The U.S. imposes import duty on textile products from around the world. The agency responsible for collecting the tax is Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which works in conjunction with other agencies.
The fabric import tariff ranges from 0-20%, as revealed by the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS). You can therefore expect the cost of some fabrics to be low and that of others to be relatively high.
Factors Influencing Textile Import Duty Rates
The import tariff applied for imports to the U.S. depends on several factors, which ultimately determine the rate of each good. Here are the crucial ones that you should keep in mind when importing.
- Country of Origin
The U.S does not apply a universal tariff rate for textile products from different parts of the world. While some rates may apply to certain groups of countries, there are specific rules for nations such as China, India, and Mexico.
For manufacturers based in China, it should be noted that the U.S. prohibits the importation of fabrics sourced or manufactured in the Xinjiang region.
- Processing Level
The processing level of the fabrics determines whether the customs duty will be high or low. In this case, processing level refers to activities such as manufacturing, finishing, and treatment processes.
- Type of Material
The CBP considers the type of raw material or fiber composition of a final textile product being imported. That is why fabrics from materials such as nylon, polyester, and cotton have different tariff duties.
Other factors that influence the import duty rate include the value of each individual unit and the intended end-use of the fabric.
Import Duty Rates for Select Textile Goods
Here are import duty rates for selected products, taxed per kilogram, as defined on the HTS website.
- Cotton Fabric Tariffs
| Product Description | Import Duty (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Cotton, not carded or combed having a staple length of under 28.575 mm | 0% | |
| Cotton waste | Yarn waste | 0% |
| Garnetted stock | 4% | |
| Fibers of cotton, carded or combed, processed but not spun | 5% | |
| Cotton sewing thread containing 85% or more by weight of cotton | 4.4% | |
| Cotton yarn (other than sewing thread), not put up for retail sale, with 85% or more weight of cotton | Single yarn of uncombed fibers less than 14 nm | 3.7% |
| Multiple or cabled yarn of uncombed fibers less than 14 nm | 5.8% | |
| Cotton yarn (other than sewing thread), not put up for retail sale, with less than 85% weight of cotton | Single yarn of uncombed fibers less than 14 nm | 9.2% |
| Multiple or cabled yarn of uncombed fibers less than 14 nm | 9.2% | |
| Woven fabrics of cotton with 85% or more weight of cotton and weighing less than 200g/m2-unbleached plain weave | 7% |
- Nylon Fabric Tariffs
| Product Description | Import Duty | |
|---|---|---|
| Synthetic filament yarn (other than sewing thread), not put up for retail sale- High tenacity yarn of nylon or other polyamides, Whether or not textured | Single yarn | 8.8% |
| Multiple or cabled | 8% | |
| Synthetic Filament Tow: Of nylon or other polyamides | 7.5% | |
| Synthetic staple fibers, not carded, combed or otherwise processed for spinning: Of nylon | 4.3% | |
| Synthetic staple fibers, carded, combed or otherwise processed for spinning: of nylon | 5% |
3. Polyester Fabric Tariffs
| Product Description | Import Duty | |
|---|---|---|
| Synthetic filament yarn (other than sewing thread), not put up for retail sale- High tenacity yarn of polyesters, Whether or not textured | Single yarn | 8.8% |
| Multiple or cabled | 7.5% | |
| Synthetic Filament Tow: Of polyester | 7.5% | |
| Synthetic staple fibers, not carded, combed or otherwise processed for spinning: Of polyester | 4.3% | |
| Synthetic staple fibers, carded, combed or otherwise processed for spinning: of polyester | 5.7% | |
| Woven fabrics of synthetic staple fibers, containing 85% or more by weight of polyester | Bleached and unbleached | 12% |
4. Silk Fabric Tariffs
| Product Description | Import Duty | |
|---|---|---|
| Silkworm cocoons suitable for reeling | 0% | |
| Raw silk | Not thrown | 0% |
| Silk waste (Inclusive of cocoons unsuitable for reeling, yarn waste and garnetted stock | Not carded or combed | 0% |
| Other | 2.5% | |
| Fabrics of noil silk: Containing 85% or more by weight of silk or silk waste. | 0.8% |
5. Wool Fabric Tariffs
| Product Description | Import Duty | |
|---|---|---|
| Wool, not carded or combed | Greasy, including fleece-washed wool | 0% |
| Degreased, not carbonized | 0% | |
| Carbonized | 0% | |
| Yarn of carded wool, not put up for retail sale | Containing 85% or more by weight of wool. | 6% |
| Containing less than 85% by weight of wool. | 6% | |
| Woven fabrics of combed wool Containing 85 percent or more by weight of wool | Tapestry fabrics and upholstery fabrics of a weight not exceeding 140 g/m2 | 7% |
Summary
Fabric import duty in the U.S. varies depending on factors such as country of origin, type of material, and level of processing. The specific and detailed rates for every textile product you are interested in can be found on the HTS website.
