U.S. imports of Balata, Gutta-Percha, Guayule, Chicle, and Similar Natural Gums (SITC 23130) totaled $161K in August 2026, imported from 10 countries.
Importers of Balata, Gutta-Percha, Guayule, Chicle, and Similar Natural Gums paid $2K in duties in August 2026, an average duty rate of 1.49% — duty actually collected as a share of the imports that cleared customs, not the published tariff schedule. Balata, Gutta-Percha, Guayule, Chicle, and Similar Natural Gums imports of $161K in August 2026 ran 60% above the year-to-date monthly average of $100K.
Last updated: August 2026 dataBalata, gutta-percha, guayule, and chicle are non-Hevea natural elastomers and gums with specialized industrial and consumer applications: gutta-percha is used in dental root-canal obturation and subsea cable insulation; chicle is the traditional base for natural chewing gum; guayule is an emerging domestic US latex alternative under active agronomic development. These commodities are traded in small volumes relative to Hevea rubber, and their niche end uses mean that buyers are typically specialty processors rather than commodity compounders. Supply chains are geographically narrow, and long-term availability can be constrained by limited cultivation areas.
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17 import shipments a month
Gutta-percha's primary modern application is in dentistry, where it is used as a root-canal filling material, and historically it insulated undersea telegraph cables. When imported for use in dental devices, the finished product falls under FDA medical-device regulations, though the raw gutta-percha material itself is an industrial commodity. Importers supplying dental manufacturers should be aware that downstream device regulations may impose traceability and quality-system requirements on the supply chain.
Guayule (Parthenium argentatum), a shrub native to the Chihuahuan Desert, produces a hypoallergenic latex that is free of the proteins responsible for Hevea latex allergies — making it attractive for medical gloves and other sensitive-use applications. US domestic cultivation programs are active, but commercial-scale production remains limited. Importers and manufacturers tracking supply-chain diversification away from Southeast Asian Hevea sources should monitor guayule agronomic developments as a medium-term alternative.
Basic heading 168 of 239 in section 2
Basic heading 23130 · $161K of $3.8B
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Imports · August 2026
origin
Mexico and China together supply 95% of it. China pays 30.8% duty; Mexico 0.0%.
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.
ImportsExports
Imports
$161KYoY · free account
Exports
$18KYoY · free account
Low of 11 reported months · imports
Low · free accountOver the twelve months to August 2026, the U.S. imported $1.3M of Balata, Gutta-Percha, Guayule, Chicle, and Similar Natural Gums.
Fewer than 6 of the last 12 months reported trade, or the latest month was under $500K; the trend chart is not shown for thin series.
Through August 2026 · imports 11 of 12 months reported, exports 9 of 12 months reported. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.