Tariff monitor · Other Families

Adhesives and Sealants: Statutory & Effective Tariff Rates

Statutory HTS duty rates for 8 adhesives and sealants tariff lines (MFN Free–6.5%), from USITC. Effective rate May 2026: 11.38%; monthly history since 2020.

The short answer

  • The effective U.S. tariff on adhesives and sealants was 11.38% in May 2026, down from 13.92% a year earlier — calculated duties actually paid divided by customs value, from USITC data. The statutory MFN rate is Free–6.5% across 8 HTS lines in the 2026 schedule. Germany is the largest source, holding 23.7% of 2025 imports.

Statutory rates from the schedule

  • Structural adhesives, prepared glues, caulks, and mastics — bonding and sealing where fasteners and welds do not reach. This family covers HTS headings 3214, 3506: 8 eight-digit rate lines with MFN (column 1, general) rates of Free–6.5% in the 2026 schedule.
  • Chapter 99 flags on individual lines mark Section 301/232 overlay provisions (e.g. 9903.88.03) that apply on top of the MFN column.

What importers actually paid

  • Latest month on record (2026-05): 11.38% effective on $124.2M of imports, versus 13.92% in the same month a year earlier. The monthly archive holds 77 observations from 2020-01 through 2026-05.
  • In 2025, U.S. imports for consumption in this family totaled $1.2B in customs value and paid $140.4M in calculated duties: an effective tariff rate of 11.27%. The effective rate captures Section 301/232 overlays, exclusions, and special-program use that the statutory column cannot.
  • A year earlier the effective rate was 3.55%, so the duty burden rose 7.7 points.
  • Top source countries in 2025: Germany ($296.0M at 11.39%), Canada ($194.3M at 1.56%), Mexico ($153.8M at 0.83%), China ($95.0M at 50.38%), South Korea ($58.7M at 8.33%).
  • For scale, 2025 imports in this family equal 0.1% of the U.S. chemical products industry's $1.03T gross output (2025, BEA).

Representative rate lines

  • 3214.10.00: Glazier's putty, grafting putty, resin cements, caulking compounds and other mastics; pain · MFN 3.7%
  • 3214.90.10.00: Based on rubber · MFN Free
  • 3214.90.50.00: Other · MFN 3.25%
  • 3506.10.10.00: Animal glue, including casein glue, but not including fish glue · MFN 6.5%
  • 3506.10.50.00: Other · MFN 2.1%
  • 3506.91.10.00: Optically clear free-film adhesives and optically clear curable liquid adhesives of a kind · MFN Free
  • 3506.91.50.00: Other · MFN 2.1%
  • 3506.99.00.00: Other · MFN 2.1%

Frequently asked questions

  • What is the U.S. tariff rate on adhesives and sealants? Importers paid an effective rate of 11.38% in May 2026 (calculated duties ÷ customs value, USITC DataWeb). The statutory MFN rate is Free–6.5%; Section 301/232 overlays and special programs explain the difference.
  • What is the statutory MFN duty rate for adhesives and sealants? Free–6.5% across the family's 8 eight-digit HTS lines in the 2026 Harmonized Tariff Schedule (headings 3214, 3506).
  • Which countries supply the most adhesives and sealants to the U.S.? Top sources in 2025: Germany ($296.0M at 11.39%), Canada ($194.3M at 1.56%), Mexico ($153.8M at 0.83%). Sourcing is diversified: Germany holds 23.7% of imports.
  • How much adhesives and sealants does the U.S. import? $1.2B of customs value in 2025, paying $140.4M in calculated duties — an effective tariff of 11.27%.
  • Is the U.S. a net importer of adhesives and sealants? Roughly balanced in 2025: $1.2B imported vs $1.3B exported.

About this data

  • Reference statistics derived from USITC published data. Not a customs ruling; verify rates with a licensed customs broker before relying on them.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.