U.S. imports of Lactams (SITC 51561) totaled $83.7M in August 2026, imported from 27 countries.
Importers of Lactams paid $995K in duties in August 2026, an average duty rate of 1.67% — duty actually collected as a share of the imports that cleared customs, not the published tariff schedule. Lactams imports of $83.7M in August 2026 ran 68% above the year-to-date monthly average of $49.7M.
Last updated: August 2026 dataCaprolactam — the dominant commercial lactam — is the monomer feedstock for nylon-6 fiber and engineering plastics, making this heading a critical upstream input for the textile, automotive, and packaging industries. Trade volumes in caprolactam are substantial, and the product has historically been subject to antidumping investigations in multiple jurisdictions, reflecting the competitive intensity of global nylon supply chains. Importers should verify current trade-remedy orders at the time of purchase, as duty exposure can shift significantly depending on the country of origin.
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190 import shipments a month
Caprolactam production is capital-intensive and concentrated among a relatively small number of large producers globally. When excess capacity leads to below-cost pricing in export markets, domestic producers in importing countries frequently file antidumping petitions. US importers should check the Department of Commerce and USITC databases for active orders before contracting supply.
Nylon-6 fiber producers (serving apparel and carpet markets), engineering plastics compounders (serving automotive and electronics), and film manufacturers are the primary downstream consumers. Cost pass-through from caprolactam to finished goods is significant, so procurement teams in these sectors monitor import pricing closely.
Basic heading 43 of 465 in section 5
Basic heading 51561 · $83.7M of $27.5B
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Imports · August 2026
origin
Belgium and Singapore together supply 83% 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
$83.7MYoY · free account
Exports
$12.7MYoY · free account
12-mo low · imports
Low · free accountOver the twelve months to August 2026, the U.S. imported $563.1M of Lactams and exported $204.1M.
Through August 2026. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.