Most Tariffed Products in the US, Highest HTS Duty Rates

Why Some Products Have Very High Tariffs

High tariffs on specific products are almost always the result of domestic political economy, not pure economic logic. Industries that successfully lobbied Congress over decades have embedded protective rates into the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, where they often persist long after the original justification has faded. Four industries dominate the list of highest-tariffed products:

Agriculture (sugar, peanuts, dairy, cotton): Farm-state legislators have protected domestic agriculture since the Depression era. Tariff rate quotas create dual-rate systems that allow some imports at low rates but essentially block above-quota imports.
Apparel and footwear: Among the most protectionist chapters in the entire HTS, with rates frequently above 15% and some exceeding 30%. The protection predates modern free trade agreements and has survived multiple WTO negotiating rounds.
Tobacco: Extremely high specific and compound rates on tobacco products. Most countries with functioning cigarette markets have domestic production that competes with imported brands, so high tobacco tariffs are globally common.
Steel and aluminum (Section 232): Additional national-security tariffs stacked on top of existing MFN rates since 2018. These apply broadly to metals categories and flow through to downstream products like vehicles and appliances.

Highest US Tariff Rates by Product (HTS 2026)

HTS	Product	Rate	Context
2402.20	Cigarettes containing tobacco	$1.50/kg + 3.2%	Among the highest ad valorem + specific compound rates
1701.13	Raw cane sugar (above quota)	33.87¢/kg	TRQ: below-quota rate is 1.4606¢/kg; above-quota skyrockets
2008.11	Peanut butter & paste (above quota)	131.8%	Above-quota rate; in-quota is 6.6¢/kg. Protects US peanut industry
6403.99	Footwear, non-athletic (valued over $2.50/pair)	10%	Footwear Chapter 64 among the most protectionist in the HTS; individual subheadings range from free to 10%
6101.20	Men's overcoats & anoraks (cotton)	15.9%	Apparel chapters consistently carry two-digit rates
1604.14	Canned tuna in oil	35%	Long-standing protection for US tuna canneries
0402.21	Milk and cream in solid form (>1.5% fat)	$1.556/kg	Dairy TRQ system; a specific (per-kg) rate, not ad valorem, on the "other" above-quota subheading
2709.00	Petroleum oils (crude)	5.25¢/bbl	Specific rate; low percentage but high volume. Column 2 is $1.70/bbl
5201.00	Cotton, not carded or combed (above quota)	31.4¢/kg	TRQ protects US cotton farmers; in-quota rate is much lower

Rates are general (MFN) column rates from USITC HTS 2026 Basic Edition. TRQ above-quota rates shown where applicable. Additional Section 232, Section 301, or IEEPA duties may apply and are not reflected here.

The Highest-Protected Chapters by Average Rate

Looking at average tariff rates across entire chapters reveals which industries receive the most systematic protection:

Chapter 64, Footwear: Average MFN rate among the highest of any manufactured goods chapter. Rates on individual items range from free to 48% depending on materials and construction.
Chapter 61, Knitted apparel: Average around 12%. Individual items range from free to 32% depending on fiber content and garment type.
Chapter 62, Woven apparel: Similar to Chapter 61. The apparel sector is one of the most consistently protected in global trade, most countries, not just the US, maintain elevated textile and clothing tariffs.
Chapter 17, Sugar and confectionery: Dominated by the sugar TRQ, which creates extremely high above-quota rates. Supports domestic sugar prices but raises costs for candy, beverage, and food manufacturers.
Chapter 24, Tobacco: Extremely high compound rates combining percentage and per-unit components. Tobacco's high tariffs exist in most countries and have survived multiple trade liberalization rounds.

Products with Near-Zero Tariffs

Not all imports face high duties. The US has eliminated tariffs on many products, particularly through trade agreements and the Information Technology Agreement (ITA). Categories with generally zero or near-zero rates include:

Semiconductors and computers (Chapter 84/85): Most semiconductor and computer products have 0% MFN rates under the ITA, recognizing the global nature of tech supply chains.
Aircraft and parts (Chapter 88): Generally duty-free under the Civil Aircraft Agreement. Airbus-Boeing trade disputes have led to temporary tariff actions but the baseline is 0%.
Pharmaceuticals: Most finished drugs and active pharmaceutical ingredients enter duty-free or at very low rates under the Pharmaceutical Agreement.
Most industrial machinery (Chapter 84): Many categories of capital equipment and industrial machinery face 0–3.5% rates, reflecting the US industrial sector's preference for low-cost inputs.

Tariff Rate Quotas: The Dual-Rate System

Many of the highest "tariff rates" in the HTS only apply above a quota level. Below the quota, a much lower rate applies. This dual structure, called a Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) - allows the government to say it "allows" imports while making above-quota imports economically unviable.

For sugar: the in-quota rate is approximately 1.46¢ per kilogram (essentially free). The above-quota rate for raw cane sugar is 16.46¢ per kilogram, roughly 5–10x higher. Since quotas are set near the level of typical domestic production shortfalls, most sugar imports enter at the low rate. But any surge in imports faces the punitive above-quota rate, effectively capping total imports.

Browse High-Tariff Chapters

Explore the specific tariff lines behind these rates:

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do some products have tariff rates above 100%?

Rates above 100% - sometimes reaching 350% - are rare but real. They typically exist for products where Congress or the President sought to make foreign competition essentially nonviable, protecting a small domestic industry at high cost to consumers. Tobacco products have historically carried very high rates. Some agricultural products carry compound rates (percentage + per-unit amount) that can exceed 100% of value at low import prices.

What is a "column 2" tariff rate?

Column 2 rates apply to goods from countries not granted Most Favored Nation (MFN) status. Currently, Cuba and North Korea are the primary Column 2 countries. Their goods face rates set in the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930, which are extremely high, often 50–110% for manufactured goods. In practice, almost no commerce occurs under Column 2 rates because the trade relationships are so restricted.

Why are peanuts and peanut butter so highly tariffed?

Peanuts have one of the strongest agricultural lobbies in US trade history, particularly from Southern states. The tariff rate quota (TRQ) system for peanuts imposes very low tariffs on a small in-quota quantity, then extremely high above-quota tariffs (131.8% for shelled peanuts). This structure effectively caps imports and supports domestic peanut prices, but raises costs for peanut butter manufacturers and ultimately consumers.

Are high tariffs always on consumer goods?

No, some of the highest tariffs are on industrial and agricultural inputs. Tobacco, certain chemicals, sugar, and rubber products all face elevated rates. However, consumer-visible high-tariff goods include footwear (especially sneakers), apparel, and food products like canned tuna and certain cheeses. Many industrial goods face near-zero tariffs under trade agreements.

What is a tariff rate quota (TRQ)?

A tariff rate quota imposes a low tariff rate on imports up to a specified quantity, then a much higher rate on anything above that threshold. TRQs are common in agriculture and are used as a compromise between protecting domestic producers and allowing some import competition. Products like sugar, beef, dairy, and peanuts often use TRQs. The above-quota rate can be so high that almost no imports enter above the quota, effectively functioning as an import limit.

Do free trade agreements eliminate all tariffs?

Not always immediately and not always entirely. Most FTAs phase in tariff reductions over time (often 5–15 years). Some sensitive products are excluded from elimination entirely, the US-South Korea FTA (KORUS), for example, keeps higher tariffs on certain agricultural products. The US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA, replacing NAFTA) maintains near-zero tariffs for most goods qualifying as USMCA-origin, but the rules of origin requirements are strict.

Sources

U.S. International Trade Commission, Harmonized Tariff Schedule 2026 Basic Edition
USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, Sugar and Peanut TRQ Programs
Congressional Research Service, US Tariff Policy Overview
Office of the US Trade Representative, Free Trade Agreement texts
World Trade Organization, Tariff Analysis Online (TAO)

This content is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or trade compliance advice. Tariff rates and classifications change frequently. Additional Section 232, Section 301, or IEEPA duties may apply beyond the MFN rates shown. Verify current applicable duties with US Customs and Border Protection or a licensed customs broker.

Sources & data notes

The figures in this guide come from two public datasets: the U.S. International Trade Commission’s Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) for duty rates and classifications, and the FAO FAOSTAT trade database for agricultural import and export flows. Both are queried directly, so the numbers here match the listing and detail pages elsewhere on PlainTariff.

A few limits worth knowing: tariff rates can change between USITC revisions – Section 301 and 232 actions, anti-dumping and countervailing duties – so always confirm a current rate at hts.usitc.gov before acting on it. FAO trade values lag one to two years behind the calendar date and are converted from FAO’s 1,000-USD reporting units. Where a number is illustrative rather than queried from the data, it is labeled as an example.