U.S. imports of Vegetable Tanning Extracts, Tannins & Their Derivatives (SITC 53221) totaled $1.8M in August 2026, imported from 18 countries.
Importers of Vegetable Tanning Extracts, Tannins & Their Derivatives paid $125K in duties in August 2026, an average duty rate of 6.85% — duty actually collected as a share of the imports that cleared customs, not the published tariff schedule. Vegetable Tanning Extracts, Tannins & Their Derivatives imports of $1.8M in August 2026 ran 21% below the year-to-date monthly average of $2.3M.
Last updated: August 2026 dataDerived from bark, wood, and plant galls, vegetable tannins and their salts, ethers, esters, and other chemical derivatives are foundational inputs for the leather-tanning, ink, and pharmaceutical industries. Classification turns on whether the product is a crude extract, a purified tannin, or a chemically modified derivative — distinctions that affect both duty treatment and end-use documentation. Quebracho, chestnut, and mimosa (wattle) extracts are among the most commercially significant forms traded under this heading.
AI-written summary of the official U.S. Census Bureau trade figures on this page — verify before relying on it.
43 import shipments a month
Crude extracts retain a mixture of tannins alongside non-tannin plant matter, while purified tannins are isolated active compounds. Chemically modified forms — salts, ethers, or esters — are classified as derivatives. Importers should document the degree of processing and chemical composition to support the correct classification, ideally with a licensed customs broker's guidance.
Leather tanneries are the largest consumers, using vegetable tannins to produce full-grain and vegetable-tanned leather. Secondary markets include wine and beverage fining, wood adhesives, and pharmaceutical excipients, each of which may require different purity specifications from the supplier.
Basic heading 374 of 465 in section 5
Basic heading 53221 · $1.8M of $27.5B
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Imports · August 2026
origin
South Africa and Argentina together supply 58% of it. Brazil pays 25.2% duty; France 0.2%.
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
$1.8MYoY · free account
Exports
$399KYoY · free account
12-mo low · imports
Low · free accountOver the twelve months to August 2026, the U.S. imported $24.7M of Vegetable Tanning Extracts, Tannins & Their Derivatives and exported $16.6M.
Through August 2026. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.