What is the cheapest country to import plastics in primary forms from?

Canada. Its effective duty of 0.31% and freight of 0.85% add 1.16% to the pre-tariff price, the lowest combined load of any named source, for a landed cost of about $1.62/kg.

How is the landed cost calculated?

Landed cost = the family's average import unit price ($1.6/kg) times each lane's duty-plus-freight uplift. Because the base price is the family average, lanes differ by their own real duty and freight from USITC DataWeb, so the ranking is genuine even though a per-country price is not yet published.

How concentrated is sourcing of plastics in primary forms?

Canada is the largest source at 33.2% of named imports. By the Herfindahl index (1480), this family is diversified. A concentrated map means fewer places to move volume if one lane's duty jumps.

Sourcing Signal

Plastics in primary forms: Landed Cost by Source Country

Which country is cheapest to import plastics in primary forms from? Canada carries the lowest duty-plus-freight load (1.16% uplift from $1.62/kg landed), China the highest (57.71%). Every named source ranked, from USITC DataWeb. Free.

The short answer

The cheapest place to source plastics in primary forms is Canada, where duty (0.31%) plus freight (0.85%) add 1.16% to the pre-tariff price ($1.62/kg landed). China is the most expensive named source at a 57.71% uplift, a 56.55-point spread across lanes.

How to read this

Each source country's rank comes from its own real effective duty and freight share (USITC DataWeb), combined as (1 + duty) x (1 + freight). Lower is a cheaper lane.
The dollar landed cost scales this family's average import unit price ($1.6/kg) by each lane's uplift, so lanes differ by their own duty and freight.
The FX tag is a short-window cost direction from the currency's recent drift, not a dollar recompute.

Every source country ranked, cheapest first

1. Canada: 1.16% loaded (duty 0.31%, freight 0.85%), $1.62/kg landed, CAD trending dearer
2. Mexico: 2.02% loaded (duty 0.32%, freight 1.69%), $1.63/kg landed, MXN trending cheaper
3. Germany: 12.88% loaded (duty 8.42%, freight 4.11%), $1.81/kg landed, EUR trending flat
4. France: 13.1% loaded (duty 8.13%, freight 4.6%), $1.81/kg landed, EUR trending flat
5. Netherlands: 14.11% loaded (duty 8.85%, freight 4.83%), $1.83/kg landed, EUR trending flat
6. South Korea: 15.63% loaded (duty 5.14%, freight 9.98%), $1.85/kg landed
7. Japan: 16.42% loaded (duty 7.89%, freight 7.91%), $1.86/kg landed, JPY trending flat
8. Taiwan: 21% loaded (duty 9.78%, freight 10.22%), $1.94/kg landed
9. Thailand: 22.34% loaded (duty 9.33%, freight 11.9%), $1.96/kg landed
10. China: 57.71% loaded (duty 46.46%, freight 7.68%), $2.52/kg landed, CNY trending flat

Sourcing concentration

Canada is the largest source at 33.2% of named imports; by the Herfindahl index (1480) this family is diversified.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest country to import plastics in primary forms from? Canada. Its effective duty of 0.31% and freight of 0.85% add 1.16% to the pre-tariff price, the lowest combined load of any named source, for a landed cost of about $1.62/kg.
How is the landed cost calculated? Landed cost = the family's average import unit price ($1.6/kg) times each lane's duty-plus-freight uplift. Because the base price is the family average, lanes differ by their own real duty and freight from USITC DataWeb, so the ranking is genuine even though a per-country price is not yet published.
How concentrated is sourcing of plastics in primary forms? Canada is the largest source at 33.2% of named imports. By the Herfindahl index (1480), this family is diversified. A concentrated map means fewer places to move volume if one lane's duty jumps.

About this data

A sourcing-comparison indicator, not a customs quote. Lane ranking uses each country's real effective duty and freight share from USITC DataWeb; a dollar landed cost, where shown, scales the family's average import unit price and does not price a specific shipment. FX is a short-window cost direction, not a currency recompute. Confirm classification and duty with a licensed broker before you buy.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.