U.S. imports of Soap and Organic Surface-Active Products in Bar or Cake Form for Toilet Use (SITC 55411) totaled $45.3M in August 2026, imported from 67 countries.
Importers of Soap and Organic Surface-Active Products in Bar or Cake Form for Toilet Use paid $5.5M in duties in August 2026, an average duty rate of 12.55% — duty actually collected as a share of the imports that cleared customs, not the published tariff schedule.
Last updated: August 2026 dataBar soaps and toilet soap cakes — including those impregnated into paper or nonwoven substrates — are classified as cosmetics by the FDA unless they carry antibacterial or antimicrobial claims, which trigger OTC drug treatment under the agency's consumer antiseptic wash monograph. The FDA's 2016 and 2017 final rules banned several active ingredients (including triclosan and triclocarban) from consumer antiseptic soaps, so importers must verify that antibacterial bar soaps do not contain prohibited actives. Plain toilet soaps without drug claims clear as cosmetics and face a relatively straightforward admissibility pathway.
AI-written summary of the official U.S. Census Bureau trade figures on this page — verify before relying on it.
2.9K import shipments a month
The FDA's consumer antiseptic wash final rules (2016–2017) banned 19 active ingredients from over-the-counter consumer antiseptic wash products, including triclosan, triclocarban, and several other halogenated compounds. Importers of antibacterial soaps must confirm that their formulations do not contain any of these prohibited actives before shipment, as products containing them are considered adulterated and subject to refusal at the port of entry. Consult a licensed customs broker or regulatory counsel to verify current prohibited-ingredient lists.
Both solid bar/cake soaps and paper or nonwoven substrates impregnated or coated with soap for toilet use fall within this heading, provided the product's primary function is personal cleansing. The key classification question is whether the soap or the substrate is the essential character of the article. Importers of soap-impregnated wipes or sheets should document the soap content by weight and function to support the classification, as some formats may alternatively classify under nonwoven or paper headings.
Basic heading 86 of 465 in section 5
Basic heading 55411 · $45.3M of $27.5B
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Imports · August 2026
origin
China pays 36.0% 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
$45.3MYoY · free account
Exports
$26.5MYoY · free account
12-mo low · imports
Low · free accountOver the twelve months to August 2026, the U.S. imported $553.7M of Soap and Organic Surface-Active Products in Bar or Cake Form for Toilet Use and exported $350.2M.
Through August 2026. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.