Category Tariff Calculator

This calculator estimates the duty and landed cost of an import shipment by product category. Pick one of 22 categories, keep its trade-weighted tariff rate or type your own, then enter the shipment value, freight, and fees. It returns estimated duty and total landed cost. Results are for informational purposes only: they are planning estimates, not the duty US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will assess on your entry.

For the full ranking of categories and the policy behind each rate, read highest tariff product categories.

How to use the category tariff calculator

The math is deliberately simple: duty = customs value × rate, and landed cost = customs value + duty + freight + other fees. Changing the category resets the value and rate to that category's defaults. Freight and fees keep what you typed.

Worked example with the steel defaults

Steel loads a $50,000 shipment at 40.2%. With the default $1,000 freight and $250 in fees:

• Duty: $50,000 × 0.402 = $20,100
• Landed cost: $50,000 + $20,100 + $1,000 + $250 = $71,350

Duty adds 40.2% to the goods price, and the full landed cost runs 42.7% above it.

Now suppose you know the shipment is hot-rolled coil under HTS 7208, which shows 50% at line level. Overwrite the rate with 50. Duty becomes $50,000 × 0.50 = $25,000, and landed cost becomes $76,250. That $4,900 gap is the reason to override as soon as you know the product.

How the weighted rate is calculated

Each category default is a trade-weighted blend of HTS chapter rates. The chapter rates come from the "Imposed Tariff Rate by Product Set" file published with the Penn Wharton Budget Model tariff simulator, last updated June 9, 2026. Within each chapter, products with larger import values count for more. Across chapters, the blend weights each chapter by its annual import value:

Category rate = Σ (chapter rate × chapter imports) ÷ Σ chapter imports

For steel, chapter 72 averages 35.6% on $31.67 billion of imports and chapter 73 averages 43.1% on $49.39 billion:

(0.356 × 31.67 + 0.431 × 49.39) ÷ 81.06 = (11.27 + 21.29) ÷ 81.06 = 40.2%

Three properties of this method affect how you should read the result:

1. It measures the added tariff layer, not total duty. Line-level spot checks show the file tracks the tariffs imposed since 2025 and leaves out the base General (MFN) rate printed in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule. A cotton T-shirt (6109.10.00) shows 6.4% in the data but carries a 16.5% General rate. For a full estimate, add the two.
2. It is an average across countries of origin. A 10% average can hide 0% for USMCA-qualifying goods from Mexico and 12.5% or more from Asia.
3. It is a snapshot. The data predate the July 24, 2026 change in which the 10% Section 122 surcharge expired and new Section 301 duties of 10% or 12.5% took effect on goods from 60 economies.

When to override the default rate

Type your own rate in any of these situations:

• You have an HTS code. Use the line rate from the HTS-8 tariff lookup, then add the General rate. If you don't have a code yet, how to find your HTS code walks through classification.
• Your origin is in the 12.5% Section 301 group. For goods that are not covered by Section 232, origins such as China, Vietnam, and Brazil now pay 12.5% where the data assumed 10%. Add about 2.5 points.
• Your supplier is in China. The 2018–2019 Section 301 duties on Chinese goods (USTR tariff actions) still apply on top, typically 7.5% or 25% depending on the list.
• Your metal content qualifies for a reduced Section 232 rate. Under Proclamation 11021, derivatives made entirely from US-melted steel or US-smelted aluminum or copper pay 10%, and qualifying UK steel and aluminum articles pay 25%.
• Antidumping or countervailing duties apply. These are company- and country-specific and can exceed 100%. No category average includes them.
• You claim USMCA or another preference. A qualifying good may owe 0% General duty and be exempt from the new Section 301 duty.

Category-by-category notes

The notes below cover what each category includes, what it does not, and where the default is most likely to mislead you. Rates are the calculator defaults.

Metals

• Steel & Iron Products, 40.2% (ch. 72–73). Covers semi-finished and flat-rolled steel, bar, wire, pipe, tube, and steel articles such as fasteners and fittings. Most lines show 50%, and 427 of 508 lines are at 25% or higher. Steel content inside machinery, appliances, or vehicles is classified elsewhere. Use 50% for plain steel products from most origins.
• Aluminum Products, 43.2% (ch. 76). Covers unwrought aluminum, sheet, foil, extrusions, and aluminum articles. Bauxite and alumina are in other chapters. The median line is 44.6%, and lines with Russian aluminum stay at 200%.
• Copper Products, 22.4% (ch. 74). This is the category where the average misleads most. Refined cathode shows 0%, while wire, tube, plate, and fittings show 50%. If you buy semi-finished copper, override with 50.

Home and consumer durables

• Furniture & Bedding, 16.2% (ch. 94). Covers seats, tables, cabinets, mattresses, and lamps. Upholstered wooden seating, kitchen cabinets, and vanities carry a 25% Section 232 rate, scheduled to rise to 30% and 50% on January 1, 2027 (amendment). Metal office furniture shows 4–8%. Two cautions on the line data. Upholstered wooden chairs (9401.61.40) show about 29%, and the wooden-furniture lines where cabinets and vanities are classified (9403.40.90 and 9403.60.80) show 45–46%. Those figures look like the 30% and 50% step-up rates, which were postponed to 2027, applied across whole lines. A wooden dining table under 9403.60.80 is not a cabinet or vanity and owes the General rate plus the Section 301 duty, not 45%.
• Machinery & Mechanical Equipment, 13.0% (ch. 84). Covers engines, pumps, HVAC, appliances, and industrial machines. Refrigerators, window air conditioners, and some washers show 25% as steel derivatives. Electrical machinery such as motors and electronics sits in chapter 85.
• Tools & Cutlery, 12.2% (ch. 82). Covers hand tools, interchangeable tool bits, knives, and flatware. Knife sets and table knives (8211) show 25%. Power tools are in chapter 84 or 85.
• Glass & Ceramics, 8.0% (ch. 69–70). Covers ceramic tile, tableware, sanitary ware, glassware, mirrors, and glass fiber. Nearly every line sits at 10% or below.

Vehicles and rubber

• Vehicles & Auto Parts, 10.0% (ch. 87). Covers cars, trucks, motorcycles, trailers, and parts. Passenger vehicles from outside USMCA and outside the negotiated partner deals face 25% under Proclamation 10908, plus a General rate of 2.5% for cars or 25% for pickups. Override with the origin-specific rate before you price a vehicle.
• Rubber Products, 11.5% (ch. 40). Covers tires, tubes, hoses, belts, gloves, and rubber articles. Some radial passenger tires show 14.5–17.1% because they fall under the auto-parts action.

Soft goods

• Apparel & Textiles, 8.8% (ch. 61–62). Covers knit and woven garments. Fabrics, yarn, and home textiles sit in chapters 50–60 and 63. The default is the trade-weighted blend of the two chapters. General rates on garments often run 10–32%, so adding the General rate matters more here than almost anywhere else.
• Footwear & Headgear, 9.6% (ch. 64–65). Covers shoes, boots, sandals, parts, and hats. General rates range from free to 48% depending on the upper, the sole, and the value per pair.
• Leather Goods, 9.7% (ch. 42). Covers handbags, wallets, luggage, and saddlery. Raw hides are in chapter 41. General rates on handbags run from about 5% to 17.6% depending on the outer material.
• Toys, Games & Sports, 9.7% (ch. 95). Covers toys, puzzles, video game consoles, festive articles, and sporting goods. Most lines sit right at 10%. Bicycles are in chapter 87.
• Cosmetics & Personal Care, 7.9% (ch. 33–34). Covers perfume, makeup, skincare, hair care, soap, and candles. Chapter 34 (soaps and waxes) averages lower than chapter 33.

Materials and packaging

• Plastics & Plastic Articles, 6.6% (ch. 39). Covers resins, film, packaging, and household plastics. Primary resins pull the average down, and 18 lines show 0%.
• Wood Products, 7.0% (ch. 44). Covers lumber, plywood, millwork, and wood packaging. Softwood lumber and logs show 10%, which matches the Section 232 timber rate. Canadian softwood lumber also carries separate antidumping and countervailing duties that are not included. Wooden furniture belongs in chapter 94, not here.

Food, beverages, and other low-rate categories

• Beverages & Spirits, 5.3% (ch. 22). Covers wine, beer, spirits, and soft drinks. Wine lines show 10%, and some whiskies far less. Federal excise tax is collected separately and is not a tariff.
• Jewelry & Precious Metals, 4.1% (ch. 71). Covers jewelry, gemstones, gold, and silver. Gold bullion and doré show 0%, while finished jewelry and diamonds show about 10%. Price finished goods at 10%, not 4.1%.
• Pharmaceutical Products, 0.14% (ch. 30). Covers dosage-form medicines, vaccines, and blood products. The default is stale for patented drugs: Proclamation 11020 imposes up to 100% on listed patented products from July 31, 2026 (listed companies) or September 29, 2026 (all others). Generics and biosimilars are excluded.
• Coffee, Tea & Spices, 0.02% (ch. 09). Covers green and roasted coffee, tea, and spices. Most lines are duty-free. Coffee extracts and instant coffee are in chapter 21.
• Fertilizers, 0.0% (ch. 31). Covers nitrogen, phosphate, potash, and blended fertilizers. Every line in the file shows 0%. Raw minerals such as phosphate rock are in chapter 25.

Reading the result and what to do next

The duty line tells you how much cash you need at entry, generally due with the entry summary about 10 working days after release. The landed-cost line tells you what each unit really costs before markup. Two next steps:

• To see what the duty does to your gross margin at a fixed selling price, move the numbers into the importer landed cost calculator.
• To estimate how much of the duty reaches the retail price, use the tariff pass-through calculator.

Check whether a newer tariff action has changed your category before you rely on any estimate. The US import tariffs hub collects every tariff guide and tool on this site.