Sourcing comparison · Plumbing Fixtures
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 | $13,188 |
| $250,000 | $65,938 |
| $1,000,000 | $263,750 |
Savings scale linearly with volume. Enter your exact figure to model it precisely.
Calculate your exact volume →For US importers of plumbing fixtures, country of origin has quietly become the biggest line item you can actually negotiate. China carries roughly 39% in duties and fees against 14% for Canada, a spread worth near $26,375 on $100,000 of annual volume. Origin is one of the few cost levers a US importer controls outright, and it has rarely mattered more. Below, each tariff layer is laid out for both origins, with the saving scaled to several order sizes.
The duty layers tell the whole story of the gap. From China, the entry is assessed a 4% Most-Favoured-Nation base duty, a 25% Section 301 surcharge, and a 10% Section 122 reciprocal surcharge on its plumbing fixtures, an effective 39% once the $49.74 in processing fees are added. Shipped out of Canada, the product is hit with a 4% Most-Favoured-Nation base duty, a 10% Section 122 reciprocal surcharge, and a 10% negotiated bilateral rate on its plumbing fixtures, an effective 14% once the $49.74 in processing fees are added. Section 301 does the damage here — 25% levied specifically on China shipments, stacked above the base and special-tariff layers rather than replacing them. The reciprocal Section 122 charge is the most volatile element of this comparison, set to expire and therefore worth modelling in both states. Processing and harbor fees apply identically whichever country ships the goods ($49.74 here), confirming the saving is pure duty, not fee. Net the two and the duty-and-fee difference is $2,637.50 on a single $10,000 shipment — the 25% effective-rate gap in dollars. A $25,000 order therefore differs by about $6,594, and a $100,000 year by roughly $26,375. At order level, $25,000 of goods carries roughly $6,594 more duty from China than from Canada.
Classified in HTS chapter 3922, 7324, 8481, plumbing fixtures spans products like Faucets, Valves, Bathtubs, and Toilets. The US imports plumbing fixtures at scale, so the origin mix for this category is unusually sensitive to tariff policy. From Asia-Pacific, China's top US-bound categories include consumer electronics, computers servers, and clothing garments. With no preferential deal in force, China plumbing fixtures faces the standard rates plus any applicable surcharge. From North America, Canada's top US-bound categories include crude oil petroleum, passenger vehicles, and lumber wood products. Through USMCA, qualifying Canada plumbing fixtures enters duty-free, collapsing the special-tariff layer to nothing. Spanning Asia-Pacific and North America, the two lanes differ in freight and transit, so weigh those against the duty saving. Canada is surfaced as a credible alternative, not just the cheapest line — it is among the origins a US buyer of plumbing fixtures could realistically qualify. Sourcing diversification has shifted from resilience theatre to margin necessity, and a documented second source like Canada is how buyers act on it.
The headline is $26,375 at $100,000; because the rate gap is fixed, larger programs scale cleanly — $13,188, $65,938, and $263,750 at $50,000, $250,000, and $1,000,000. All values are calculated, not assumed — the engine applies the current published rates to identical goods and reports the 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. Subtract any per-unit premium Canada charges from the duty saving to get the true net benefit before deciding. A quick checklist for the Canada option: match the HTS classification, get a quote that itemises duty apart from freight, and check for any antidumping or countervailing order on your item. Because rates move, treat this as a point-in-time read and re-check before committing — especially around the mid-2026 Section 122 expiry. Model your exact volume and compare further origins in the interactive Tariff Savings Finder. One origin still carries the Section 122 surcharge, due to expire mid-2026; the ranking can shift once it lapses.
At $100,000 of annual import value, switching from China to Canada saves an estimated $26,375 in duties and fees, because the effective tariff rate falls from 39% to 14%. 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.
Canada-origin plumbing fixtures is assessed a 4% Most-Favoured-Nation base duty, a 10% Section 122 reciprocal surcharge, and a 10% negotiated bilateral rate, for an effective 14% duty rate before the Merchandise Processing Fee ($36.55) and Harbor Maintenance Fee ($13.19).
China carries an effective 39% rate versus 14% for Canada. The gap is driven mainly by the 25% Section 301 surcharge that applies to Chinese-origin goods and stacks on top of every other layer.
Possibly. One of these origins currently carries the Section 122 reciprocal surcharge, which is scheduled to expire in mid-2026. The Tariff Savings Finder lets you toggle a post-expiry view to see whether the ranking shifts once that surcharge is removed.
Tariff rates from Tax Foundation, USITC, and Penn Wharton Budget Model. Last verified May 13, 2026.
