HTS Section IV
Prepared Foodstuffs; Beverages, Spirits; Tobacco
Section IV groups 9 HTS chapters covering 2,012 tariff classifications, averaging about 11.9% general (MFN) duty, peaking in Chapter 24 at 59.8%.
- 11.9%
- avg chapter duty
- 9
- HTS chapters
- 2,012
- tariff classifications
- 59.8%
- peak (Ch 24)
According to the U.S. International Trade Commission Harmonized Tariff Schedule 2026 Basic Edition, PlainTariff indexes 13,855 Column 1 general-rate tariff lines across 96 chapters as of August 2026. See our methodology for how rates are parsed and when the USITC vintage updates.
Section at a glance
According to PlainTariff's dutiable-only average MFN rates (USITC HTS 2026 Basic Edition), Section IV ranks #3 of 20 among sections with a measurable dutiable average (highest average = #1). The 9 chapters here average about 11.9% general (MFN) duty across 2,012 classifications.
- #3 of 20
- among sections by dutiable avg
- 11.9%
- avg chapter duty
- 9
- HTS chapters
- 2,012
- tariff classifications
Section averages orient only; duty is set at the individual tariff-line level (USITC HTS 2026 Basic Edition).
A section with a high-rate outlier
Section IV has a 350% chapter-level peak, so its average does not describe every product. Compare the chapter bars first, then open the matching tariff line for the operative rate.
The highest chapter is a triage signal, not a duty quote for every product.
- Catalog
- 2,012
- classifications
- Route
- 9 chapters
- before the heading
FAO ag-trade commodities that map into Section IV
16 FAO commodity series (chapter-linked) overlap this USITC section, about $2.9B in reported global trade value across those series. This is agricultural trade volume, not a duty quote; open a commodity for country flows, then return to the chapter table for the operative HTS line.
- Wine$459.3M
HTS Ch 22 · top exporter France · top importer United States of America
- Undenatured ethyl alcohol of an alcoholic strength by volume of less than 80% vol; spirits; liqueurs and other spirituous beverages$436.4M
HTS Ch 22 · top exporter United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland · top importer United States of America
- Other non-alcoholic caloric beverages$299.2M
HTS Ch 22 · top exporter Austria · top importer United States of America
- Cigarettes$282.5M
HTS Ch 24 · top exporter United Arab Emirates · top importer Germany
- Beer of barley; malted$198.9M
HTS Ch 22 · top exporter Mexico · top importer United States of America
- Raw cane or beet sugar (centrifugal only)$191.6M
HTS Ch 17 · top exporter Brazil · top importer Indonesia
- Refined sugar$163.3M
HTS Ch 17 · top exporter India · top importer Italy
- Sugar confectionery$159.2M
HTS Ch 17 · top exporter Germany · top importer United States of America
Source: FAO trade series joined to USITC chapters inside Section IV. Only sections with chapter-linked FAO rows render this band.
HTS section dispatch
SEC-IV · Section IVRATE-MID · RANK-TOP · BOOK-DENSE · CH-9 · PEAK-SPIKE
-
RATE-MID
14.2% avg MFN
-
RANK-TOP
#3 of 20
-
BOOK-DENSE
2,012 lines
-
CH-9
9 chapters
-
PEAK-SPIKE
Peak 350%
Nearest avg-rate peer: Section XII (+0.8 pts)
Dutiable MFN neighbourhood around Section IV
Lowest/highest poles plus sections nearest this sheet on dutiable-only average (USITC HTS 2026)
Section IV vs all HTS sections by classification count
Where this section's tariff-line inventory sits among all 22 HTS sections (schedule breadth, not a virtue ranking)
2,012 6th of 22 higher than 16 of 22 sections
Sections banded by USITC HTS classification count
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more sections. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source USITC Harmonized Tariff Schedule 2026 Basic Edition · 2026-05-15
MFN rate bands in Section IV
Exclusive bands across all 797 tariff lines in this section (USITC HTS 2026). Rate complex covers non-ad-valorem or unparsed general rates, not a restatement of the chapter-average chart below.
Average duty rate by chapter, Section IV
Mean general (MFN) rate across each chapter's tariff lines
| Chapter | Title | Items | With Rates | Avg Rate | Max Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Preparations of meat, of fish, of crustaceans, molluscs or other aquatic invertebrates, or of insects | 315 | 117 | 3.5% | 35% |
| 17 | Sugars and sugar confectionery | 155 | 70 | 6.5% | 12.2% |
| 18 | Cocoa and cocoa preparations | 145 | 78 | 6.0% | 10% |
| 19 | Preparations of cereals, flour, starch or milk; pastrycooks' products | 181 | 80 | 9.9% | 17.5% |
| 20 | Preparations of vegetables, fruit, nuts or other parts of plants | 438 | 184 | 9.8% | 131.8% |
| 21 | Miscellaneous edible preparations | 189 | 90 | 7.9% | 20% |
| 22 | Beverages, spirits and vinegar | 201 | 76 | 1.8% | 17.5% |
| 23 | Residues and waste from the food industries; prepared animal fodder | 92 | 35 | 2.2% | 7.5% |
| 24 | Tobacco and manufactured tobacco substitutes; products, whether or not containing nicotine, intended for inhalation without combustion; other nicotine containing products intended for the intake of nicotine into the human body | 296 | 67 | 59.8% | 350% |
Frequently Asked Questions
What does HTS Section IV cover? ▼
How many chapters are in Section IV? ▼
Why can the section average differ from the highest chapter rate? ▼
Where does Section IV sit among other HTS sections on PlainTariff? ▼
How is the Harmonized Tariff Schedule organized? ▼
Where can I find the duty rate for a specific product? ▼
Nationwide HTS sections with similar tariff profiles
Two peer sets for Section IV, each excluding this section (the chapter table above stays the within-section path).
Similar dutiable average rate
Nearest other sections by dutiable-only MFN average (11.9% here).
Similar HTS line inventory
Nearest other sections by tariff-line count (2,012 here).
Read with Section IV
Contrast this sheet with nearest avg-rate peers and corpus poles, not a generic guide roster.
Section XII: Footwear
Highest dutiable-only average (15.0%) — contrast with Section IV.
Section XVI: Machinery
Lowest dutiable-only average (3.6%) — compare rate posture.
Section II: Vegetable Products
Nearest avg-rate peer (11.3%) on the same dutiable-only basis.
Section XI: Textiles and Textile Articles
Nearest avg-rate peer (10.3%) on the same dutiable-only basis.
How tariffs work
Plain-language mechanics before you rely on a section average.
Next steps
Drill from this section down to the exact rate for your product.
- Open any of Section IV's 9 chapters to see its tariff lines. Chapter table above
- Estimate the duty on a shipment in this category. Tariff calculator
- Search for a specific product by code or description. Search HTS
The section average is a rough guide; actual duty depends on the precise HTS classification and country of origin.
Related sections
Sources: U.S. International Trade Commission Harmonized Tariff Schedule (2026 Basic Edition) and FAO FAOSTAT Trade: Crops and Livestock. See our methodology for how figures are computed.
Every figure on PlainTariff is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on federal source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.