EU to US Import Duty Calculator

US Import Duty on EU Goods — Why the Rates Are Low

The US and EU run the world's largest bilateral trade relationship, clocking roughly $1.3 trillion annually. MFN duty rates on EU goods entering the US average just 4.0% — among the lowest of any non-FTA trade partner. Why so low? Because most EU exports to the US are high-value manufactured goods: machinery, pharmaceuticals, luxury goods, vehicles. These categories sit in low-MFN chapters by design, and there's been decades of reciprocal tariff restraint between Washington and Brussels.

Unlike China, the EU sits on none of the pre-2026 Section 301 lists — no 7.5%, no 25% added to MFN. That still saves EU exporters anywhere from 7.5% to 100% in additional duties depending on the product category. What changed in July 2026 is the floor. Run the same numbers on a typical transatlantic shipment: $3,000 of German machinery plus $200 in shipping and insurance gives you $3,200 CIF. Duty now lands at the 10% floor rather than the 4.0% MFN rate, so $320. The Merchandise Processing Fee (MPF) is $11.09. The Harbor Maintenance Fee (HMF) adds another $4. Total government charges: $335.09. Landed cost: $3,535.09 — about 10.5% of CIF, and still a fraction of what the same machinery from China would carry once the China lists apply.

The $800 De Minimis — Suspended for Everyone

Section 321 used to exempt EU shipments under $800 from all duties, taxes and fees. Executive action ended it on 29 August 2025 for all origins, so EU exporters lost the same short cut Chinese sellers did. What differs is the replacement: Chinese goods carry an additive 12.5% forced-labour layer, while EU goods are topped up to a 10% floor — and because the EU base rate averages only 4.0%, the top-up costs them a good deal less.

A $750 Italian leather bag used to ship duty-free, no questions asked. It no longer does: with Section 321 suspended, duty applies from the first dollar on every origin, and the 2026 floor means the line reads 10% rather than the 4.0% MFN rate. A $1,200 bag pays the same way — on the full entered value, with no partial exemption and no sliding scale. That base is the transaction value rather than CIF: freight and insurance you itemise separately on the commercial invoice come out of it, while a bundled CIF or DDP price stays in. What is still true is that CBP scrutiny on EU parcels is markedly lighter than on Chinese ones: EU exporters tend to have stronger compliance records, and the forced-labour and transshipment risk pattern that draws attention to Chinese traffic is largely absent. For the full rules and edge cases, check our de minimis value guide.

Section 301 Now Applies to the EU Too — at a Lower Number

Until 2026 the EU was the notable case of a large trading partner touched only by narrow, product-specific Section 301 actions that never reached general manufacturing. That ended on 24 July 2026, when a Section 301 action targeting forced labour took effect across 60 economies. For the EU it is designed as a top-up rather than a surcharge: the combined rate is raised to a 10% floor wherever the existing rate sits below it. An Italian machine tool at 4.0% MFN therefore enters at 10%; goods already at or above 10% are unaffected. The same machine tool from China would pay its MFN rate plus 25% Section 301 List 1 and plus the additive 12.5% forced-labour layer — 27.5% or more.

The gap with China survives, and it is still the single biggest cost advantage EU exporters hold in the US market — but it is now a gap in degree rather than in kind, and it has narrowed from about 23 points to roughly 17. That shift has already started reshaping sourcing decisions that were built on a zero-versus-25% comparison. If you're weighing EU against China landed costs side by side, see our Section 301 China tariffs guide for the list rates by HTS chapter.

Sector-Specific EU-US Tariff Dynamics

Different product categories face meaningfully different rates. Here's how the main EU export sectors break down:

• Machinery (Chapters 84–85): 0–4.5% MFN, averaging 4.0%. German and Italian machine tools, automation equipment, and industrial components dominate this category. Most subheadings cluster in the 0–3.5% range, and many precision instruments actually enter duty-free.
• Luxury goods (Chapters 42, 71, 91): 2.9–9.8%. Handbags land at 6–9%, gold jewelry at 5.8%, watches at 4–6%. French and Italian luxury houses face meaningfully higher rates than industrial exporters — a $5,000 handbag can carry over $400 in duty alone, before you even factor in MPF and HMF.
• Automotive (Chapter 87): Passenger vehicles at 4.0%. But light trucks? 25% — the "chicken tax," a 1963 retaliatory tariff aimed at European light trucks that's still on the books six decades later. German automakers shipping SUVs and commercial vehicles feel this one acutely.
• Food and agriculture (Chapters 02–22): Rates vary wildly. Wine at 5.3–12.7 cents per liter. Cheese at 10–25%. Olive oil at 3.4–6.4 cents per kilogram. The US-EU tariff structure is generally low for industrial goods but has specific, sharp teeth in agriculture and certain consumer categories.

Dig deeper into country-specific rates: Germany to US — Automotive, France to US — Luxury Goods, Italy to US — Machinery.

The Airbus-Boeing Dispute — Tariff Ping-Pong

For 17 years (2004–2021), the US and EU traded tariffs on each other's goods over the Airbus-Boeing subsidy dispute. At its peak, the US imposed 15–25% additional duties on $7.5 billion of EU goods — French wine, Italian cheese, Spanish olives, German machinery, Scotch whisky. The WTO authorized every cent, and importers caught in the crossfire paid real money.

Those tariffs were suspended in June 2021 under a 5-year truce. The suspension holds through mid-2026, but a permanent resolution hasn't been reached. If negotiations fail, the tariffs could snap back — and they'd snap back fast, because the legal authorization never went away. For importers of affected EU goods, the 4.0% MFN rate is the current reality, but the 15–25% additional rate is still legally authorized and could return with minimal notice. If your product category was on the USTR target lists, it's worth keeping an eye on the trade press.

Key HTS Chapters for EU-US Trade

• Chapter 84: Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery — 0–4.5% MFN. Germany is the US's largest EU machinery supplier by a wide margin.
• Chapter 85: Electrical machinery — 0–3.5%. Siemens, ABB, and other European manufacturers are major exporters to the US market.
• Chapter 22: Beverages, spirits, vinegar — wine at 5.3–12.7 cents per liter, Scotch and Irish whisky at 0–2.8 cents per proof liter. France, Italy, and Ireland lead EU alcohol exports to the US.
• Chapter 30: Pharmaceuticals — most are 0% MFN. Ireland and Germany dominate EU pharma exports to the US, and the duty-free status is a major reason pharma supply chains cluster in those countries.
• Chapter 87: Vehicles — cars at 4.0%, trucks at 25%. The chicken tax, a 1963 retaliatory tariff on light trucks, is still on the books.
• Chapter 71: Jewelry and precious metals — 2.5–13.5%. Italian gold and French luxury jewelry carry some of the highest MFN rates in the EU-US corridor.

EU Origin Certification — What CBP Needs

To claim the EU MFN rate — rather than a higher rate for goods that transited through the EU but originated elsewhere — CBP needs the country of origin clearly stated on the commercial invoice. A detail that trips up new importers every week: "EU" is not an acceptable country of origin on a CBP entry. You need the specific member state — Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and so on.

Goods shipped from an EU warehouse but manufactured in China carry Chinese origin and pay China's rates, including Section 301 if applicable. The shipping country on the bill of lading doesn't determine the rate — the manufacturing country does. CBP will catch this if your invoice is sloppy, and the duty difference can be enormous. Get the paperwork right the first time.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the duty rate for EU goods entering the US?

The average is 4.0% MFN for manufactured goods, but it varies by category. Industrial machinery runs 0–4.5%. Luxury handbags go 6–9%. Passenger cars sit at 4.0%. Pharmaceuticals are mostly 0%. The 2026 Section 301 forced-labour action now sets a 10% floor for EU goods, so every line whose MFN rate sits below 10% is topped up to that number — which means the effective rate on most EU manufactured goods is now 10%, not 4.0%. Only categories already at or above 10% escape the change.

Do EU shipments under $800 pay US customs duty now that Section 321 is suspended?

Yes — since 29 August 2025. The Section 321 exemption that used to zero out shipments under $800 is suspended for every origin, so an EU parcel is dutiable from the first dollar. The rate you actually pay is the lane's MFN average topped up to a 10% floor under the 2026 Section 301 action wherever the base rate falls below it. Duty is assessed on the full CIF value — goods, freight and insurance — not merely on the amount above some line.

Are there any additional tariffs on EU goods beyond MFN rates?

Currently no — the Airbus-Boeing tariffs are suspended through mid-2026, but they could return if negotiations stall. Certain EU steel and aluminum products have faced Section 232 tariffs since 2018, and the current rates are 50% on bulk metal articles and 25% on derivatives above a 15% metal-content threshold, both charged on full customs value since 6 April 2026. The EU tariff-rate quota that once softened the steel rate was revoked in March 2025, so the full rate applies unless the article falls outside the regime — see the Section 232 guide.

Does the US have a free trade agreement with the EU?

No. The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) was negotiated for years but never concluded. EU goods enter under standard MFN rates — which, for most manufactured goods, are already low at 4.0% average. The lack of an FTA matters more for agriculture and certain consumer goods where MFN rates climb into the double digits. For industrial exporters, the absence of an FTA is barely noticeable in the duty column.