Importing from Germany

US Import Duty and Tariffs on Goods From Germany

Goods made in Germany pay the US general rate of duty for their HTS code, plus any tariff action that covers them. On the 12 common products priced below, the total today runs from 0% to 50%.

Below: common exports from Germany priced live by the same engine as the calculator, the tariff programs that apply to them, ocean freight to US ports, and what an exporter needs to ship DDP to US buyers.

Calculate a product from Germany Get a freight quote

Estimates and guidance only. Verify with a licensed customs broker before entry. Gateway Lines is not a customs broker, and nothing on this page is classification or valuation advice for a specific entry.

US duty on common products from Germany

The effective rate for each product today, priced live: the general rate plus every tariff action the engine applies to it from Germany. Open a product for the full breakdown, the CBP fees and the dated policy timeline.

Product	HTS code	Duty today	Made up of
Desktop computers and servers	8471.50.01.50	0%	0% general rate
Iron or steel structures	7308.90.95.90	50%	0% general rate + 50% Section 232 Steel (Derivative)
Numerically controlled transfer machines	8457.30.00.10	10%	3.3% general rate + 6.7% forced labor
Laptops	8471.30.01.00	0%	0% general rate
Rubber V-belts	4010.39.20.00	10%	2.8% general rate + 7.2% forced labor
Continuous-action conveyors	8428.39.00.00	15%	0% general rate + 15% Section 232 Steel (Derivative)
Machinery mounting attachments	8431.49.90.20	15%	0% general rate + 15% Section 232 Steel (Derivative)
Mineral mixing machine parts	8474.90.00.50	15%	0% general rate + 15% Section 232 Steel (Derivative)
Single-row radial ball bearings	8482.10.50.48	10%	9% general rate + 1% forced labor
Externally powered electric locomotives	8601.10.00.00	25%	0% general rate + 25% Section 232 Steel (Derivative)
Other measuring instruments	9031.80.80.85	10%	0% general rate + 10% forced labor
Women's cotton sweaters	6110.20.20.79	16.5%	16.5% general rate

Priced on the declared value of each worked example; rates are percentages of customs value. Antidumping and countervailing duty is included where the engine applies one, at the default rate. Updated every six hours.

Tariff programs on goods from Germany

What the engine charged on top of the general rate across the 12 products above. Your product can differ: run its HTS code in the calculator.

Section 232 steel, aluminum and copper
5 of 12 products, 15% to 50%. National security tariffs on steel, aluminum and copper and listed products made from them, charged on the full customs value since April 6, 2026.
Section 301 forced labor
4 of 12 products, 1% to 10%. A Section 301 duty on products of 60 economies, 10% or 12.5% depending on the economy and, for some, net of the regular duty, with listed products exempt.

Sources: Proclamation 11021, 91 FR 18201; USTR notice of action, 91 FR 47318

Ocean freight from Germany to the US

The lowest current spot market rate for a 40' high cube from each main port in Germany to a US port. Spot rates are not Gateway rates: Gateway quotes below spot for confirmed shipments.

Bremen/Bremerhaven to Savannah
$3,673
40' high cube, spot market rate, read Oct 13, 2026, about 21 days
Hamburg to Norfolk
$3,773
40' high cube, spot market rate, read Oct 13, 2026, about 21 days

See every lane on the rate board

Selling DDP from Germany to US buyers

Under DDP terms the seller delivers with duty paid, so an exporter in Germany quoting DDP carries the US import duty, the CBP fees and the customs entry, usually as the importer of record.

A company incorporated outside the United States can be the importer of record. It needs a resident agent in the state of the port of entry who is authorized to accept service of process, and a customs bond on CBP Form 301 (19 CFR 141.18). Every formal entry needs a bond (19 CFR 142.4).

Before the first formal entry, the importer files CBP Form 5106. A company with no US tax number gets an importer number assigned by CBP (19 CFR 24.5).

Shipments worth more than $2,500, or more than $250 for goods covered by a chapter 99 tariff action, need a formal entry (19 CFR 143.21).

For ocean cargo, the Importer Security Filing is due no later than 24 hours before the container is loaded on the vessel at the foreign port (19 CFR 149.2).

Gateway arranges the ocean freight and coordinates the entry with licensed customs brokers, so you can quote your US customer a delivered price with the duty in it.

What DDP covers under Incoterms 2020

Sources: 19 CFR 141.18 (nonresident importers); 19 CFR 142.4 (bonds); 19 CFR 24.5 (CBP Form 5106); 19 CFR 143.21 (informal entry limits); 19 CFR 149.2 (Importer Security Filing)

More products from Germany

Questions importers and exporters ask

What is the US import duty on goods from Germany?

It depends on the product's HTS code. Each code has its own general rate of duty in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, and tariff actions such as Section 232 or Section 301 can add to it depending on the product and the country of origin. Run your product and Germany in the calculator for the full figure.

Do I pay US duty on the shipping cost from Germany?

Not on the international freight and insurance. US customs value is the price paid for the goods, excluding the cost of transporting and insuring them to the United States (19 U.S.C. 1401a).

Who pays the duty when I sell DDP from Germany to a US customer?

Under DDP the seller pays the import duty and fees and usually acts as importer of record. A company incorporated outside the United States can do that with a resident agent in the state of the port of entry and a customs bond (19 CFR 141.18).

How do I find the HTS code for my product?

Search your product in the HTS code search, and check CBP rulings for similar goods. For certainty before you import, you can ask CBP for a binding ruling (19 CFR Part 177).