Published April 17, 2026
Section 301 is confusing because it's not one tariff — it's four separate lists applied at different rates at different times. Importers quote "the 25% tariff" as if it's a single thing, but whether your product falls under List 1, List 3, or List 4A matters for both the rate you pay and the exclusion options available to you. Here's what actually applies to your product.
Before diving into the lists: none of this replaces looking up your specific 8-digit HTS code. Section 301 rates vary within broad categories at the subheading level. Two products that both seem like "plastics" can have different rates because one subheading was added to List 1 and another wasn't. Check your exact HTS code at lgistics.ai before building any cost model.
Section 301 tariffs were imposed under the Trade Act of 1974 following a USTR investigation finding that China's technology transfer policies, IP practices, and innovation policies were "unreasonable or discriminatory." The investigation, launched in 2017, resulted in four rounds of tariff lists covering progressively more Chinese exports. Unlike MFN duties set by Congress through legislation, Section 301 tariffs are executive-branch actions that can be modified, suspended, or eliminated by USTR through the exclusion process.
The current combined tariff exposure on a Chinese product is: MFN rate + applicable Section 301 rate + any IEEPA rate + any AD/CVD rate. The Section 301 rate is one layer of several — see our China tariffs overview for how the full stack works.
Rate: 25%
List 1 covered approximately $34 billion in Chinese imports and went into effect on July 6, 2018. It focused on industrial and technology goods that USTR identified as benefiting from China's industrial policy programs.
Major product categories on List 1:
List 1 exclusions: USTR granted numerous product-specific exclusions in 2018-2020. Most of those exclusions have expired. Check the current exclusion status for your specific HTS code through the USTR exclusion portal — don't assume an exclusion that existed in 2019 still applies.
Rate: 25%
List 2 covered an additional $16 billion in goods, effective August 23, 2018. It continued the focus on technology and industrial goods, extending into more specific machinery and electronic components.
Major product categories on List 2:
List 2 is sometimes overlooked because its coverage is less intuitive than List 1 or List 3. If you're importing any electronic components or specialized machinery, verify List 2 coverage before concluding your product is only subject to MFN duties.
Rate: 25% (originally 10%, raised to 25% in May 2019)
List 3 was the largest by dollar value — $200 billion in Chinese imports — and the rate change history matters. It was initially set at 10% when it took effect in September 2018, then raised to 25% in May 2019. Any cost model built using 10% rates for List 3 goods is badly out of date.
List 3 covers a dramatically wider range of products than Lists 1 and 2, including many consumer goods categories:
If your product is a manufactured consumer good from China, List 3 coverage is likely. The 25% rate at this scale is the primary driver of the tariff discussion in most consumer goods import businesses.
Rate: Originally 7.5%, raised to 25% on certain categories in 2024-2025
List 4A was the first tranche of the "Phase 4" tariffs covering goods not already on Lists 1-3. When it took effect in September 2019, the rate was set at 15%, then reduced to 7.5% as part of the Phase One trade deal in February 2020. However, the Biden administration subsequently raised rates on specific categories within List 4A.
Major categories originally at 7.5%:
Biden-era rate increases within List 4A (effective 2024-2025):
If your product falls in any of these categories, the 7.5% figure you may have heard is no longer accurate. Verify the current rate against your specific HTS code.
List 4B was the second tranche of Phase 4 tariffs, covering goods where the administration determined that imposing tariffs would cause significant consumer harm. List 4B tariffs were suspended indefinitely in December 2019 before they took effect, and have remained excluded.
List 4B primarily covered:
The practical implication: if someone tells you your product "avoided the tariffs because it's on List 4B," that was accurate in 2020 but you need to verify it hasn't been reclassified and whether IEEPA tariffs now apply. The Section 301 exclusion doesn't protect you from IEEPA — they're separate programs.
The Biden administration conducted a formal review of Section 301 tariffs and announced increases in May 2024 targeting strategic industries. Beyond the rate changes within List 4A mentioned above, the review also:
These increases were targeted at industries where the administration identified Chinese market dominance as a strategic concern — clean energy, semiconductors, advanced manufacturing. If you're in any of those sectors, the tariff picture changed in 2024 and you need current rates specifically.
The process:
This is genuinely tedious to do manually. The USTR maintains official lists, but navigating them requires knowing how HTS codes map to the annex descriptions. Most importers use a customs broker or a tool like lgistics.ai to do this lookup automatically.
One trap: some HTS codes have partial coverage. An 8-digit code might be on List 3, but only units with specific characteristics — a particular material type, end use, or dimensional specification. The HTS code lookup isn't always the end of the story; the Annex description matters.
USTR has run multiple exclusion processes allowing importers to petition for product-specific exemptions. The general criteria:
The current administration has been more restrictive about granting new exclusions than previous rounds. If you're planning around an exclusion that your customs broker heard might be coming, don't — these take 12-18 months to process and approval is uncertain.
If you have an existing exclusion, verify its expiration date. Many exclusions granted in 2019-2020 have since lapsed.
Section 301 rates don't exist in isolation — they layer on top of MFN duties and below any IEEPA tariffs that may also apply. The relevant question isn't "what's my Section 301 rate" but "what's my combined effective duty rate." For most Chinese imports today, that means MFN + Section 301 + IEEPA, with the specific numbers depending on your exact HTS subheading.
For a full picture of how these layers combine into a total duty rate, see our China tariffs guide. For calculating what that combined rate means for your landed cost, see our landed cost walkthrough.
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