Importing Apparel Into the USA: Duty and Customs Cost

The rate, and why there is no way around it

US apparel duty typically runs around 16.5%, with the full range across HTS chapters 61 and 62 spanning roughly 0% to 32% depending on fibre content and construction. Cotton knits and synthetic blends sit in the higher part of that range; a few categories sit far lower.

Unlike the EU, UK, Canada and Australia, the United States operates no least-developed-country preference that covers Bangladeshi apparel. The African Growth and Opportunity Act and various free trade agreements cover other countries; none of them applies here. So there is no proof of origin to obtain, no REX-equivalent registration, and no supplier who can legitimately promise you a lower rate.

That is worth knowing mainly as a defence: if a supplier quoting you from Bangladesh implies duty-free US entry, they are either confused or misleading you, and it is the cheapest possible test of whether they understand their own export market.

What actually lands on your invoice

Duty is assessed on the customs value, which for most transactions is the transaction value — what you paid for the goods. Freight and insurance are generally excluded from that base for US valuation purposes, which is a small mercy relative to markets that assess on CIF.

• Import duty, roughly 16.5% for typical cotton knitwear, on the customs value
• Merchandise Processing Fee, an ad valorem charge with a per-entry minimum and maximum
• Harbor Maintenance Fee on ocean shipments
• Customs broker fee, typically a flat charge per entry
• A customs bond — single-entry for a one-off, or a continuous bond if you will import regularly
• Delivery from the port of entry, unless your supplier quotes to your door

De minimis, and why it stops working

Shipments valued under the US de minimis threshold have historically entered free of duty, which is why sample shipments and very small courier orders often arrive with nothing to pay. It is real, and it is the reason a first sample feels deceptively simple.

It is also the wrong thing to plan a business on. The threshold applies per shipment per day per consignee, splitting a commercial order to stay under it is a practice customs authorities look for specifically, and the policy has been under active revision. Treat de minimis as a convenience on samples and assume full duty on anything commercial.

Ports, transit times and the buying patterns we see from US brands are set out on our US manufacturing page.

The paperwork, and who prepares it

A garment shipment into the US needs a commercial invoice with values and HTS classification, a packing list, a bill of lading or airway bill, and a certificate of origin. We prepare all four as standard on every shipment.

What you provide is the importer side: an EIN or importer number, a customs bond, and either a broker or the capacity to file entry yourself. Most brands appoint a broker for the first shipment and keep them — the fee is small against the cost of a misclassification.

Fibre content and country of origin labelling under FTC rules is a garment requirement rather than a customs one, but it is checked, and it is specified at the tech-pack stage rather than fixed at the port.

Budgeting it properly

The practical approach is to model landed cost before you order rather than reconcile it after. On an adult regular-sleeve tee at an indicative $10.75 CIF, US duty at 16.5% adds roughly $1.77 a piece, plus per-entry fees that amortise across the shipment. On a 500-piece order that is around $885 of duty — material, entirely predictable, and the difference between a 60% gross margin and a 52% one if you did not plan for it.

Our unit price includes freight to your door. Duty, MPF and any brokerage are paid by you at clearance — we do not ship DDP, and we show duty separately rather than burying it in a unit price so the number you are comparing is the real one.