite, and shows the five-line math that turns a quote into a landed cost.

Stone & Garden: Low Base, Careful Lines

Worked monumental and building stone (HS 6802) carries some of the lowest US MFN base rates in the catalogue: granite articles around 3.7%, marble around 1.9-4.9% depending on the subline. Rough blocks (2515 marble, 2516 granite) sit at 2.8-3%. The base is low — the cost trap is classification, not the rate: a sculpture, a railing and a fountain tile can each sit on a different 6802 subline, so let the factory's export invoice drive the code. Garden stone is also weight-heavy: freight and handling often exceed the duty line, so quote on the full landed cost, not the tariff.

Textiles, Bags & Hair: The Mid-Range

Home textiles (6302 bed linen and towels) carry US MFN base rates around 6.5%, with the wider textile basket spanning roughly 0-12% by item. Bags under 4202 run 8.4% to 20% depending on outer surface — plastic-sheet and textile bags at the low end, leather handbags valued over $20 at about 9%, and the general residual lines toward 17.6-20%. Wigs and hairpieces (6704) are typically at the low end, around 0-6%. Textiles also carry quota-era residue: always confirm the national line and any product-specific rules before committing a price.

3C, Auto & Hardware

Electronics are the friendliest category: headphones, earphones and speakers (8518) and chargers (8504) sit near 0-3% US MFN base, power banks and batteries (8507) around 3.4%, and data cables (8544) around 2.9-5% — though electronics from China have seen the heaviest Section 301 overlay, so the effective US rate can far exceed the base. Auto parts (8708) are roughly 2.5-3.5% base, tires (4011) about 3.4-4%, passenger cars (8703) around 2.5%, but trucks (8704) can run to 25% — check before quoting any vehicle line. Wire mesh (7314) and fasteners (7318) sit around 5-8.5%.

Pet, Packaging, Metals, Furniture & the Rest

Pet supplies span 0-6%: toys (9503) are often free, leads and collars (4201) low, food (2309) up to mid-single digits. Plastic packaging (3923) runs about 3-6%, PVC sheet (3920) and pipes (3917) around 1-3% — non-ferrous metals (copper 7403, aluminum 7606, zinc 7901) are the lowest of all at roughly 1-3% base. Furniture (9403/9401) is mostly 0-5.3% base, with bedding and cushions (9404) around 6% — and furniture is another heavy Section 301 target. Beauty tools (9603) about 3.5%, imitation jewelry (7117) up to 11%, carpets (5701/5703) roughly 4.7-9%.

The Five-Line Landed Cost Check

Before you approve any price, run the five-line check. Line 1: confirm the 6-digit head and the destination's 8-10 digit line with us or your broker. Line 2: MFN base rate from that line. Line 3: any origin overlays — Section 301 / IEEPA / reciprocal for the US, anti-dumping where it applies — added on top. Line 4: VAT or GST on the duty-paid value (EU VAT, UK VAT, US has no federal VAT). Line 5: freight, insurance and port charges. Add them to the FOB quote and you have the landed cost — the number that decides whether the deal works. Every JJCIE quotation can include the HS code, the MFN base rate for your market, and a landed-cost estimate, so the math is done before the container is booked.

Request a quote with HS codes, duty rates and landed-cost estimates included.