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End-UseCategory 1
U.S. imports of plastic materials imports (End-Use 12500) totaled $1.6B in April 2026, traded with 104 countries.
Importers of Plastic Materials Imports paid $133.9M in duties in April 2026 — an effective duty rate of 14% on $977.6M in dutiable value, based on actual customs collections rather than the published tariff schedule.
Last updated: April 2026 dataPlastic materials imported into the United States — resins, pellets, granules, and primary polymer forms — supply domestic compounders, film extruders, injection molders, and other plastics processors with feedstocks not fully covered by domestic production. Section 301 tariffs apply to a broad range of plastic resin imports from China, adding a meaningful cost layer for buyers sourcing from that origin. Importers managing supply chain diversification have increasingly turned to suppliers in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Europe to reduce Section 301 exposure while maintaining specification consistency.
AI-written summary of the official U.S. Census Bureau trade figures on this page — verify before relying on it.
Section 301 tariffs on Chinese-origin plastic materials have prompted many US importers to qualify alternative suppliers in countries not subject to those measures. The practical challenge is that resin specifications — melt flow index, molecular weight distribution, additive systems — are often grade-specific and not always interchangeable across suppliers, so qualification testing and lead time for alternative sourcing can be substantial.
The boundary between 'primary forms' (covered by HTS Chapter 39 headings for polymers) and 'articles of plastics' is a frequent classification dispute. A product that has been further processed — cut to shape, surface-treated, or combined with other materials — may no longer qualify as a primary form and would be classified as an article instead, potentially at a different duty rate. Importers should obtain a binding ruling from CBP when the product's processing level is ambiguous.
End-Use codes describe different products on the import and export sides. Cross-direction exports are not shown for this slug.
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Monthly import values over time