U.S. imports of Cinchona Alkaloids, Derivatives, and Their Salts (SITC 54142) totaled $220K in August 2026, imported from 5 countries.
Cinchona Alkaloids, Derivatives, and Their Salts imports of $220K in August 2026 ran 20% below the year-to-date monthly average of $274K.
Last updated: August 2026 dataDerived from the bark of Cinchona trees native to South America, these alkaloids — principally quinine, quinidine, cinchonine, and cinchonidine — serve as APIs for antimalarial drugs and cardiac antiarrhythmics, as well as flavoring agents in tonic water at regulated concentrations. FDA governs pharmaceutical-grade imports as drug substances, while food-grade quinine used as a flavoring falls under separate food additive regulations with strict concentration limits. Importers should confirm whether a given shipment is destined for pharmaceutical or food use, as the applicable regulatory pathway and labeling requirements differ substantially.
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5 import shipments a month
No — food-grade quinine used as a flavoring in beverages is regulated under FDA food additive rules with a strict maximum use level, while pharmaceutical-grade quinine API is subject to drug cGMP requirements and facility registration. Misclassifying the intended use can trigger the wrong regulatory review at entry.
SITC 54142 is a statistical aggregation used in trade data; the actual US import declaration uses HTS Schedule B codes that distinguish between specific alkaloids (e.g., quinine vs. quinidine) and their salt forms. Importers should work with a licensed customs broker to identify the correct 10-digit HTS line, as duty rates and any applicable trade-remedy exposure can differ by specific compound.
Basic heading 431 of 465 in section 5
Basic heading 54142 · $220K of $27.5B
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Imports · August 2026
origin
Germany and China together supply 97% 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.
ImportsExports
Imports
$220KYoY · free account
Exports
$112KYoY · free account
12-mo low · imports
Low · free accountOver the twelve months to August 2026, the U.S. imported $3.6M of Cinchona Alkaloids, Derivatives, and Their Salts and exported $273K.
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 · exports 11 of 12 months reported. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.