Porcelain vs. Ceramic Dinnerware Duty: HS 6911-6912 Rate Spreads and the China Corridor
A single dinnerware catalog can cross nine HTS statistical lines without changing factories, and the duty consequences swing from 0.7% to 28% - a forty-fold spread on goods that look identical on a shelf. Porcelain and bone-china tableware sit in heading 6911, everything coarser (stoneware, earthenware, fine-grained non-porcelain ceramics) in heading 6912. Inside them, the US schedule prices plates by diameter, mugs by pattern value, steins by their lids, and hotel ware separately from household ware. This page rebuilds the whole picture from primary sources: a line-by-line census of all 39 chapter-69 tableware records in our warehouse (vintage 2026-10-19), the August 2026 import corridor from the Census Bureau, and the statutory fee layer every entry pays.
The rate ladder: one catalog, nine different prices
These are live lines from the current schedule, quoted verbatim so you can match your own invoice wording against them:
| HTS line | Statistical description (verbatim) | General rate |
|---|---|---|
| 6912.00.10.00 | Of coarse-grained earthenware, or of coarse- grained stoneware; of fine-grained earthenware, whether or not decorated, having a reddish-colored body and a lustrous glaze which, on teapots, may be any color, but which, on other articles, must be mottled, streaked or solidly colored brown to black with metallic oxide or salt | 0.7% |
| 6911.10.38.10 | Plates not over 27.9 cm in maximum dimension; teacups and saucers; mugs; soups, fruits and cereals, the foregoing not over 22.9 cm in maximum dimension | 6% |
| 6911.10.52.00 | Cups valued over $8 but not over $29 per dozen; saucers valued over $5.25 but not over $18.75 per dozen; soups, oatmeals and cereals valued over $9.30 but not over $33 per dozen; plates not over 22.9 cm in maximum diameter and valued over $8.50 but not over $31 per dozen; plates over 22.9 but not over 27.9 cm in maximum diameter and valued over $11.50 but not over $41 per dozen; platters or chop dishes valued over $40 but not over $143 per dozen; sugars valued over $23 but not over $85 per dozen; creamers valued over $20 but not over $75 per dozen; and beverage servers valued over $50 but not over $180 per dozen | 8% |
| 6912.00.48.10 | Suitable for food or drink contact | 9.8% |
| 6911.10.45.00 | Mugs and other steins | 14% |
| 6911.10.80.10 | Suitable for food or drink contact | 20.8% |
| 6911.10.10.00 | Hotel or restaurant ware and other ware not household ware | 25% |
| 6911.10.35.10 | Plates not over 27.9 cm in maximum dimension; teacups and saucers; mugs; soups, fruits and cereals, the foregoing not over 22.9 cm in maximum dimension | 26% |
| 6912.00.20.00 | Hotel or restaurant ware and other ware not household ware | 28% |
Three mechanisms generate the spread. First, size splits: within the porcelain patterns of additional U.S. note 6(b), plates not over 27.9 cm plus teacups, saucers, mugs and cereal bowls take 6%, while the same patterns' larger articles fall under the matched-set line 6911.10.35.10 at 26% - so a platter can cost four times more duty than the dinner plate beside it. Second, value bands: cups valued over $29 per dozen take 6% while mid-band cups take 8%; the valuation clause is part of the tariff text, not an accounting choice. Third, the other-basket trap: porcelain articles suitable for food or drink contact that are not one of the enumerated shapes (think serving bowls and novelty shapes) pay 20.8% - more than three times the plate rate. Our companion piece on same-heading, different-rate traps shows how often that last mechanism fires across the schedule.
Census: where the rates actually land
Across the 31 ten-digit tableware lines, not one carries a general rate of "Free". The median is 8.0%, the floor 0.7% and the ceiling 28.0%:
| General rate band | Ten-digit lines | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Paid, under 5% ad valorem | 5 | 16.1% |
| Paid, 5%-10% | 18 | 58.1% |
| Paid, 10%-20% | 1 | 3.2% |
| Paid, over 20% (up to 28%) | 7 | 22.6% |
| General column "Free" | 0 | 0.0% |
The distribution is bimodal: most lines cluster under 10%, but a solid tail of hotel ware, serviette rings and unenumerated shapes sits above 20%. Classification error therefore costs real money in both directions - an over-classified mug line donates margin, and an under-classified hotel-ware line becomes a customs bill with interest. Every one of the 31 lines also carries special-program designations in the schedule's Special column, meaning an eligible origin can legally land at zero even though the general column never says Free. Screen eligibility with our FTA eligibility checker before assuming the general rate is the rate.
The corridor: who ships America its dishes
Dinnerware is one of the most concentrated import corridors in consumer goods. In August 2026 the US imported $135,946,395.00 of porcelain and ceramic tableware (headings 6911 and 6912 combined, customs value) across 31 active ten-digit codes:
| Origin | Aug 2026 imports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| China | $94,194,705.00 | 69.3% |
| Portugal | $8,635,729.00 | 6.4% |
| Thailand | $8,199,534.00 | 6.0% |
| France | $4,493,711.00 | 3.3% |
| United Kingdom | $4,110,828.00 | 3.0% |
| Mexico | $2,460,173.00 | 1.8% |
| Indonesia | $2,447,474.00 | 1.8% |
| Germany | $2,151,414.00 | 1.6% |
| All other origins (75 countries) | $9,252,827.00 | 6.8% |
China alone accounts for 69.3% of the corridor - which matters because the MFN rate ladder above applies identically to every WTO origin, while the tariff-position add-ons that do differ by origin are absent from these headings in the current Chapter 99 enumerations we track: as of our October 2026 snapshot, no 6911/6912 line appears in the Section 301 action lists, so the general column plus fees is the whole government bill. Portugal, Thailand, France and the UK split most of the remainder, mostly in the higher-value decorated porcelain the value bands target. Buyers shifting sourcing between these origins should expect classification stability but not rate identity: the general column does not care where the box sailed from, yet preferential programs and any future trade actions do.
Worked example: three lanes, same $25,000.00 customs value
Take one shipment value through three realistic classifications, by sea (so the harbor maintenance fee applies):
| Lane | Customs value | Duty | MPF | HMF | Government charges | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Porcelain plates up to 27.9 cm, teacups, mugs - retail set 6911.10.38.10, general 6% | $25,000.00 | $1,500.00 | $86.60 | $31.25 | $1,617.85 | 6.47% |
| Stoneware suitable for food or drink contact 6912.00.48.10, general 9.8% | $25,000.00 | $2,450.00 | $86.60 | $31.25 | $2,567.85 | 10.27% |
| Porcelain hotel or restaurant ware 6911.10.10.00, general 25% | $25,000.00 | $6,250.00 | $86.60 | $31.25 | $6,367.85 | 25.47% |
The hotel-ware lane pays more in duty than the other two pay in total government charges combined - and note the fee floor: even the cheapest line (0.7% coarse earthenware) still owes $117.85 in MPF and HMF on this value, a 0.47% effective charge before a cent of tariff. The ExportSonar tariff calculator prices all three legs automatically; the MPF/HMF primer explains why small entries feel the floor hardest.
Finding your line without a ruling
Classify dinnerware in this order: (1) porcelain/china or not - heading 6911 versus 6912; (2) household or hotel/restaurant ware - the single biggest rate jump inside each heading; (3) shape and size splits - plates by the 27.9 cm boundary, then cups, mugs, steins, serviette rings; (4) the value-per-dozen clauses, which make your invoice unit economics part of classification; (5) only then the statistical suffix. Work the ladder interactively in the HTS number and duty lookup tool, or browse the full structure at heading 6911 and heading 6912 (chapter overview: chapter 69). For how the rate columns themselves work - general, special and Column 2, which runs up to 75% on these very lines for non-normal-trade-relations origins - see the three kinds of US tariff rate.
Methodology and caveats
- Slice definition: all 39 records whose HTS number starts with 6911 or 6912 in the working HTS extract (vintage 2026-10-19); 31 ten-digit lines plus 8 parent subheadings. Percentages parsed from the first percentage token of the general column; "Free" by literal prefix. Special preferential columns modify the duty leg only when the origin qualifies.
- Corridor figures are the Census Bureau imports HS10 slice for month 2026-08, country-level rows only; aggregate partner buckets (APEC, Pacific Rim, etc.) are excluded so no dollar is counted twice. Customs value, not calculated value; revisions flow monthly.
- MPF figures are the CBP FY2027 adjustment (Federal Register 2026-15530, effective October 1, 2026); HMF from 26 U.S.C. 4461(b). Both retrieved 2026-10-16.
- Section 301 scope statement reflects the Chapter 99 enumeration snapshot we ingest (retrieved 2026-10-16); trade actions move - re-verify before booking entries, and confirm final classification with your broker. Nothing here is legal advice.
What is the US import duty on porcelain dinnerware?
Porcelain and bone-china tableware falls under HS heading 6911, where general duty rates run from 5.4% (other porcelain articles under 6911.90) to 26% depending on the article: about 6% for standard plates up to 27.9 cm, teacups and mugs, 14% for mugs and steins outside the preferred shapes, 20.8% for other food-contact porcelain such as serving bowls, 25% for hotel or restaurant ware, and 26% at the matched-set line. All 31 ten-digit lines carry free-trade-program designations in the Special column.
What is the difference between HS 6911 and 6912?
Heading 6911 covers porcelain and china tableware; heading 6912 covers tableware of other ceramics - stoneware and earthenware. The stoneware heading actually spans wider: from 0.7% for coarse-grained earthenware or stoneware kitchenware up to 28% for hotel or restaurant ware, with common food-contact stoneware at 9.8%. Material first, then use, then shape and value band - that is the classification order.
Does ceramic dinnerware from China pay Section 301 tariffs?
In our October 2026 snapshot of the Chapter 99 enumerations, no 6911 or 6912 dinnerware line appears in the Section 301 action lists, so the general MFN column plus entry fees is the entire government bill from China. China nonetheless supplies about 69% of US tableware imports by value, so classification accuracy inside the headings matters more than origin add-ons for this commodity. Re-verify before booking - trade actions move.
Can I import dinnerware duty-free into the US?
Not through the general column - no 6911/6912 line is rated Free - but every ten-digit line carries special-program designations, so goods wholly obtained or sufficiently transformed in an eligible FTA partner (Australia, Chile, Korea, and others listed per line) enter at zero. Qualification requires valid origin documentation, and the general rate applies in full when the origin test fails.
How is the entry fee calculated on a dinnerware shipment?
Formal entries pay the merchandise processing fee of 0.3464% of declared value for FY2027 with a $34.58 minimum and $670.86 maximum per entry summary line, plus the 0.125% harbor maintenance fee on waterborne cargo. On a $25,000 sea shipment the fee layer alone is $117.85 - about 0.47% - even on the cheapest 0.7% earthenware line.