U.S. imports of Soap, Not Elsewhere Specified (SITC 55419) totaled $12.1M in August 2026, imported from 57 countries.
Importers of Soap, Not Elsewhere Specified paid $1.5M in duties in August 2026, an average duty rate of 12.53% — duty actually collected as a share of the imports that cleared customs, not the published tariff schedule. Soap, Not Elsewhere Specified imports of $12.1M in August 2026 ran 18% above the year-to-date monthly average of $10.2M.
Last updated: August 2026 dataSoap preparations that do not fit the more specific bar/cake or toilet-use categories are captured in this residual heading, making it a common landing point for novel or blended soap formulations that straddle product definitions. Importers should treat this as a classification backstop: if a product clearly belongs to a more specific soap or detergent heading, it should be classified there first. Thorough product specification documentation — including saponification method, active ingredient percentages, and intended application — is essential to defend an NES classification during a CBP inquiry.
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728 import shipments a month
Products that combine soap with non-soap ingredients in proportions that disqualify them from more specific headings, or novel delivery formats (such as soap flakes blended with additives or liquid soap concentrates not meeting surface-active agent definitions) often fall here. The NES designation signals that no more specific heading applies.
A technical data sheet showing the product's chemical composition, saponification value, active ingredient percentages, and intended end-use is the foundation. A binding ruling request from CBP can provide certainty when the product sits at the boundary between soap and surface-active agent headings.
Basic heading 235 of 465 in section 5
Basic heading 55419 · $12.1M of $27.5B
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Imports · August 2026
origin
China pays 37.3% 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
$12.1MYoY · free account
Exports
$6.9MYoY · free account
12-mo low · imports
Low · free accountOver the twelve months to August 2026, the U.S. imported $128.3M of Soap, Not Elsewhere Specified and exported $87.9M.
Through August 2026. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.