Basic heading 462 of 465 in section 5
Spent fuel cartridges removed from nuclear reactors contain a complex mixture of residual fissile material, fission products, and transuranic actinides, making them among the most hazardous and tightly controlled items in international commerce. US imports of spent nuclear fuel are governed by NRC regulations under 10 CFR Part 110, require specific import licenses, and are subject to IAEA safeguards accounting. Physical transport demands specialized Type B or C certified casks meeting both NRC and DOT/IAEA transport standards. Commercial imports are rare and typically occur only in the context of research reactor fuel return programs or government-to-government agreements; utilities do not routinely import spent fuel.
AI-written summary of the official U.S. Census Bureau trade figures on this page — verify before relying on it.
The most common scenario is the US Foreign Research Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel Acceptance Program, under which the US government accepts spent fuel from foreign research reactors that used US-origin enriched uranium. Commercial power reactor spent fuel imports are extremely rare and would require specific NRC import license approval, DOE consent, and compliance with applicable bilateral nuclear cooperation agreements.
Spent fuel must be shipped in NRC-certified Type B or Type C transport casks that meet both domestic 10 CFR Part 71 requirements and IAEA SSR-6 transport regulations. The casks must demonstrate containment, shielding, criticality control, and structural integrity under normal and accident conditions. Port-of-entry facilities must be pre-approved for receipt of such shipments, and advance notification to NRC and CBP is mandatory.
Trade Directory
List your company and tag the 6-digit products you trade, so the companies trading them can find you. Be the first supplier listed.
Imports · August 2026
origin
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
—YoY · free account
Exports
—YoY · free account
Low of 5 reported months · imports
Low · free accountOver the twelve months to August 2026, the U.S. exported $466K of Spent (Irradiated) Nuclear Fuel Elements.
Fewer than 6 of the last 12 months reported trade, or the latest month was under $500K; the trend chart is not shown for thin series.
Through August 2026 · imports 5 of 12 months reported, exports 8 of 12 months reported. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.