Tariff monitor · Machinery & Equipment

Robots and Automated Machinery: Statutory & Effective Tariff Rates

Statutory HTS duty rates for 26 robots and automated machinery tariff lines (MFN Free–2.8%), from USITC. Effective rate May 2026: 11.27%; monthly history since 2023.

The short answer

  • The effective U.S. tariff on robots and automated machinery was 11.27% in May 2026, down from 13.27% a year earlier — calculated duties actually paid divided by customs value, from USITC data. The statutory MFN rate is Free–2.8% across 26 HTS lines in the 2026 schedule. 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 MFN (column 1, general) rates of Free–2.8% in the 2026 schedule.
  • Chapter 99 flags on individual lines mark Section 301/232 overlay provisions (e.g. 9903.88.01) that apply on top of the MFN column.

What importers actually paid

  • Latest month on record (2026-05): 11.27% effective on $1.1B of imports, versus 13.27% in the same month a year earlier. The monthly archive holds 41 observations from 2023-01 through 2026-05.
  • In 2025, U.S. imports for consumption in this family totaled $12.8B in customs value and paid $1.7B in calculated duties: an effective tariff rate of 13.61%. 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 2.65%, so the duty burden 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%).
  • 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? Importers paid an effective rate of 11.27% in May 2026 (calculated duties ÷ customs value, USITC DataWeb). The statutory MFN rate is Free–2.8%; Section 301/232 overlays and special programs explain the difference.
  • What is the statutory MFN duty rate for robots and automated machinery? Free–2.8% across the family's 26 eight-digit HTS lines in the 2026 Harmonized Tariff Schedule (headings 8479).
  • Which countries supply the most robots and automated machinery to the U.S.? Top sources in 2025: Germany ($2.4B at 11.31%), Canada ($1.6B at 2.42%), China ($1.2B at 46.83%). Sourcing is diversified: Germany holds 19.1% of imports.
  • How much robots and automated machinery does the U.S. import? $12.8B of customs value in 2025, paying $1.7B in calculated duties — an effective tariff 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).

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.