U.S. imports of Vegetable Alkaloids and Their Derivatives (Other) (HS 293979) totaled $20.8M in August 2026, imported from 21 countries.
Importers of Vegetable Alkaloids and Their Derivatives (Other) paid $40K in duties in August 2026, an average duty rate of 0.19% — duty actually collected as a share of the imports that cleared customs, not the published tariff schedule.
Last updated: August 2026 dataSwitzerland leads US imports of other vegetable alkaloids under tariff line 2939790000, a broad residual category that captures plant-derived alkaloids — such as colchicine, pilocarpine, and strychnine — not classified elsewhere in Chapter 29. China and India are also significant sources. The regulatory treatment at entry varies sharply by compound: some are FDA-regulated APIs requiring cGMP documentation, others are DEA-controlled substances requiring import permits, and a few are subject to both regimes simultaneously. Importers should confirm the specific compound's regulatory status before shipment rather than relying on the heading's general classification.
AI-written summary of the official U.S. Census Bureau trade figures on this page — verify before relying on it.
80 import shipments a month
The importer should check the DEA's published schedules of controlled substances and List I/II chemicals for the specific compound by CAS number. If the substance is scheduled, a DEA registration and import permit are mandatory regardless of its HTS classification. A licensed customs broker with pharmaceutical experience can help map the chemical identity to the correct regulatory pathway.
This subheading is a residual 'not elsewhere specified' category for vegetable-origin alkaloids. Compounds with their own dedicated subheadings — such as caffeine, ephedrine, or ergot alkaloids — must be classified there instead. If a compound is synthetic but structurally identical to a plant alkaloid, classification may depend on whether it is 'reproduced by synthesis,' which can shift it to heading 2939800050.
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Subheading 1 of 18 in heading 2939
Subheading 293979 · $20.8M of $47.4M
HS10 import codes under this HS6 parent, each with its own page. Source: U.S. Harmonized Tariff Schedule.
| Code | Description | Imports for consumption | Average duty rate | Dutiable Share | Duty Collected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2939790090 | Vegetal Alkaloids, Their Salts & Oth Deriv NESOI | $20.2M | 0.15% | 1.47% | $31K |
| 2939790010 | Atropine (Inn) and Its Salts | $620K | 1.35% | 13.54% | $8K |
| 2939790000 | Vegetable Alkaloids, Their Salts & Oth Deriv NESOI | — | -- | -- | -- |
HS10 export codes under this HS6 parent, each with its own page. Source: U.S. Schedule B export classification.
| Code | Description | Export Value |
|---|---|---|
| 2939790000 | Vegetable Alkaloids, Their Salts & Oth Deriv NESOI | $223K |
Import lines come from the U.S. Harmonized Tariff Schedule and export lines from Schedule B. The two are numbered by different agencies, so the same 10-digit code can appear in both tables describing a different product.
ImportsExports
Imports
$20.8MYoY · free account
Exports
$223KYoY · free account
12-mo low · imports
Low · free accountOver the twelve months to August 2026, the U.S. imported $252.0M of Vegetable Alkaloids and Their Derivatives (Other) and exported $11.6M.
Through August 2026. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.
Imports · August 2026
origin
China and Switzerland together supply 72% of it.
customs district
destination
entry
rate provision · imports
98.2% enters free of duty; duty collected equals 0.19% of imports for consumption.