US HTS + Section 301 lookup (chemicals)
Find the binding tariff line before the broker entry tells you what it cost.
A wrong HTS classification is the most common preventable tariff loss on a Chinese chemical import. Choose a subheading one column up the chapter and the MFN general rate can swing 5 percentage points either way. Stack Section 301 List 3 at 25 percent on top of an already-wrong MFN line and the landed cost recompute is "the deal is dead". The lookup pins the USITC live HTS line for chapters 28 through 39, returns general plus special plus other rates plus units plus footnotes, and flags every row with the Section 301 hedge so the buyer knows where the operative number lives.
Search by HTS code (2918.14 citric acid; 3920.62 PET film; 7604.21 wrong chapter, ignored) or by description (citric, methanol, polyethylene). Each row returns the USITC entry with the MFN general column, the FTA special column, the Column 2 non-MFN column, the units, and any footnotes. For the binding Section 301 list designation and current rate, the row links to ustr.gov.
Important. Read before using.
The HTS general, special, and other rates returned by this lookup are sourced verbatim from the USITC HTS REST API and are the operative MFN-and-FTA tariff schedule. Section 301 List 1, 2, 3, and 4A designations and current rates are NOT asserted on a per-subheading basis in this dataset because the USTR schedule has shifted multiple times since 2018 (initial tranches), with exclusion grants, expirations, reinstatements, and the 2024 review modifications.
For the binding Section 301 state on a specific HTS line on a specific entry date, the only authoritative source is the USTR-issued current schedule and any active exclusion. The lookup links every row to ustr.gov for the live state. For a binding ruling on a specific shipment, request a CBP Cross binding-ruling letter (rulings.cbp.gov) or engage a licensed customs broker.
Pro members only
Subscribe to Sourzi Pro for access
This tool is on the Pro tier at USD 59 per month. Pro unlocks the US HTS plus Section 301 lookup alongside the FX converter, the landed-cost calculator, the US AD/CVD case lookup, the AU AD duty lookup, the SVHC plus Annex XIV lookup, the AICIS checker, and the LC document checker.
The free catalogue at /tools covers most one-off procurement workflows. Pro is for the procurement team that imports chemicals from China regularly and wants the USITC schedule one tab away on every supplier qualification call.
Worked example: citric acid from a Shandong supplier
A New Jersey distributor is qualifying a Shandong food-grade citric acid supplier. The technical data sheet lists Citric Acid Monohydrate at 99.5 percent purity. The first HTS check is the subheading. Search 2918.14 (citric acid) in the lookup; the panel returns the USITC line with the MFN general rate, the special-FTA rates if any apply (citric acid is not on a US FTA preferential schedule with China), and the footnote list.
The second check is the trade-remedy overlay. Citric acid from China is on A-570-937 (anti-dumping) plus C-570-938 (countervailing) per the US AD/CVD lookup; that adds a cash deposit at the border on every entry. The third check is Section 301. The lookup deliberately does not assert a Section 301 designation; click through to ustr.gov to confirm whether 2918.14 is on List 3 or List 4A and what the current rate is. The 2018 List 3 placement of citric acid at 25 percent was modified in the 2024 review; the live state lives on ustr.gov.
The landed-cost recompute is a stack: USITC MFN rate from this lookup, Section 301 rate from ustr.gov, AD plus CVD cash deposit from the ACCESS case file, then merchandise processing fee plus harbour maintenance fee plus broker plus freight plus insurance. The landed cost calculator threads them together. The savings on the right HTS subheading versus the wrong one are often the difference between the deal and the no-deal.
Frequently asked
Why does the lookup hedge Section 301 rates?
Section 301 List membership and applicable rates have shifted multiple times since 2018. The initial tranches imposed duties on List 1 (USD 34 billion), List 2 (USD 16 billion), List 3 (USD 200 billion), and List 4A (USD 120 billion). USTR has subsequently granted product-specific exclusions, allowed exclusions to expire, restored some exclusions, and modified rates in the 2024 review. The current binding state at any given moment lives on ustr.gov. Per Sourzi CLAUDE.md verification rules, we do not assert a Section 301 list designation or current rate per HTS line in static data; the dataset carries a single hedge string at the dataset level, and every result row links to USTR for the live schedule.
What is the difference between the general, special, and other duty columns?
The general column (Column 1 General) is the MFN duty rate that applies to imports from WTO members and most other countries, including China for goods not on a Section 301 list. The special column (Column 1 Special) lists the preferential rates for free-trade-agreement partners, identified by acronym (A for GSP, AU for AUSFTA, BH for US-Bahrain FTA, CL for Chile, CO for Colombia, IL for Israel, JO for Jordan, KR for KORUS, MA for Morocco, OM for Oman, P for CAFTA-DR, PA for Panama, PE for Peru, S for USMCA where applicable, SG for Singapore). The other column (Column 2) is the higher non-MFN rate applied to a handful of countries (currently Cuba and North Korea). For Chinese-origin goods you read the general column first, then layer Section 301.
What chapters does the lookup cover?
Chapters 28 through 39 of the US HTS: inorganic chemicals (28), organic chemicals (29), pharmaceutical products (30), fertilisers (31), tanning and dyeing extracts (32), essential oils and cosmetics (33), soaps and lubricants (34), albuminoids and modified starches (35), explosives and pyrotechnics (36), photographic and cinematographic goods (37), miscellaneous chemicals (38), and plastics in primary or finished form (39). The dataset is the USITC live export for those chapters, 3,438 entries with 2,691 ten-digit lines. For non-chemical chapters use hts.usitc.gov directly; we do not assert HTS lines outside the chemicals-and-plastics scope.
Why is the binding rate not the rate I read here?
Three reasons. First, Section 301 layers on top of the MFN rate for Chinese-origin goods and shifts the effective rate; see the previous question. Second, additional duties under Section 232 (steel and aluminium) may apply to a small set of subheadings; the column reads "additionalDuties" on the underlying USITC entry. Third, FTA preference is qualifying-rules-of-origin dependent; the goods must meet the rules-of-origin tests in the applicable FTA chapter to qualify for the special rate. For a binding ruling on a specific entry, request a CBP Cross binding-ruling letter (cbp.gov rulings.cbp.gov), or engage a licensed customs broker.
How fresh is this dataset?
The dataset is fetched directly from the USITC HTS REST API at hts.usitc.gov/reststop/exportList. USITC publishes Revision X of the HTS annually plus mid-year updates; the API serves the current revision. The lookup carries the updated_at timestamp from the most recent refresh. The Section 301 hedge applies regardless of refresh date because the USTR schedule changes faster than any static fetch.
Related tools
For the US trade-remedy overlay on the same Chinese-origin shipment, the US AD/CVD case lookup covers anti-dumping and countervailing duty cases on the same products. For the EU REACH compliance overlay, the SVHC plus Annex XIV lookup covers the parallel chemicals regime in the EU. To rebuild the full landed cost with the HTS plus Section 301 plus AD/CVD plus freight stack, the landed cost calculator walks through the recompute.