Tariff monitor · Machinery & Equipment

Semiconductor and Display Equipment: Statutory & Effective Tariff Rates

Statutory HTS duty rates for 5 semiconductor and display equipment tariff lines (MFN Free), from USITC. Effective rate May 2026: 0.83%; monthly history since 2014.

The short answer

  • The effective U.S. tariff on semiconductor and display equipment was 0.83% in May 2026, down from 6.51% a year earlier — calculated duties actually paid divided by customs value, from USITC data. The statutory MFN rate is Free across 5 HTS lines in the 2026 schedule. Japan is the largest source, holding 24.4% of 2025 imports.

Statutory rates from the schedule

  • Machines for making wafers, chips, and flat-panel displays — the fab and back-end tooling behind electronics. This family covers HTS heading 8486: 5 eight-digit rate lines with MFN (column 1, general) rates of Free in the 2026 schedule.
  • Chapter 99 flags on individual lines mark Section 301/232 overlay provisions (e.g. 9903.88.02) that apply on top of the MFN column.

What importers actually paid

  • Latest month on record (2026-05): 0.83% effective on $1.3B of imports, versus 6.51% in the same month a year earlier. The monthly archive holds 149 observations from 2014-01 through 2026-05.
  • In 2025, U.S. imports for consumption in this family totaled $12.2B in customs value and paid $508.0M in calculated duties: an effective tariff rate of 4.16%. 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 1.4%, so the duty burden rose 2.8 points.
  • Top source countries in 2025: Japan ($3.0B at 2.53%), Netherlands ($2.7B at 1.39%), Singapore ($1.4B at 0.97%), Malaysia ($955.7M at 1.89%), Germany ($946.5M at 2.65%).
  • For scale, 2025 imports in this family equal 2.8% of the U.S. computer and electronic products industry's $434B gross output (2025, BEA).

Representative rate lines

  • 8486.10.00.00: Machines and apparatus for the manufacture of boules or wafers · MFN Free
  • 8486.20.00.00: Machines and apparatus for the manufacture of semiconductor devices or of electronic integ · MFN Free
  • 8486.30.00.00: Machines and apparatus for the manufacture of flat panel displays · MFN Free
  • 8486.40.00: Machines and apparatus specified in note 11(C) to this chapter · MFN Free
  • 8486.90.00.00: Parts and accessories · MFN Free

Frequently asked questions

  • What is the U.S. tariff rate on semiconductor and display equipment? Importers paid an effective rate of 0.83% in May 2026 (calculated duties ÷ customs value, USITC DataWeb). The statutory MFN rate is Free; Section 301/232 overlays and special programs explain the difference.
  • What is the statutory MFN duty rate for semiconductor and display equipment? Free across the family's 5 eight-digit HTS lines in the 2026 Harmonized Tariff Schedule (headings 8486).
  • Which countries supply the most semiconductor and display equipment to the U.S.? Top sources in 2025: Japan ($3.0B at 2.53%), Netherlands ($2.7B at 1.39%), Singapore ($1.4B at 0.97%). Sourcing is diversified: Japan holds 24.4% of imports.
  • How much semiconductor and display equipment does the U.S. import? $12.2B of customs value in 2025, paying $508.0M in calculated duties — an effective tariff of 4.16%.
  • Is the U.S. a net importer of semiconductor and display equipment? Yes — a net exporter in 2025: $12.2B imported vs $17.4B exported (exports are 143% 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.