# How to Check If Your Product Has Extra Tariffs (Section 301 and Friends)

> The General duty rate is only the floor. Section 301, Section 232, and Chapter 99 measures stack on top by HTS line and origin. Here is the lookup workflow.

*Published: 2026-08-18*

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Your product's HTS General rate is the floor, not the ceiling. A stack of additional measures can sit on top of it, keyed to the 10-digit HTS line and the country of origin: Section 301 actions, Section 232 metals measures, anti-dumping and countervailing duty orders, and the moving parts of 2025-2026 trade policy. This article is the workflow for finding out what actually applies to your goods, and it stays readable even as the politics churn.

## Why This Got Harder

Two structural facts shape the current environment. First, the number of mechanisms multiplied: measures now arrive through multiple legal authorities, each with its own lists, effective dates, and exclusion processes. Second, the base keeps shifting: tariff actions announced, litigated, replaced, and superseded within months. In 2026 alone, earlier reciprocal-tariff mechanisms were struck down and replaced by successor measures, and new Section 301 actions covering additional trading partners took effect in July. Treat any specific rate you read online, including here, as dated, and treat the lookup workflow below as the durable asset.

## The Stack, Layer by Layer

When you assess a product, check each layer in order:

**1. The base rate.** The General or Special column rate on the 8-digit line in the HTS. This is the only layer the schedule itself shows next to the code. Our [HS Code Finder](/tools/hs-code) surfaces this directly from the official HTS.

**2. Section 301 (China and successor actions).** The original China 301 lists cover hundreds of billions in trade at 7.5 to 25 percent, attached through Chapter 99 provision codes. New 2026 Section 301 actions extend additional tariffs to more trading partners, at rates that depend on the partner. The lookup: find your 10-digit line in the applicable action's annex or lookup tool, then confirm the Chapter 99 code your broker reports alongside it.

**3. Section 232 and sectoral measures.** Steel, aluminum, and derivative products, plus autos and parts where applicable. These apply by HTS line largely regardless of the trade-war news cycle and have their own exclusion processes.

**4. AD/CVD orders.** Anti-dumping and countervailing duties attach by product and country, with rates that can dwarf the base tariff. The lookup is the AD/CVD order database on the ITC or CBP site, by HTS line and origin country. If your product's category has an order against your origin country, this layer dominates everything else.

**5. Successor surcharges.** After the reciprocal-tariff mechanisms were invalidated in early 2026, replacement surcharges under other authorities were applied while litigation continues. These are the fastest-moving layer: always confirm current status rather than relying on cached rate tables.

## The Lookup Workflow

1. **Fix the classification first.** Everything keys off the 10-digit line. A classification that is off by one level can skip an entire measure. If the code is unsettled, start with the [Finder](/tools/hs-code) or a broker.
2. **Fix the origin.** Measures attach by country of origin under the substantial transformation rule, not by shipping port. See [country of origin rules](/blog/country-of-origin-substantial-transformation).
3. **Search the HTS Chapter 99 table** for provision codes tied to your line and origin. Chapter 99 is where 301 and 232 additions live in the schedule itself.
4. **Check the USTR and CBP sources for current actions.** USTR maintains the 301 lists and exclusions; CBP's CSMS messages carry implementation details and effective dates. These are the primary sources; law-firm trackers are convenient secondary summaries.
5. **Search the AD/CVD database** for your line and origin.
6. **Write down the stack** per SKU: base rate, plus each additional measure, with its authority and Chapter 99 code. This record is what audits and re-pricing decisions actually need.

## Red Flags You Are Doing It Wrong

- Your total duty estimate equals the General rate and you import from China. Possible, but verify: large categories of goods carry 301 additions.
- You are relying on a supplier's "all-in" DDP price with no idea what duties they declared. The saving grace of DDP is effort, not compliance; exposure still lands on the importer side if entries are wrong. See [incoterms for sellers](/blog/incoterms-guide-ecommerce-sellers).
- Nobody in your company can name the Chapter 99 codes you file. Your broker can; ask for a entry-level duty breakdown and compare it to your own stack.

The rate stack is a moving target, but the workflow is stable: classify, fix origin, check each layer, and record the answer. Do that once per SKU and re-verify when the news cycle demands it.

*As of August 2026; measures change frequently. This article is general information, not legal advice, confirm current treatment with a licensed customs broker or the primary sources above.*
