U.S. imports of Instruments & Apparatus for Measuring or Checking Variables of Liquids or Gases (NES) (SITC 87437) totaled $37.0M in August 2026, imported from 59 countries.
Importers of Instruments & Apparatus for Measuring or Checking Variables of Liquids or Gases (NES) paid $3.3M in duties in August 2026, an average duty rate of 9.20% — duty actually collected as a share of the imports that cleared customs, not the published tariff schedule.
Last updated: August 2026 dataCovering liquid and gas measurement instruments not captured by the more specific flow, level, or pressure headings, this residual category encompasses devices such as viscometers, density meters, and humidity analyzers used across food processing, pharmaceuticals, and petrochemical refining. The N.E.S. designation makes it a classification of last resort within the liquid/gas instrument family, so importers should systematically rule out headings 87431 and 87435 before applying 87437. Multi-parameter analyzers that measure several variables simultaneously often require a principal-function determination to land in the correct heading.
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2.6K import shipments a month
Instruments measuring variables such as viscosity, density, turbidity, or humidity in liquid or gas streams—where no dedicated heading exists—are the primary candidates. Flow meters belong in 87431 and pressure gauges in 87435; 87437 captures everything else in the liquid/gas measurement family that is not elsewhere specified.
Classification of multi-function instruments generally follows the principal function. If flow measurement is the device's primary commercial purpose, 87431 is the likely heading; if viscosity or another variable dominates, 87437 may apply. A licensed customs broker or binding ruling request from CBP can provide certainty before large-volume shipments.
Basic heading 171 of 419 in section 8
Basic heading 87437 · $37.0M of $46.9B
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Imports · August 2026
origin
China pays 26.1% duty; Mexico 3.1%.
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
$37.0MYoY · free account
Exports
$36.4MYoY · free account
12-mo low · imports
Low · free accountOver the twelve months to August 2026, the U.S. imported $445.5M of Instruments & Apparatus for Measuring or Checking Variables of Liquids or Gases (NES).
Through August 2026 · exports 11 of 12 months reported. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.