What is the import duty on clothing from China to the US?

The base MFN rate on apparel varies by fiber and construction: cotton knit garments typically 10–20%, woven cotton 8–16%, synthetics 12–32%, silk as low as 2.5%. But that's only the MFN layer. On top of that sit two Section 301 charges on Chinese-origin apparel (HS Chapters 61-63): List 3 at 7.5%, and the forced-labour layer of 24 July 2026 at 12.5%. A $10 CIF cotton t-shirt (MFN 16.5% + 7.5% + 12.5%) pays $3.65 in duty — 36.5% on CIF. The forced-labour 12.5% applies to Vietnam, India and nearly every other garment exporter as well; only the China list is China-specific. The USTR textile exclusion review for Ch. 61-63 closed comments July 2026; no rate changes announced yet.

Does the fiber content affect how much duty I pay?

Yes — significantly. Cotton garments consistently pay the highest MFN rates (10–20%), synthetics (polyester, nylon) run in the middle (12–32%), and silk is among the lowest (2.5%). Wool runs 6–16% depending on knit vs woven. Blend fabrics are classified by the fiber that predominates by weight — a 55% cotton / 45% polyester shirt is classified under cotton. This 'predominant fiber by weight' rule is one of the most common misclassification errors in apparel imports, and it directly changes your duty rate. Always confirm fiber percentages on the mill test certificate, not the supplier's verbal claim.

Does Vietnam have a tariff advantage over China for apparel?

For US imports: yes, roughly a 9.5 percentage-point advantage — but the floor is much higher than it was before July 2026. Both Vietnam and China now pay the 12.5% forced-labour Section 301 layer, so that part cancels out. The remaining edge comes from the China-specific list: 16.5% MFN + 12.5% + 7.5% = 36.5% for China versus 14.5% + 12.5% = 27% for Vietnam. On a container of knit shirts with a CIF value of $80,000 the China list alone costs $6,000 more, and India or Bangladesh would save a further 2.5 points by sitting in the additive-10 tier. Additionally, Vietnam benefits from no active anti-dumping orders on textiles. The trade-off: Vietnamese factories typically have 10–20% higher FOB prices than Chinese equivalents, and lead times are longer. Run both scenarios on the landed cost calculator before switching supply.

What labeling do I need to import apparel into the US?

Three federal labeling rules apply: fiber content label (Textile Fiber Products Identification Act — list every fiber ≥5% by weight, in descending order, with generic fiber names), country of origin label (required on most textile products, conspicuous and in English, usually sewn-in), and care label (FTC Care Labeling Rule — washing, bleaching, drying, and ironing instructions). Additionally, children's sleepwear requires CPSC flammability testing (16 CFR Parts 1615/1616), and children's products generally need a Children's Product Certificate (CPC) for lead content (CPSIA). CBP can detain shipments with missing or false labels.

Can I use de minimis to ship apparel samples duty-free?

The US $800 Section 321 de minimis exemption has been suspended globally since August 2025 and made indefinite in June 2026. So for practical purposes: no, small apparel shipments are currently subject to full MFN and Section 301 duties regardless of value. This is a major change from the pre-2025 era when small fashion brands routinely shipped samples and small orders duty-free. For the EU, the €150 duty exemption ended on 1 July 2026 — a consignment at or below €150 now pays a flat €3 per item — and VAT has been due from the first euro since July 2021. For the UK, the £135 threshold operates differently — it's the point where the VAT collection mechanism shifts, not a pure duty exemption.

Apparel & Textile Import Duty

Why "apparel duty" is a range, not a number

Most people come in asking "what's the duty on clothing?" as if it were one tariff. It isn't, and for apparel the spread is wider than almost any other category. The US applies MFN (Most-Favored-Nation) rates from about 12% to 32% on garments, depending on type, fiber, and construction. Our calculator uses 16.5% as a realistic composite for typical knit and woven goods — t-shirts, hoodies, trousers, dresses — but that single number is a planning figure, not a filing number.

Two things make apparel unusually rate-sensitive. First, the US textile lobby has been effective for a century, so clothing carries some of the highest tariffs in the whole schedule — there's no ITA-style zero rate for garments like there is for phones. Second, the rate is locked to physical facts about the product: a cotton knit pullover and a polyester woven jacket can sit 5–10 points apart. The US has no federal VAT, so at least the math stops after duty — simpler than the UK or EU, where VAT compounds on top.

The three HS chapters that actually matter

If you import apparel, your product lives in one of three chapters:

Chapter 61 — Knitted and crocheted garments. T-shirts, sweaters, hoodies, activewear, socks, underwear. Knits generally run higher than wovens — 14% to 32% — because the domestic knit industry has historically pushed harder for protection. A cotton men's knit tee is 6109.10.
Chapter 62 — Woven (non-knit) garments. Dress shirts, blouses, suits, jeans, skirts, outerwear. Classification is more granular: a men's cotton woven shirt (6205.20) and a women's cotton blouse (6206.30) are different codes with different rates. Typically 12% to 27%.
Chapter 63 — Made-up textile articles. Blankets, bed linens, towels, curtains, tablecloths. These aren't worn, so they sit lower — roughly 3% to 12% — but Section 301 can still apply to the subheading.

The first six digits are harmonized globally; digits seven through ten are US-specific and set your exact rate. A 50/50 cotton-polyester blend? CBP uses the essential character test — whichever fiber predominates by weight wins the classification. That single decision can move your rate several points.

Duty by garment type — knit, woven, and fiber

The two axes that decide your rate are construction (knit vs. woven) and fiber content. Get both wrong and you'll under-budget by a third.

Knit vs. woven: same fiber, different bill

A cotton knit t-shirt (6109.10) and a cotton woven button-down (6205.20) are the same material in different form — and knits usually land 2–4 points higher. The domestic knit industry lobbies harder, and it shows in the schedule. CBP officers themselves use the stretch test: knit fabric has interlocking loops and gives; woven has warp and weft and doesn't, unless spandex is blended in.

Fiber content: cotton pays the most, silk the least

The fiber in the outer shell sets the rate bucket, and the political economy is the tell:

Cotton: The highest rates — 15% to 32%. US cotton growers and textile mills have been effective at securing protection, so cotton garments sit at the top of the Chapter 61/62 range.
Man-made fibers (polyester, nylon, acrylic): Typically 2–4 points lower than cotton equivalents (12% to 28%). Synthetics don't compete with US agricultural interests, so they face less political wall.
Wool: A mixed bag — fine wool suiting can hit 25%, coarser wool sometimes qualifies for lower brackets. Wool's smaller share of US imports means less political attention either way.
Silk: Often the cheapest import in the category — sometimes as low as 2.5% to 6.5%. There's no US silk industry to protect, so it flies under the radar.

Practical move some importers use: a cotton knit pullover might sit under Section 301 while a merino version in the same style doesn't. Fabric choice is a tariff lever, not just an aesthetic one.

Duty by origin — same shirt, different bill

Origin used to be the cleanest lever in apparel sourcing: Section 301 reached Chinese goods and everyone else paid plain MFN. That ended on 24 July 2026. USTR's forced-labour Section 301 action put a second surcharge on roughly 60 economies, and apparel is exactly the kind of labour-intensive product the action was aimed at — every major garment exporter is on the list.

The layer is not the same size everywhere, and it comes in two shapes. China and Vietnam are additive +12.5%: the surcharge is added to whatever the MFN rate is. India, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are additive +10%. The EU is filled to 10% — a 4% silk accessory rises to 10%, a 12% woven suit stays at 12%, nothing is added on top. The UK sits in the additive 10% tier, and no US–UK free trade agreement exists to soften it.

From China: 16.5% MFN composite, plus the 12.5% forced-labour layer, plus Section 301 List 3 at 7.5% on codes without an active exclusion. Stacked, a typical garment lands near 36.5%; at the 25% List 1/2 tier it clears 54%. Estimate it on the China → US Clothing calculator.
From Vietnam: ~14.5% MFN with no China-list surcharge, but the same 12.5% forced-labour layer applies, so the real rate is about 27%. That is still ~9.5 points under China — the same gap as before July, sitting on a much higher floor. Run it on the Vietnam → US Textiles calculator.
From India, Bangladesh, Cambodia: the additive tier is 10 points rather than 12.5, so a comparable garment runs about 2.5 points cheaper than the same shirt out of Vietnam — a 15% MFN blouse lands at 25% rather than 27.5%.
From Italy / the EU: the fill-to-10 shape means the layer only bites on cheap-to-mid garments. A 12% Italian woven suit stays at 12%; a 4% silk scarf is lifted to 10%. The Italy → US Textiles page covers the lane. If you're moving goods into the EU or UK instead, VAT is the real cost — see the Import VAT Guide.
From the UK: there is still no US–UK trade agreement, so UK-origin apparel pays MFN plus the additive 10% tier. The China → UK Apparel page flips the direction and shows the UK import side, where VAT — not duty — dominates.

One nuance worth flagging: "origin" means where the garment was substantially transformed, not where it shipped from. A shirt cut in Vietnam from Chinese fabric may or may not qualify as Vietnamese-origin depending on the cut-and-sew rule. Since the forced-labour layer now reaches China and Vietnam alike, the origin test usually decides which tier you pay rather than whether you pay at all — except where it moves you onto the China list, which is still a 7.5-to-25-point question. Don't take the shipping label as the tariff answer.

Two Section 301 actions — and a live deadline

"Section 301" is now two different things, and they behave differently. The China lists are the 2018–2019 action carrying the 7.5% and 25% rates everyone quotes; the forced-labour action of 24 July 2026 is a separate determination that reaches 60 economies. A garment at 16.5% MFN + 12.5% forced-labour + 7.5% China list = 36.5% effective. At the 25% tier it clears 54%. All three are assessed on the same customs value and add — they don't multiply.

The exclusion process moves constantly — granted, expired, renewed — but it belongs to the China lists. The forced-labour notice pairs its duty with a Section 232 carve-out, not a product-exclusion process, so an exclusion can take the 7.5% off a garment and leave the 12.5% standing. Critically, the current USTR review covering textile Chapters 61, 62, and 63 closed comments on July 15, 2026. If your HTS code has an active exclusion, you skip the China list; you do not skip the layer. A category clear today can be taxed in six months. Pull the latest USTR Federal Register notice before you lock a purchase order, and read our Section 301 China Tariffs guide for the full list-by-list breakdown.

Compliance that isn't duty — but will stop the shipment

Duty is the easy line. These are the rules that actually delay apparel at the border:

Fiber content & care labeling: The US Textile Fiber Products Identification Act requires accurate fiber percentages and country of origin on the label. A vague "100% cotton" that's actually a blend is a CBP hold waiting to happen.
Flammability (16 CFR Part 1610): General wearing apparel must pass the standard; children's sleepwear has a far stricter rule (1615/1616). Non-compliant lots get refused.
Lead & phthalates: CPSC limits on surface coatings and certain plastics. Screen-printed kids' garments get extra scrutiny.
Country-of-origin marking: A permanent, legible "Made in ___" on the garment or retail packaging. "Imported" isn't enough.

None of these show up in a duty calculator, but all of them can hold a container longer than the tariff line ever would.

The de minimis question — still real, but tightening

For years, a single apparel item under $800 entered the US duty-free under Section 321, cleared electronically in hours. That lane closed on 29 August 2025, when the exemption was suspended for every country of origin — it was not merely narrowed, and it is not coming back. DTC brands that built a model on shipping individual orders from Asian fulfillment centers straight to US customers now pay duty from the first dollar. CBP has also tightened Type 86 scrutiny at West Coast ports — average clearance at LAX/LGB stretched from ~4 hours to 8–12 hours at peak. If you've built a model on "just keep it under $800," re-read the 2026 de minimis reform and the global threshold guide before you quote landed cost.

How to actually estimate your landed cost

The honest workflow, in order:

Pin the 10-digit HTS code. Knit or woven? Cotton, poly, or blend? Men's or women's? This decides both the rate and whether Section 301 applies.
Add freight and insurance to goods value for CIF. CBP uses CIF, not your FOB factory price, and wants the exchange rate on the export date if you paid in another currency.
Apply MFN, then add Section 301 only if China-origin and no exclusion.
Layer in compliance cost — labeling, testing, broker fees — which on a small apparel shipment can rival the duty line.

For a fast number, the Landed Cost Calculator does steps 2–3 automatically once you supply the rate, and the Import Duty Calculator handles a single lane. The US Import Customs Guide walks the full entry if this is your first formal shipment. For category-specific duty, the Furniture and Machinery hubs cover the other big import categories.

Frequently asked questions

What's the real duty rate on imported apparel?

There isn't one. MFN runs 12% to 32% depending on garment type, fiber, and knit-vs-woven construction; 16.5% is a composite for typical goods. Cotton sits at the top, silk near the bottom. On top of that sits the 12.5% forced-labour layer in force since 24 July 2026 — it reaches China, Vietnam, India and almost every other garment exporter, so no origin escapes it. China additionally carries 7.5% to 25% on the original Section 301 list unless your HTS code has an active exclusion. The rate is set by your 10-digit code, not by the word "clothing."

Why does a cotton t-shirt owe more than a silk scarf?

Politics, mostly. The US has no domestic silk industry to protect, so silk imports face minimal tariff (often 2.5–6.5%). Cotton apparel competes directly with US textile mills and cotton growers that have secured high MFN protection for a century — so cotton garments land at 15% to 32%. Same "clothing" category, completely different bills.

Should I source apparel from China or Vietnam for the US?

Narrower than it used to be, but still real. Both origins now pay the 12.5% forced-labour layer, so that part is a wash; the difference is the China list. China runs 16.5% MFN + 12.5% layer + 7.5% List 3 = 36.5%; Vietnam runs 14.5% + 12.5% = 27%. The ~9.5-point gap is unchanged in size but now sits on a much higher floor, so it decides margin rather than viability. India and Bangladesh are cheaper still in the additive-10 tier — 2.5 points below Vietnam. Vietnam's infrastructure still trails China's for complex or high-volume runs, so the break-even is product-specific. Run both calculators — China and Vietnam — with your actual numbers before committing.

Is the de minimis still a thing for apparel?

No. Section 321 was suspended on 29 August 2025 for every origin, so there is no sub-$800 duty-free lane left — for Chinese apparel or anyone else's. The old "keep it under $800" playbook is dead, not narrowed. West Coast clearance has also slowed. Re-check the 2026 reform page for the current position.

Who's responsible for compliance — me or the factory?

You are. The importer of record is on the hook for fiber labeling, flammability, lead limits, and country-of-origin marking, even if your supplier provided the labels and test reports. Verify them yourself — match fiber percentages to the invoice, confirm the lab is recognized, check the model references. Customs doesn't care that "the supplier said it was certified."

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