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Last updated 7 November 2026 · every figure recomputed from the sources listed at the foot of this page

The 100% Tier: Every Dated Start in the 9903.91 China Ladder

The Section 301 China surcharge is usually described as a rate. It is actually a schedule: 16 headings, 4 different start dates, and 4 different tiers, where the tier that applies depends on the product and on when the entry happens. This page prints every heading, the date its own text makes it effective, and what the note says stacks on top. The last scheduled start in the snapshot is November 10, 2026.

Why the date is as important as the rate

A tariff heading that names a date is a different instrument from one that does not. The dated ones are usually a step in a phased increase: the same product is covered at one rate now and at a higher rate after a date printed in the heading itself. That means two entries of identical goods, at identical value, from identical origin, can owe different duty, and the only difference is when the goods were entered.

For the 9903.91 family the dates run September 27, 2024, January 1, 2025, January 1, 2026, November 10, 2026. 16 of the 16 headings print a date; 0 print none, which for this family means they take their timing from the heading that names them rather than from their own text.

This table is wider than the screen: scroll it sideways to reach every column.

Source: USITC (United States International Trade Commission) · checked 7 November 2026, 00:34 UTC.

The four tiers

Read by what each heading adds to the chapter 1-97 base rate, the family collapses to 4 values: 100%, 25%, 50%, no overlay (base duty only).

This table is wider than the screen: scroll it sideways to reach every column.

Source: USITC (United States International Trade Commission) · checked 7 November 2026, 00:34 UTC.

The 100 percent tier is the one that gets quoted, and it is the smallest group. The 25 percent tier is the largest, and it is the tier most entries actually face. The headings that add nothing — the “base duty only” rows — are not repealed provisions: they are live headings whose additional rate is zero, which is why they still appear in the family at all. Confusing them with the “No change” headings elsewhere in Chapter 99 is the commonest way to misread this ladder.

Every heading, in order

The table below is the family as the export prints it: heading, general-column rate, the effective date the heading's own text carries, and an abridged scope. Two of the headings cover specific machinery rather than a product category, and those are the ones whose scope cannot be inferred from the heading number alone.

This table is wider than the screen: scroll it sideways to reach every column.

Source: USITC (United States International Trade Commission) · checked 7 November 2026, 00:34 UTC.

What the note says stacks

The note that governs the family is explicit, and the sentence repays reading in full:

“all products of China that are subject to the additional ad valorem rate of duty imposed by headings 9903.91.01, 9903.91.02, 9903.91.03, 9903.91.04, 9903.91.05, 9903.91.06, 9903.91.07, 9903.91.08, 9903.91.11, 9903.91.12 and 9903.91.14 and subheading 9903.92.10, shall also be subject to the general rates of duty”

Three consequences. First, the additional rate does not replace the general rate — both are collected, so a 25 percent heading on a 3 percent base line produces 28 percent, not 25. Second, the note carves out chapter 98 entries except for the four subheadings it names, so a repair or a returned good does not escape automatically. Third, antidumping and countervailing duties continue to apply on top: this family is not a substitute for an AD/CVD order, and an entry covered by both pays both.

Where the ladder is heading

The latest date in the snapshot is November 10, 2026. That is the point at which the newest headings in the family begin to apply, and it is the date to watch if you are modelling a shipment that will be entered after it. Because the headings print their own dates, a table built from an older snapshot will show the same headings with a different set of rates — the schedule is amended by instrument, not by a single annual revision.

The practical consequence is that a landed-cost model needs a date parameter, not just a rate. A model that looks up “the Section 301 rate for this code” and returns one number is answering a question that the schedule no longer asks.

How to read a 9903.91 heading for a specific entry

One: find the product. The family is scoped by enumerated subheadings and statistical reporting numbers, not by product description. A code that is not enumerated is not covered, whatever the product is called.

Two: find the tier. Several headings cover overlapping product sets at different rates, and the higher tiers generally cover narrower sets. The heading that applies is the one whose enumeration includes the code, not the one with the highest rate.

Three: apply the date. Check the entry date against the date in the heading. A heading whose date has not arrived does not apply, even if the product is enumerated in it.

Four: add the base rate. The additional rate is on top of the chapter 1-97 general rate. On a Free base line the additional rate is the whole duty; on a 25 percent base line the additional rate is half of it.

What this page does not tell you

The enumerated product lists are not reproduced here — they run to hundreds of subheadings and belong in the note text, which is the authoritative document. The rates are the general column; the special column carries FTA rates that this page does not print. And the family is amended by instrument, so the dates printed here are the dates in the snapshot named under each table, not a standing schedule.

What the page does establish is that “the Section 301 rate” is not a number. It is 16 headings, 4 start dates and 4 tiers, and any single figure quoted without a product, a tier and a date is one cell of this table.

Frequently asked questions

How many headings are in the 9903.91 family?

16, spread across 4 rate tiers and 4 different start dates. The tiers are 100%, 25%, 50%, no overlay (base duty only).

When does the next Section 301 China increase take effect?

The latest start date printed in the headings of the snapshot is November 10, 2026. Because each heading carries its own date, the answer for a specific product is the date in the heading that covers it, not the latest date in the family.

Does the Section 301 rate replace the base duty?

No. The note states that products subject to the additional rate are also subject to the general rates of duty, so both are collected. A 25 percent heading on a 3 percent base line produces 28 percent.

Which tier is the 100% rate in?

The 100 percent rate appears in more than one heading, each switching on at a different date. It is the smallest tier in the family; the 25 percent tier has the most headings, and the headings that add nothing are live provisions whose additional rate is zero.

Do antidumping and countervailing duties still apply?

Yes. The note keeps antidumping, countervailing and other duties, fees and charges in force in addition to the additional ad valorem rate. An entry covered by both an AD/CVD order and this family pays both.

Do chapter 98 entries escape the additional duty?

Only partly. The note excludes entries properly claimed under chapter 98 except for four named subheadings, and for those four the additional duty applies to the value of the repairs or processing performed abroad rather than to the full value.

Sources

• USITC (United States International Trade Commission) — Chapter 99 REST export re-read by this task; 3,350 rows. Byte-identical to the copy batch 1 read on 2026-11-06 (read 2026-11-07T00:34:48Z, sha256 e55de042e0cb6b67…)

Every figure above is recomputed from the datasets listed here at render time; the dataset vintage and each source's check timestamp are printed with it. This page extends the prototype that already earns search traffic on the same mechanism. Rates are informational, not a binding customs determination: confirm the classification and the entry with CBP before shipping.