Tariff monitor · Other Families
Technical and Refractory Ceramics: Statutory & Effective Tariff Rates
Statutory HTS duty rates for 9 technical and refractory ceramics tariff lines (MFN Free–4.5%), from USITC. Effective rate May 2026: 9.03%; monthly history since 2014
The short answer
- The effective U.S. tariff on technical and refractory ceramics was 9.03% in May 2026, down from 12.55% a year earlier — calculated duties actually paid divided by customs value, from USITC data. The statutory MFN rate is Free–4.5% across 9 HTS lines in the 2026 schedule. Japan is the largest source, holding 31.6% of 2025 imports.
Statutory rates from the schedule
- Crucibles, kiln furniture, nozzles, and wear parts — refractory and technical ceramics for high-heat and abrasive service. This family covers HTS headings 6903, 6909: 9 eight-digit rate lines with MFN (column 1, general) rates of Free–4.5% in the 2026 schedule.
- Chapter 99 flags on individual lines mark Section 301/232 overlay provisions (e.g. 9903.88.03) that apply on top of the MFN column.
What importers actually paid
- Latest month on record (2026-05): 9.03% effective on $136.2M of imports, versus 12.55% 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 $1.3B in customs value and paid $129.1M in calculated duties: an effective tariff rate of 9.99%. 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 2.92%, so the duty burden rose 7.1 points.
- Top source countries in 2025: Japan ($408.4M at 8.66%), Mexico ($309.1M at 0.1%), Germany ($114.2M at 10.49%), China ($98.3M at 45.75%), Poland ($52.3M at 10.45%).
- For scale, 2025 imports in this family equal 0.7% of the U.S. nonmetallic mineral products industry's $176B gross output (2025, BEA).
Representative rate lines
- 6903.10.00.00: Containing by weight more than 50 percent of free carbon · MFN Free
- 6903.20.00.00: Containing by weight more than 50 percent of alumina (Al2O3) or of a · MFN Free
- 6903.90.00: Other · MFN Free
- 6909.11.20.00: Machinery parts · MFN Free
- 6909.11.40.00: Other · MFN 4.5%
- 6909.12.00.00: Articles having a hardness equivalent to 9 or more on the Mohs scale · MFN 4%
- 6909.19.10.00: Ferrite core memories · MFN Free
- 6909.19.50: Other · MFN 4%
Frequently asked questions
- What is the U.S. tariff rate on technical and refractory ceramics? Importers paid an effective rate of 9.03% in May 2026 (calculated duties ÷ customs value, USITC DataWeb). The statutory MFN rate is Free–4.5%; Section 301/232 overlays and special programs explain the difference.
- What is the statutory MFN duty rate for technical and refractory ceramics? Free–4.5% across the family's 9 eight-digit HTS lines in the 2026 Harmonized Tariff Schedule (headings 6903, 6909).
- Which countries supply the most technical and refractory ceramics to the U.S.? Top sources in 2025: Japan ($408.4M at 8.66%), Mexico ($309.1M at 0.1%), Germany ($114.2M at 10.49%). Sourcing is moderately concentrated: Japan holds 31.6% of imports.
- How much technical and refractory ceramics does the U.S. import? $1.3B of customs value in 2025, paying $129.1M in calculated duties — an effective tariff of 9.99%.
- Is the U.S. a net importer of technical and refractory ceramics? Yes — a net importer in 2025: $1.3B imported vs $1.1B exported (exports are 83% 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.