U.S. imports of Blank Audio and Visual Tapes (End-Use 16110) totaled $8.9M in August 2026, imported from 20 countries.
Importers of Blank Audio and Visual Tapes paid $918K in duties in August 2026, an average duty rate of 8.48% — duty actually collected as a share of the imports that cleared customs, not the published tariff schedule.
Last updated: August 2026 dataBlank magnetic recording media — including audio and video tapes in unrecorded form — occupy a mature, declining segment of the media supply chain, with demand now concentrated in archival, broadcast, and specialized industrial recording applications rather than consumer markets. Classification in this end-use category turns on whether the media is truly unrecorded (blank) versus pre-recorded, as recorded media falls under entirely different HTS provisions. Importers should also be aware that certain blank media have historically been subject to private copying levies or trade disputes in other jurisdictions, though US import duties apply to the physical goods.
AI-written summary of the official U.S. Census Bureau trade figures on this page — verify before relying on it.
273 import shipments a month
End-Use codes describe different products on the import and export sides. Cross-direction exports are not shown for this slug.
The critical distinction is whether the tape contains any recorded content at the time of importation. Blank (unrecorded) tapes are classified under media headings, while pre-recorded audio or video tapes fall under separate HTS provisions that may carry different duty rates. Customs may request technical documentation or samples to verify unrecorded status.
While consumer demand has largely shifted to digital formats, blank magnetic tape continues to be imported for broadcast archiving (LTO data tape), professional audio recording, and certain industrial data storage applications. These niche segments sustain a residual but specialized import flow.
Commodity 49 of 51 in category 1
Commodity 16110 · $8.9M of $63.1B
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Imports
Imports
$8.9MYoY · free account
12-mo low · imports
Low · free accountOver the twelve months to August 2026, the U.S. imported $108.7M of Blank Audio and Visual Tapes.
Through August 2026. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.
Imports · August 2026
origin
Japan and Taiwan together supply 95% of it.
customs district
Census does not publish district detail for this classification system.
destination
Census does not publish state detail for this classification system.
entry
Census does not publish port detail for this classification system.