How Much Are US Tariffs in 2026? Complete Guide

The United States currently imposes the highest average import tariff rates since 1947. A cascade of trade actions between 2018 and 2026 has layered multiple surcharges on top of the baseline Most Favored Nation (MFN) rates that have governed US trade policy for decades. For importers, the result is a fundamentally different cost calculation than existed just two years ago. The key change is not one tariff — it is the stacking of multiple tariff authorities simultaneously. A shipment of electronics from China may face a 3% MFN rate, its own punitive Section 301 tariff (7.5-25% depending on list), and a 12.5% forced-labor Section 301 duty that backfilled the since-lapsed Section 122 surcharge — a total statutory rate of roughly 23-40.5% before calculating fees. A steel product from Germany faces the 25% Section 232 national security tariff rather than Section 122 (now lapsed to 0%) — Section 232 products were excluded from Section 122 while it was active, and remain excluded from the forced-labor Section 301 duty that backfills it for many other origins. Understanding which authorities apply to which goods — and how they interact — is the core challenge for any importer in 2026. This guide covers every tariff authority active in 2026: Section 122 (the global surcharge that applied February 24 – July 24, 2026, then lapsed to 0%), Section 232 (national security tariffs on steel, aluminum, autos, copper, lumber, and semiconductors), Section 301 (China-specific tariffs, plus the forced-labor Section 301 duty that now backfills the lapsed Section 122 surcharge for ~60 covered economies), Section 338 (Canada only, on annexed non-Section-232 goods, from August 19, 2026), USMCA (the Canada-Mexico free trade agreement), bilateral deals, and the fees that apply on top of all duties: Merchandise Processing Fee (MPF) and Harbor Maintenance Fee (HMF). The goal is a complete picture of what you actually pay when goods enter the United States in 2026.

Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 USC 2132) grants the President authority to impose a temporary tariff surcharge during a balance-of-payments emergency. This authority had not been used since Richard Nixon's 10% surcharge in 1971. After the Supreme Court struck down the administration's IEEPA tariff authority on February 20, 2026, the administration turned to Section 122 four days later. The Section 122 surcharge took effect February 24, 2026 at a rate of 10% (the administration discussed 15% via social media; the controlling Federal Register notice 2026-03824 specified 10%, and CBP collected duties at that 10% rate until the surcharge lapsed). It then lapsed to 0% on July 24, 2026 by operation of law when its 150-day limit ran; for covered origins a forced-labor Section 301 duty (10% or 12.5%) now backfills it, while base MFN rates still apply. While it was in force the surcharge applied uniformly to imports from all countries except those with specific exemptions. Key exemptions from Section 122: goods qualifying under USMCA from Canada and Mexico (0% rate applies), products already subject to Section 232 (steel, aluminum, copper, lumber, autos, and semiconductors — they carry their own surcharge and are excluded from S122), critical minerals, pharmaceuticals, certain agricultural goods, passenger vehicles and parts, certain electronics, and certain aerospace products. For entries filed while the surcharge was in force, a product or sourcing country in these categories paid no S122 layer; since July 24, 2026 no entry does. The 150-day statutory limit under Section 122 ran out on July 24, 2026, and with no act of Congress to extend it, the surcharge lapsed to 0% by operation of law. It was not a broad tariff cut, however: at the same moment a forced-labor Section 301 duty (10%/12.5%, ~60 economies) took effect and backfilled the lapse for nearly all US import value. Only importers sourcing from economies outside the 60-economy list saw a genuine ~10-point reduction.

Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 authorizes the President to restrict imports that threaten national security. Unlike Section 122, Section 232 tariffs have no statutory expiration date and apply indefinitely. Current Section 232 rates: steel at 50% (since June 4, 2025, up from 25%); aluminum at 50% (same); copper at 50%; autos and auto parts at 25% (since April 3, 2025); lumber at 10%; semiconductors at 25% (since January 15, 2026). The United Kingdom has a partial exemption: UK steel and aluminum face 25% rather than 50%. These rates apply to all countries, including USMCA partners Canada and Mexico, unless the goods qualify for USMCA duty-free treatment. A critical interaction: Section 232 products are excluded from Section 122. This means a steel manufacturer importing raw steel pays the S232 rate (50%) — not S232 plus S122 (65%). The exclusion prevents double-counting the national security and balance-of-payments surcharges. For manufacturers who use steel or aluminum as inputs, Section 232 significantly increases production costs. A $1 million steel order from Germany or Japan now carries $500,000 in Section 232 duties alone, before accounting for MPF and other fees. There is no sunset provision, no reauthorization requirement, and no indication the administration plans to reduce these rates in 2026.

Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 authorizes the US Trade Representative to act against unfair foreign trade practices. The current Section 301 tariffs on Chinese goods originated from a 2018 USTR investigation and have been expanded through four tariff lists affecting virtually all Chinese imports. List 1 (25%, $34 billion in trade): industrial machinery, aerospace components, robotics, motor vehicles. List 2 (25%, $16 billion): semiconductors, chemicals, plastics, electric motors. List 3 (25%, $200 billion): most intermediate goods, consumer electronics, furniture. List 4A (7.5%, $120 billion): consumer goods, apparel, footwear, electronics accessories — this was reduced from 15% as part of the Phase One trade deal. The 2024 statutory review increased rates for specific products. These increases replace (not stack on top of) the base list rates: electric vehicles are now 100% (was 25% under List 3); solar cells and modules are 50% (was 25%); Chinese semiconductors are 50% (was 25%); non-EV lithium-ion batteries are 25% (was 7.5%); critical minerals from China are 25% (was 0%). Section 301 stacks on top of everything else. A $10,000 shipment of Chinese electronics under List 3 faces MFN (~3.4%), its own punitive S301 (25%), and the forced-labor Section 301 duty (12.5%) that backfilled the now-lapsed Section 122 surcharge simultaneously. The total tariff rate is approximately 40.9%, costing $4,090 in duties — not counting MPF. Section 301 has no scheduled expiration and faces ongoing USTR review.

The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which replaced NAFTA on July 1, 2020, provides 0% tariff rates for qualifying goods from Canada and Mexico. This exemption applies to every tariff surcharge except Section 338 — including Section 122 and Section 232 — as long as the goods meet USMCA rules of origin. Section 338, which reaches annexed non-Section-232 Canadian goods from August 19, 2026, is the one layer a USMCA preference claim does not defeat. Rules of origin are the key requirement. Goods must have sufficient North American content and undergo qualifying production steps. The general regional value content threshold is 60-70% for most goods. Automobiles require 75% North American content. Goods that do not qualify — for example, Chinese goods transshipped through Mexico — face the standard tariff stacking treatment. The country-specific rates widely reported as "bilateral deals" with the EU, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, India and Vietnam were not a separate instrument. They were country lines inside the reciprocal tariff imposed by Executive Order 14257, enumerated in the same HTSUS Chapter 99 note as the universal reciprocal baseline. Executive Order 14389, "Ending Certain Tariff Actions" (91 FR 9437, February 20, 2026), provides that the additional duties imposed under IEEPA in Executive Order 14257, as amended, are no longer in effect and are no longer to be collected. Those six rates ended with it. CBP has since published a refund worksheet for duties collected under the terminated headings (91 FR 42207, July 8, 2026). Executive Order 14389 spared Section 232 and Section 301 by name, so what these economies actually face today is the MFN base rate plus the forced-labor Section 301 duty, and nothing in between: the EU and Taiwan at 10% (conditional tier, computed net of MFN), Japan and South Korea at 12.5% (conditional tier), India at 10% (flat tier), and Vietnam at 12.5% (flat tier). Sector duties that rest on Section 232 survived independently, which is why steel, autos, lumber and patented pharmaceuticals from these origins still carry their own rate. For sourcing strategy, USMCA-qualifying goods from Canada and Mexico offer the most reliable tariff advantage, with one Canada-only carve-out to plan around: a qualifying claim waives every surcharge except Section 338, which from August 19, 2026 applies to annexed non-Section-232 Canadian goods whether or not USMCA preference is claimed. Everywhere else the question is narrower than it was a year ago: whether your product is Section 232-covered, and whether your origin is on the forced-labor covered list.

The tariff stacking formula that applies to most US imports in 2026 is: Total Tariff Rate = MFN + max(S122, S232, Bilateral) + forced-labor S301 (if the origin is on the covered list) + country-specific S301 (China lists, or Brazil 25%) + Section 338 (Canada only, on annexed non-S232 goods, from August 19, 2026). Since Section 122 lapsed to 0% on July 24, 2026, the middle "max" tier now effectively resolves to max(S232, Bilateral) for almost every shipment — S122 contributes nothing to that comparison anymore. The "max" function for the middle tier is still critical for the surcharge that remains in it. You do not add the layers of that tier together; the higher one applies. If a product is subject to Section 232 (50%), you pay 50% for that tier. If a product is not Section 232-covered, which is true of most non-steel goods, the tier resolves to 0% and drops out of your calculation entirely. If a product is USMCA-qualifying or S232-exempt, that tier is 0% as well. On top of whichever middle-tier rate applies, a forced-labor Section 301 duty (10% or 12.5%) now stacks additively for goods from the ~60 covered economies — unless the goods are USMCA-qualifying or S232-exempt, in which case they are excluded from the forced-labor duty too, just as they were from Section 122. Section 301 is always additive on top. Both China's own punitive Section 301 and the forced-labor Section 301 duty stack unconditionally for Chinese goods (D-04 double-stack). However, the 2024 increases for specific products (EVs, solar, semiconductors) replace the base list rate for China's own S301 rather than stacking on it — the forced-labor duty then stacks on top of that replacement rate. An EV from China is at 100% total China-S301 rate — not 25% (List 3 base) + 75% (increase) — plus the separate 12.5% forced-labor duty. MPF (Merchandise Processing Fee) applies to all imports at 0.3464% of customs value, with a minimum of $33.58 and a maximum of $651.50 per entry. HMF (Harbor Maintenance Fee) at 0.125% applies to ocean shipments only. Example: $10,000 consumer electronics shipment from Vietnam, which is on the forced-labor covered list at the flat 12.5% tier: MFN 1.5% ($150) + forced-labor S301 12.5% ($1,250) = $1,400 in duties, plus MPF $34.64 and HMF $12.50 on an ocean shipment. Nothing sits in the middle tier, because consumer electronics are not Section 232-covered and the reciprocal country rate Vietnam once carried was terminated in February 2026.

Tariffs are paid by the US importer of record — the person or company responsible for ensuring goods are properly declared and duties are paid to US Customs and Border Protection. This is almost always the buyer, not the foreign seller, unless the sales contract specifies delivered-duty-paid (DDP) terms. For Amazon FBA sellers, the importer of record is typically the seller, even if the goods are shipped directly from a supplier to an Amazon fulfillment center. The seller is responsible for calculating and paying duties, not Amazon. Failure to properly declare and pay tariffs can result in CBP penalties, seizure of goods, and potential debarment from importation. Customs brokers act as agents for the importer of record, filing entry documents and paying duties on the importer's behalf. Using a licensed customs broker is not legally required for most importers but is strongly recommended for shipments over $2,500 or products subject to complex tariff classifications. Broker fees typically run $100-200 per entry for straightforward shipments. The practical implication of importer liability: when you are negotiating prices with foreign suppliers, you need to calculate the total landed cost including all applicable tariffs, MPF, HMF, freight, and broker fees. A supplier quote of "$5 per unit FOB" does not reflect what you will actually pay to land the goods in a US warehouse.

Section 122 lapsed on July 24, 2026. For most importers it was NOT the 10-percentage-point cut many expected: at the same moment, a forced-labor Section 301 duty took effect on ~60 economies (10% on 17, 12.5% on 38, conditional net-of-MFN on 5), backfilling the lapsed surcharge for roughly 99.4% of US import value. Whether it helped depended entirely on origin. Importers sourcing from economies NOT on the 60-economy list saw the 10% surcharge fall away with no replacement. Importers sourcing from covered economies saw the surcharge replaced: at the 10% tier, cost held roughly flat; at the 12.5% tier, cost rose by about 2.5 points. The old "delay shipments past July 24 to save 10%" idea reversed for covered origins — goods entered after the cliff were subject to the forced-labor duty. For China-sourced goods, the existing punitive Section 301 continues and the 12.5% forced-labor duty stacks on top, so China's landed cost rose slightly rather than falling. A Chinese electronics shipment that was MFN + 10% S122 + S301 became MFN + S301 + 12.5% forced-labor — a net +2.5 points on the surcharge/forced-labor axis. Use the CalcMyTariff.com calculator to see your exact post-cliff landed cost for any country-product combination — the operative variable now is your origin's forced-labor tier, not the calendar.