Tariff monitor · Machinery & Equipment

Plastics and Rubber Machinery: Statutory & Effective Tariff Rates

Statutory HTS duty rates for 13 plastics and rubber machinery tariff lines (MFN Free–3.1%), from USITC. Effective rate May 2026: 12.01%; monthly history since 2023.

The short answer

  • The effective U.S. tariff on plastics and rubber machinery was 12.01% in May 2026, down from 12.63% a year earlier — calculated duties actually paid divided by customs value, from USITC data. The statutory MFN rate is Free–3.1% across 13 HTS lines in the 2026 schedule. Germany is the largest source, holding 28.8% of 2025 imports.

Statutory rates from the schedule

  • Injection, extrusion, and blow-molding machines and their parts — the presses that turn resin and rubber into parts. This family covers HTS heading 8477: 13 eight-digit rate lines with MFN (column 1, general) rates of Free–3.1% 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): 12.01% effective on $264.7M of imports, versus 12.63% 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 $3.4B in customs value and paid $361.8M in calculated duties: an effective tariff rate of 10.63%. 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 3.83%, so the duty burden rose 6.8 points.
  • Top source countries in 2025: Germany ($979.8M at 8.56%), Canada ($458.4M at 2.26%), Austria ($305.3M at 9.55%), Japan ($289.8M at 8.69%), Italy ($288.8M at 10.53%).
  • For scale, 2025 imports in this family equal 1.1% of the U.S. plastics and rubber products industry's $299B gross output (2025, BEA).

Representative rate lines

  • 8477.10.30.00: For manufacturing shoes · MFN Free
  • 8477.10.40.00: For use in the manufacture of optical media · MFN Free
  • 8477.10.90: Other · MFN 3.1%
  • 8477.20.00: Extruders · MFN 3.1%
  • 8477.30.00.00: Blow-molding machines · MFN 3.1%
  • 8477.40.01.00: Vacuum-molding machines and other thermoforming machines · MFN 3.1%
  • 8477.51.00: For molding or retreading pneumatic tires or for molding or otherwise forming inner tubes · MFN 3.1%
  • 8477.59.01.00: Other · MFN 3.1%

Frequently asked questions

  • What is the U.S. tariff rate on plastics and rubber machinery? Importers paid an effective rate of 12.01% in May 2026 (calculated duties ÷ customs value, USITC DataWeb). The statutory MFN rate is Free–3.1%; Section 301/232 overlays and special programs explain the difference.
  • What is the statutory MFN duty rate for plastics and rubber machinery? Free–3.1% across the family's 13 eight-digit HTS lines in the 2026 Harmonized Tariff Schedule (headings 8477).
  • Which countries supply the most plastics and rubber machinery to the U.S.? Top sources in 2025: Germany ($979.8M at 8.56%), Canada ($458.4M at 2.26%), Austria ($305.3M at 9.55%). Sourcing is diversified: Germany holds 28.8% of imports.
  • How much plastics and rubber machinery does the U.S. import? $3.4B of customs value in 2025, paying $361.8M in calculated duties — an effective tariff of 10.63%.
  • Is the U.S. a net importer of plastics and rubber machinery? Yes — a net importer in 2025: $3.4B imported vs $528.9M exported (exports are 16% 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.