How to Check if Your Product Is on a Section 301 List
Updated 2026-07-17 · Target term: “section 301 list check”
To check whether your product is hit by Section 301 China tariffs, get its 8-digit HTS code and look that code up in the USTR List 1–4 annexes. If the 8-digit number appears on a list, the extra ad-valorem duty for that list stacks on top of the normal MFN rate — but only when the goods are of Chinese origin. The quickest check is to open the product's OpenTariff page and read the receipt: a Section 301 line means it is listed.
The four lists in brief
- List 1 & 2 — 25% (industrial and capital goods)
- List 3 — 25% (a very broad range of goods)
- List 4A — 7.5% (consumer goods)
- List 4B — was suspended (never took effect)
Rates and the contents of each list have been modified several times by USTR, including targeted increases on specific sectors. Treat the percentages above as the baseline in the current OpenTariff dataset and confirm the live annex for your exact 8-digit code.
Step-by-step
1) Classify the product to 8 digits — start from a worked page like HS code for a smartphone or the 8517.13 detail page. 2) Confirm the country of origin is China (Section 301 is origin-based, not shipped-from-based). 3) Match the 8-digit code against the USTR list annexes. 4) Add the list's rate to your MFN base — and remember Section 232 and Section 122 may stack too.
How origin changes the answer
Section 301 only applies to Chinese-origin goods. The same 8-digit code imported from Vietnam or Mexico will not carry the 301 line (though other measures may apply). This is why OpenTariff asks for the origin route: switch the route on any page and the 301 line appears or disappears accordingly. Model a specific value on the landed-cost calculator.
Reading it on OpenTariff
Every US code page shows the 301 line explicitly, with its rate, the USTR source link and the effective date, so you are never guessing which list applied. If there is no 301 line on the receipt for a China route, the code is not currently listed in the dataset.
A worked total: how the lines stack
Section 301 rarely arrives alone. For a China-origin good the duty builds up as: MFN base (from Column 1) + the Section 301 list rate + any Section 232 steel/aluminium duty if the code and material qualify + the Section 122 global surcharge where it applies. These are additive ad-valorem percentages on the customs value. A code with a 0% MFN base can still land in the high-teens once List 4A (7.5%) and the 122 surcharge (10% in the current dataset) attach — which is precisely the number free look-ups miss. Model a dollar figure, including MPF and HMF, on the landed-cost calculator.
Exclusions and why they expire
USTR has, at various times, granted product-specific exclusions that temporarily remove the 301 duty for a narrow description, then let them lapse or renew them. An exclusion is tied to a precise product description, not just an 8-digit code, and it has start and end dates. If you are relying on one, keep the Federal Register citation and the effective window on file — an expired exclusion means the duty is back, retroactively in some cases. [verify] the current exclusion status for your exact product against the live USTR notices.
Origin engineering — and its limits
Because Section 301 is origin-based, some importers shift production to a third country to escape it. That only works if the goods are genuinely of that country's origin under the substantial-transformation rules — merely shipping Chinese goods through a third country (transshipment) is customs fraud, not tariff engineering. If you dual-source the same SKU, track origin at the lot level, because the 301 line flips on and off with it. Compare routes on any code page, e.g. 8517.13 smartphones.
Section 301 list membership and rates are set by USTR and change over time. OpenTariff's lines reflect the current dataset and each links to its source — always confirm the live USTR annex before filing. [verify] items are flagged on the code page where the dataset is a sample approximation.
FAQ
- How do I check if my product is on a Section 301 list?
- Classify it to an 8-digit HTS code and look that code up in the USTR List 1–4 annexes, or read the Section 301 line on the product's OpenTariff receipt.
- What are the Section 301 tariff rates?
- Lists 1–3 are generally 25% and List 4A is 7.5% in the current dataset, added on top of the MFN rate for Chinese-origin goods. Confirm the live USTR annex for your code.
- Does Section 301 apply to goods from countries other than China?
- No. Section 301 China tariffs are origin-based and apply only to goods of Chinese origin. Other origins may still face Section 232 or other measures.
More guides: all guides · find a code by product · batch classify