Sourcing comparison · Natural Gas (LNG)
Tariff & fee savings only, assuming equal product cost — your actual landed cost also depends on price and freight, which vary by supplier.
| Annual import value | Estimated duty & fee savings / year |
|---|---|
| $50,000 | $5,275 |
| $250,000 | $26,375 |
| $1,000,000 | $105,500 |
Savings scale linearly with volume. Enter your exact figure to model it precisely.
Calculate your exact volume →Sourcing natural gas (lng) is now a tariff decision as much as a supplier decision. At 10%, Trinidad and Tobago sits well above Suriname's 0%; on $100,000 of annual buying that difference is around $10,550. Origin is one of the few cost levers a US importer controls outright, and it has rarely mattered more. What follows is the layer-by-layer comparison, the trade context behind each rate, and how the gap grows with volume.
Start with the two duty stacks side by side. Shipped out of Trinidad and Tobago, the product is hit with a 10% forced-labor Section 301 duty on its natural gas (lng), an effective 10% once the $49.74 in processing fees are added. From Suriname, the entry is assessed no tariff layers on its natural gas (lng), an effective 0% once the $49.74 in processing fees are added. Two charges are origin-blind — the MPF and HMF, together $49.74 on this entry — which is why the entire difference lives in the duty layers. Net the two and the duty-and-fee difference is $1,055.00 on a single $10,000 shipment — the 10% effective-rate gap in dollars. Across a year that is roughly $2,638 on a $25,000 purchase order and about $10,550 on a $100,000 program. On a $25,000 purchase order that is about $2,638 of duty difference — the kind of figure that shows up directly in a quarter's gross margin.
The category, HTS 2711, takes in LNG, Pipeline natural gas, CNG, and Industrial methane among other natural gas (lng). Demand for natural gas (lng) is broad and price-sensitive, which is exactly why a duty wedge of this size reshapes who can supply the US market competitively. For budgeting purposes: natural gas tariffs are zero; prices driven by Henry Hub spot market, storage levels, and seasonal demand rather than import duties. Trinidad and Tobago's trade profile leans toward crude oil petroleum, natural gas lng, and chemicals industrial compounds, and it sits in Central America & Caribbean. Absent a trade deal, Trinidad and Tobago's natural gas (lng) is assessed standard duties and whatever surcharges apply. Suriname, in South America, ships the US mainly crude oil petroleum, fresh produce, and food. Absent a trade deal, Suriname's natural gas (lng) is assessed standard duties and whatever surcharges apply. Different regions — Central America & Caribbean versus South America — mean shipping economics deserve a look beside the tariff math. A switch to Suriname still hinges on capacity, certification and lead time, but the duty advantage is the part that is already quantified. Sourcing diversification has shifted from resilience theatre to margin necessity, and a documented second source like Suriname is how buyers act on it.
Anchor your own volume to these tiers: $5,275 at $50,000, $26,375 at $250,000, $105,500 at $1,000,000, and about $10,550 at $100,000. The numbers come straight from the landed-cost engine, with product cost and shipping fixed across both origins to isolate the tariff difference. These figures reflect tariff and fee savings only, assuming equal product cost — your actual landed cost also depends on price and freight, which vary by supplier. Read the $10,550 as a transition budget — if re-sourcing to Suriname costs less than the annual saving, it pays back inside a year. Diligence on Suriname is commercial, not regulatory: supplier capacity, MOQ, tooling and re-qualification cost — the duty advantage itself is already settled above. The saving is current today; given the pace of 2026 revisions, verify it again at contract signing. Use the Tariff Savings Finder to test your real numbers and see alternatives beyond Suriname.
At $100,000 of annual import value, switching from Trinidad and Tobago to Suriname saves an estimated $10,550 in duties and fees, because the effective tariff rate falls from 10% to 0%. The saving scales linearly with volume. These figures reflect tariff and fee savings only, assuming equal product cost — your actual landed cost also depends on price and freight, which vary by supplier.
Suriname-origin natural gas (lng) is assessed no tariff layers, for an effective 0% duty rate before the Merchandise Processing Fee ($36.55) and Harbor Maintenance Fee ($13.19).
Trinidad and Tobago carries an effective 10% rate versus 0% for Suriname. The gap comes from differences in the base, Section 232 and bilateral rates that apply to each origin.
Tariff rates from Tax Foundation, USITC, and Penn Wharton Budget Model; retaliatory and industry data from the ITA Foreign Retaliations Database and U.S. Census Bureau (NAICS). Last verified .
