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SITCSection 7
U.S. imports of typesetting & typefounding machinery and prepress equipment (SITC 72631) totaled $2.7M in April 2026, traded with 20 countries.
Importers of Typesetting & Typefounding Machinery and Prepress Equipment paid $332K in duties in April 2026 — an effective duty rate of 13% on $2.6M in dutiable value, based on actual customs collections rather than the published tariff schedule.
Last updated: April 2026 dataPrepress equipment for composing text and producing printing blocks, plates, cylinders, and other printing components sits at the upstream end of the graphic arts supply chain, serving commercial printers, packaging converters, and newspaper publishers. Modern trade flows under this heading are dominated by computer-to-plate (CTP) systems and laser imagesetters that have largely displaced traditional hot-metal typefounding equipment. Importers should confirm whether a given system is classifiable here or under broader machinery headings, as the distinction between prepress imaging equipment and general computer peripherals can affect duty treatment.
AI-written summary of the official U.S. Census Bureau trade figures on this page — verify before relying on it.
CTP systems and laser imagesetters designed specifically to produce printing plates or cylinders generally fall within this heading because their principal function is prepress plate-making. General-purpose laser printers or scanners that lack this dedicated printing-component output function are typically classified elsewhere. When a system serves dual purposes, the principal-use test and any accompanying documentation (technical specs, sales literature) are key to correct classification — consult a licensed customs broker for borderline cases.
Typefounding machinery specifically produces physical type characters or printing components (blocks, plates, cylinders) used to transfer ink to substrate, whereas printing machinery (SITC 7265–7266) performs the actual impression. The distinction matters because prepress equipment and printing presses may carry different duty rates and are tracked separately in trade statistics.
| Country | Imports | Exports | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| GERMANY | $1.0M | $30K | -$971K |
| SLOVAKIA | $525K | -- | -$525K |
| CHINA | $410K | $72K | -$339K |
| NETHERLANDS | $135K | $50K | -$85K |
| CZECH REPUBLIC | $172K | -- | -$172K |
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Monthly import values over time