What is the U.S. tariff rate on robots and automated machinery?

USITC calculated duties imply an effective rate of 11.76% in Jun 2026 (calculated duties ÷ covered customs value, USITC DataWeb). The parseable Column 1 General line-rate range is 0%–2.8%; individual lines are called “Free” only when the official General field is literally Free, and product, origin, preference and tariff mix can contribute to the observed-rate difference.

What are the statutory MFN line rates for robots and automated machinery?

The parseable Column 1 General line-rate range is 0%–2.8% across the family's 26 eight-digit HTS lines in the 2026 Harmonized Tariff Schedule (headings 8479). “Free” means the official General field is literally Free for a line; it does not determine final entry liability.

Which countries supply the most robots and automated machinery to the U.S.?

Top retained sources in 2025: Germany ($2.4B at 11.31%), Canada ($1.6B at 2.42%), China ($1.2B at 46.83%). Germany holds 19.1% of total family import customs value. Retained sources cover 78.4%; their HHI is 850, a lower bound whose floor falls in the diversified range without classifying the omitted tail.

How much robots and automated machinery does the U.S. import?

$12.8B of customs value in 2025, with $1.7B in USITC Calculated Duties — an effective calculated-duty rate of 13.61%.

Is the U.S. a net importer of robots and automated machinery?

Yes — a net importer in 2025: $12.8B imported vs $1.5B exported (exports are 12% of imports).

What is the customs unit value of robots and automated machinery?

$12.2/unit in 2025, derived as customs value ÷ reported quantity from USITC DataWeb. It is an aggregate across the family's product and origin mix, not a transaction price or supplier quote.

Tariff monitor · Machinery & Equipment

Robots and Automated Machinery: Statutory & Effective Tariff Rates

USITC Column 1 General rates for 26 robots and automated machinery HTS lines (parseable range 0%–2.8%). Effective rate Jun 2026: 11.76%; monthly history since 2023.

The short answer

The observed effective calculated-duty rate on U.S. imports of robots and automated machinery was 11.76% in Jun 2026, down from 15.4% a year earlier — USITC Calculated Duties divided by covered customs value. The Column 1 General line-rate range is 0%–2.8% across 26 HTS lines in the 2026 schedule; individual lines are called “Free” only when the official General field is literally Free, which still does not determine a shipment’s final duty. Germany is the largest source, holding 19.1% of 2025 imports.

Statutory rates from the schedule

Industrial robots and special-purpose machines with their own function — the automation cells not classified anywhere else. This family covers HTS heading 8479: 26 eight-digit rate lines with a parseable Column 1 General range of 0%–2.8% in the 2026 schedule. “Free” means the official General field is literally Free for that line; it does not determine final entry liability.

Observed calculated-duty data

Latest month on record (2026-06): 11.76% effective on $1.3B of imports, versus 15.4% in the same month a year earlier. The monthly archive holds 42 observations from 2023-01 through 2026-06.
In 2025, U.S. imports for consumption in this family totaled $12.8B in customs value, with $1.7B in USITC reported calculated duty on $12.8B of covered customs value: an effective calculated-duty rate of 13.61%. The aggregate reflects the recorded entry mix but does not attribute the result to a specific legal provision.
A year earlier the effective calculated-duty rate was 2.65%, so the observed rate rose 11.0 points.
Top source countries in 2025: Germany ($2.4B at 11.31%), Canada ($1.6B at 2.42%), China ($1.2B at 46.83%), South Korea ($1.0B at 6.97%), Mexico ($1.0B at 6.12%).
Reported freight and insurance equaled 3.51% of covered customs value in 2025 ($351.7M total); charge coverage was 78.4% of customs value, from USITC DataWeb. It is shown alongside the effective calculated-duty rate and is not part of the customs-value duty base.
Customs unit value: 12.1577 per unit in 2025, aggregate declared customs value divided by reported quantity across eligible single-unit lines (USITC DataWeb); not a transaction price.
For scale, 2025 imports in this family equal 2.9% of the U.S. machinery industry's $448B gross output (2025, BEA).

Representative rate lines

8479.10.00: Machinery for public works, building or the like · MFN Free
8479.20.00.00: Machinery for the extraction or preparation of animal or fixed vegetable or microbial fats · MFN Free
8479.30.00.00: Presses for the manufacture of particle board or fiber building board of wood or other lig · MFN Free
8479.40.00.00: Rope or cable-making machines · MFN Free
8479.50.00.00: Industrial robots, not elsewhere specified or included · MFN 2.5%
8479.60.00.00: Evaporative air coolers · MFN 2.8%
8479.71.00.00: Of a kind used in airports · MFN Free
8479.79.00.00: Other · MFN Free

Frequently asked questions

What is the U.S. tariff rate on robots and automated machinery? USITC calculated duties imply an effective rate of 11.76% in Jun 2026 (calculated duties ÷ covered customs value, USITC DataWeb). The parseable Column 1 General line-rate range is 0%–2.8%; individual lines are called “Free” only when the official General field is literally Free, and product, origin, preference and tariff mix can contribute to the observed-rate difference.
What are the statutory MFN line rates for robots and automated machinery? The parseable Column 1 General line-rate range is 0%–2.8% across the family's 26 eight-digit HTS lines in the 2026 Harmonized Tariff Schedule (headings 8479). “Free” means the official General field is literally Free for a line; it does not determine final entry liability.
Which countries supply the most robots and automated machinery to the U.S.? Top retained sources in 2025: Germany ($2.4B at 11.31%), Canada ($1.6B at 2.42%), China ($1.2B at 46.83%). Germany holds 19.1% of total family import customs value. Retained sources cover 78.4%; their HHI is 850, a lower bound whose floor falls in the diversified range without classifying the omitted tail.
How much robots and automated machinery does the U.S. import? $12.8B of customs value in 2025, with $1.7B in USITC Calculated Duties — an effective calculated-duty rate of 13.61%.
Is the U.S. a net importer of robots and automated machinery? Yes — a net importer in 2025: $12.8B imported vs $1.5B exported (exports are 12% of imports).
What is the customs unit value of robots and automated machinery? $12.2/unit in 2025, derived as customs value ÷ reported quantity from USITC DataWeb. It is an aggregate across the family's product and origin mix, not a transaction price or supplier quote.

About this data

Reference statistics derived from USITC published data. Not a customs ruling. MFN-Free and Special-rate fields describe statutory line coverage only; final entry liability requires origin, date, eligibility, exclusions and other transaction facts. Calculated Duties are statistical estimates, not a cash-collections ledger. Confirm classification, origin, program eligibility, and final entry liability with a licensed customs broker.

Last reviewed 2026-08-31.