What is the U.S. tariff rate on welding equipment?

USITC calculated duties imply an effective rate of 10.29% in Jun 2026 (calculated duties ÷ covered customs value, USITC DataWeb). The parseable Column 1 General line-rate range is 0%–2.5%; individual lines are called “Free” only when the official General field is literally Free, and product, origin, preference and tariff mix can contribute to the observed-rate difference.

What are the statutory MFN line rates for welding equipment?

The parseable Column 1 General line-rate range is 0%–2.5% across the family's 9 eight-digit HTS lines in the 2026 Harmonized Tariff Schedule (headings 8515). “Free” means the official General field is literally Free for a line; it does not determine final entry liability.

Which countries supply the most welding equipment to the U.S.?

Top retained sources in 2025: Japan ($316.0M at 8.09%), Germany ($288.7M at 9%), Canada ($238.3M at 1.01%). Japan holds 18.1% of total family import customs value. Retained sources cover 87.3%; their HHI is 1030, a lower bound whose floor falls in the diversified range without classifying the omitted tail.

How much welding equipment does the U.S. import?

$1.7B of customs value in 2025, with $189.2M in USITC Calculated Duties — an effective calculated-duty rate of 10.84%.

Is the U.S. a net importer of welding equipment?

Yes — a net importer in 2025: $1.7B imported vs $970.3M exported (exports are 56% of imports).

What is the customs unit value of welding equipment?

$26.3/unit in 2025, derived as customs value ÷ reported quantity from USITC DataWeb. It is an aggregate across the family's product and origin mix, not a transaction price or supplier quote.

Tariff monitor · Electrical & Wiring

Welding Equipment: Statutory & Effective Tariff Rates

USITC Column 1 General rates for 9 welding equipment HTS lines (parseable range 0%–2.5%). Effective rate Jun 2026: 10.29%; monthly history since 2014.

The short answer

The observed effective calculated-duty rate on U.S. imports of welding equipment was 10.29% in Jun 2026, down from 11.9% a year earlier — USITC Calculated Duties divided by covered customs value. The Column 1 General line-rate range is 0%–2.5% across 9 HTS lines in the 2026 schedule; individual lines are called “Free” only when the official General field is literally Free, which still does not determine a shipment’s final duty. Japan is the largest source, holding 18.1% of 2025 imports.

Statutory rates from the schedule

Arc, resistance, and laser welding and soldering machinery and parts. This family covers HTS heading 8515: 9 eight-digit rate lines with a parseable Column 1 General range of 0%–2.5% in the 2026 schedule. “Free” means the official General field is literally Free for that line; it does not determine final entry liability.

Observed calculated-duty data

Latest month on record (2026-06): 10.29% effective on $157.3M of imports, versus 11.9% in the same month a year earlier. The monthly archive holds 150 observations from 2014-01 through 2026-06.
In 2025, U.S. imports for consumption in this family totaled $1.7B in customs value, with $189.2M in USITC reported calculated duty on $1.7B of covered customs value: an effective calculated-duty rate of 10.84%. The aggregate reflects the recorded entry mix but does not attribute the result to a specific legal provision.
A year earlier the effective calculated-duty rate was 2.78%, so the observed rate rose 8.1 points.
Top source countries in 2025: Japan ($316.0M at 8.09%), Germany ($288.7M at 9%), Canada ($238.3M at 1.01%), China ($155.1M at 47.66%), South Korea ($132.0M at 4.49%).
Reported freight and insurance equaled 2.8% of covered customs value in 2025 ($42.7M total); charge coverage was 87.3% of customs value, from USITC DataWeb. It is shown alongside the effective calculated-duty rate and is not part of the customs-value duty base.
Customs unit value: 26.2563 per unit in 2025, aggregate declared customs value divided by reported quantity across eligible single-unit lines (USITC DataWeb); not a transaction price.
For scale, 2025 imports in this family equal 0.4% of the U.S. machinery industry's $448B gross output (2025, BEA).

Representative rate lines

8515.11.00.00: Soldering irons and guns · MFN 2.5%
8515.19.00.00: Other · MFN Free
8515.21.00.00: Fully or partly automatic · MFN Free
8515.29.00.00: Other · MFN Free
8515.31.00.00: Fully or partly automatic · MFN 1.6%
8515.39.00: Other · MFN 1.6%
8515.80.00: Other machines and apparatus · MFN Free
8515.90.20.00: Of welding machines and apparatus · MFN 1.6%

Frequently asked questions

What is the U.S. tariff rate on welding equipment? USITC calculated duties imply an effective rate of 10.29% in Jun 2026 (calculated duties ÷ covered customs value, USITC DataWeb). The parseable Column 1 General line-rate range is 0%–2.5%; individual lines are called “Free” only when the official General field is literally Free, and product, origin, preference and tariff mix can contribute to the observed-rate difference.
What are the statutory MFN line rates for welding equipment? The parseable Column 1 General line-rate range is 0%–2.5% across the family's 9 eight-digit HTS lines in the 2026 Harmonized Tariff Schedule (headings 8515). “Free” means the official General field is literally Free for a line; it does not determine final entry liability.
Which countries supply the most welding equipment to the U.S.? Top retained sources in 2025: Japan ($316.0M at 8.09%), Germany ($288.7M at 9%), Canada ($238.3M at 1.01%). Japan holds 18.1% of total family import customs value. Retained sources cover 87.3%; their HHI is 1030, a lower bound whose floor falls in the diversified range without classifying the omitted tail.
How much welding equipment does the U.S. import? $1.7B of customs value in 2025, with $189.2M in USITC Calculated Duties — an effective calculated-duty rate of 10.84%.
Is the U.S. a net importer of welding equipment? Yes — a net importer in 2025: $1.7B imported vs $970.3M exported (exports are 56% of imports).
What is the customs unit value of welding equipment? $26.3/unit in 2025, derived as customs value ÷ reported quantity from USITC DataWeb. It is an aggregate across the family's product and origin mix, not a transaction price or supplier quote.

About this data

Reference statistics derived from USITC published data. Not a customs ruling. MFN-Free and Special-rate fields describe statutory line coverage only; final entry liability requires origin, date, eligibility, exclusions and other transaction facts. Calculated Duties are statistical estimates, not a cash-collections ledger. Confirm classification, origin, program eligibility, and final entry liability with a licensed customs broker.

Last reviewed 2026-08-31.