Tariff monitor · Machinery & Equipment
Valves and fluid controls: statutory & effective tariff rates
Statutory HTS duty rates for 14 valves and fluid controls tariff lines (MFN Free–5.6%), from USITC. Effective rate May 2026: 12.84%; monthly history since 2014.
Statutory rates from the schedule
- Taps, cocks, valves, and similar appliances for pipes, tanks, and process systems. This family covers HTS heading 8481: 14 eight-digit rate lines with MFN (column 1, general) rates of Free–5.6% 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): 12.84% effective on $1.6B of imports, versus 19.66% 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 $18.1B in customs value and paid $2.9B in calculated duties: an effective tariff rate of 16.03%. 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 6.01%, so the duty burden rose 10.0 points.
- Top source countries in 2025: Mexico ($3.6B at 5.65%), China ($3.0B at 45.92%), Germany ($1.5B at 10.87%), Japan ($1.3B at 10.79%), Italy ($1.2B at 10.42%).
Representative rate lines
- 8481.10.00: Pressure-reducing valves — MFN 2%
- 8481.20.00: Valves for oleohydraulic or pneumatic transmissions — MFN 2%
- 8481.30.10: Of copper — MFN 3%
- 8481.30.20: Of iron or steel — MFN 5%
- 8481.30.90.00: Other — MFN 3%
- 8481.40.00.00: Safety or relief valves — MFN 2%
- 8481.80.10: Of copper — MFN 4%
- 8481.80.30: Of iron or steel — MFN 5.6%
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.