U.S. imports of Machinery for Making or Finishing Paper or Paperboard (SITC 72512) totaled $13.4M in August 2026, imported from 20 countries.
Importers of Machinery for Making or Finishing Paper or Paperboard paid $1.5M in duties in August 2026, an average duty rate of 11.06% — duty actually collected as a share of the imports that cleared customs, not the published tariff schedule. Machinery for Making or Finishing Paper or Paperboard imports of $13.4M in August 2026 ran 37% above the year-to-date monthly average of $9.8M.
Last updated: August 2026 dataPapermaking and finishing machinery — including fourdrinier machines, calendar stacks, coating lines, and supercalenders — represents some of the highest-value capital equipment imported into the US forest-products sector. The distinction between making machinery (forming, pressing, drying) and finishing machinery (coating, calendering, surface treatment) matters for end-use analysis but both fall within this heading. Given the scale of these installations, importers frequently seek advance classification rulings and may need to address Section 301 exposure depending on country of origin.
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43 import shipments a month
Yes — machinery that applies coatings, pigments, or surface treatments to paper or paperboard as part of the finishing process is captured here, provided it is purpose-built for paper or paperboard. General-purpose coating or laminating machines not specific to paper would be classified elsewhere.
Papermaking and finishing machinery originating from certain countries — notably China — may be subject to Section 301 additional tariffs. The applicable tariff treatment depends on the specific HTS classification of the equipment and its country of origin. Importers should verify current Section 301 list coverage with a licensed customs broker before finalizing sourcing decisions.
Basic heading 387 of 642 in section 7
Basic heading 72512 · $13.4M of $172.0B
Imports · August 2026
origin
Germany and Czech Republic together supply 65% of it. China pays 33.1% duty; Germany 10.0%.
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.
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ImportsExports
Imports
$13.4MYoY · free account
Exports
$9.2MYoY · free account
12-mo low · imports
Low · free accountOver the twelve months to August 2026, the U.S. imported $108.8M of Machinery for Making or Finishing Paper or Paperboard.
Through August 2026 · exports 10 of 12 months reported. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.