U.S. imports of pectic substances, pectinates, and pectates (HS 130220) totaled $15.6M in April 2026, traded with 15 countries.
Pectin — extracted primarily from citrus peel and apple pomace — is a widely traded food-grade hydrocolloid used as a gelling agent in jams, jellies, confectionery, and dairy products, and increasingly as a fat replacer and encapsulant in functional food formulations. Germany dominates US imports, reflecting the concentration of large-scale pectin manufacturing in Europe, with Mexico and Denmark also significant suppliers. FDA classifies pectin as GRAS for food use, but importers should ensure product specifications — degree of esterification, gel strength, and heavy metal limits — comply with Food Chemicals Codex standards required by most US food manufacturers. All forms enter under the single line 1302200000.
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No — both high-methoxyl (HM) and low-methoxyl (LM) pectin, as well as amidated pectin, classify under 1302200000 regardless of esterification degree or modification method. The distinction matters commercially and for food labeling purposes, but it does not create separate tariff lines under the current US schedule.
Germany hosts several of the world's largest industrial pectin manufacturers, which have invested in large-scale citrus peel and apple pomace processing infrastructure over decades. These producers supply standardized, high-purity pectin grades with consistent gel strength and esterification profiles that meet the tight specifications of major US food manufacturers — a quality and consistency advantage that smaller or newer producers in other countries have difficulty matching at scale.
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Imports
$15.6M
from 15 countries · YTD: $57.1M
Exports
$1.8M
Deficit of $13.9M (net importer)
Trade balance: deficit of $13.9M (net importer)
YTD: $57.1M imported (April 2026)
160 shipments/month
Monthly import values over time
Top U.S. entry points for this product, ranked by latest-month import value.