Tariff monitor · Electrical & Wiring

Switchgear, Connectors, and Controls: Statutory & Effective Tariff Rates

Statutory HTS duty rates for 34 switchgear, connectors, and controls tariff lines (MFN Free–3.5%), from USITC. Effective rate May 2026: 8.58%; monthly history since

The short answer

  • The effective U.S. tariff on switchgear, connectors, and controls was 8.58% in May 2026, down from 13.32% a year earlier — calculated duties actually paid divided by customs value, from USITC data. The statutory MFN rate is Free–3.5% across 34 HTS lines in the 2026 schedule. Mexico is the largest source, holding 37.2% of 2025 imports.

Statutory rates from the schedule

  • Switches, relays, connectors, and the boards and panels that combine them — how power and signal are switched, protected, and routed. This family covers HTS headings 8535, 8536, 8537, 8538: 34 eight-digit rate lines with MFN (column 1, general) rates of Free–3.5% 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): 8.58% effective on $4.2B of imports, versus 13.32% 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 $42.1B in customs value and paid $4.7B in calculated duties: an effective tariff rate of 11.21%. 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 3.41%, so the duty burden rose 7.8 points.
  • Top source countries in 2025: Mexico ($15.7B at 3.67%), China ($3.5B at 50.91%), Canada ($2.7B at 3.08%), Germany ($2.6B at 10.88%), Japan ($1.7B at 10.41%).
  • For scale, 2025 imports in this family equal 20.8% of the U.S. electrical equipment and appliances industry's $202B gross output (2025, BEA).

Representative rate lines

  • 8535.10.00: Fuses · MFN 2.7%
  • 8535.21.00.00: For a voltage of less than 72.5 kV · MFN 2.7%
  • 8535.29.00: Other · MFN 2%
  • 8535.30.00: Isolating switches and make-and-break switches · MFN 2.7%
  • 8535.40.00.00: Lightning arresters, voltage limiters and surge suppressors · MFN 2.7%
  • 8535.90.40.00: Motor starters and motor overload protectors · MFN 2.7%
  • 8535.90.80: Other · MFN 2.7%
  • 8536.10.00: Fuses · MFN 2.7%

Frequently asked questions

  • What is the U.S. tariff rate on switchgear, connectors, and controls? Importers paid an effective rate of 8.58% in May 2026 (calculated duties ÷ customs value, USITC DataWeb). The statutory MFN rate is Free–3.5%; Section 301/232 overlays and special programs explain the difference.
  • What is the statutory MFN duty rate for switchgear, connectors, and controls? Free–3.5% across the family's 34 eight-digit HTS lines in the 2026 Harmonized Tariff Schedule (headings 8535, 8536, 8537, 8538).
  • Which countries supply the most switchgear, connectors, and controls to the U.S.? Top sources in 2025: Mexico ($15.7B at 3.67%), China ($3.5B at 50.91%), Canada ($2.7B at 3.08%). Sourcing is moderately concentrated: Mexico holds 37.2% of imports.
  • How much switchgear, connectors, and controls does the U.S. import? $42.1B of customs value in 2025, paying $4.7B in calculated duties — an effective tariff of 11.21%.
  • Is the U.S. a net importer of switchgear, connectors, and controls? Yes — a net importer in 2025: $42.1B imported vs $7.7B exported (exports are 18% 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.