Trade compliance · United States

Section 301 vs 232 vs AD/CVD, explained

Beyond the base tariff rate, a U.S. import can carry one or more extra duties from different legal programs — and importers routinely mix them up. They have different triggers, different administrators and different ways of telling whether yours is affected. This is a plain-language map of what each one is and how to find out which apply to your goods.

Whether a program applies — and at what rate — is code-specific, origin-specific and changes constantly, so this page does not publish current rates, covered-product lists, targeted countries or active orders. To see the surcharge cross-references for an exact code, use the live tool linked below; it derives them from the maintained USITC HTS data.

The four programs at a glance

Each is an additional duty layered on top of the normal rate, but they answer different questions — a country's conduct, a product's security impact, an injury to a domestic industry, or dumping and subsidies:

• Section 301 Unfair trade practices by a country Trade Act of 1974, §301 · administered by USTR A remedy aimed at another country's conduct — policies or practices the U.S. Trade Representative finds unreasonable or discriminatory. It is country-specific: the same product can carry a 301 duty when it originates in a targeted country and none when it originates elsewhere. The extra duty is layered on top of the normal rate for listed tariff lines, and USTR runs exclusion processes that add and remove coverage over time.
• Section 232 National-security threat from imports Trade Expansion Act of 1962, §232 · Commerce investigates, the President acts A remedy grounded in national security: the Department of Commerce investigates whether imports of a particular product threaten it, and the President can impose duties or quotas. It is product-based and generally broad across origins, though specific countries can be exempted or placed under quotas or negotiated arrangements. Like 301, it attaches to designated tariff lines as an additional charge.
• Section 201 Safeguard against an import surge Trade Act of 1974, §201 · USITC investigates, the President acts A global safeguard: when the U.S. International Trade Commission finds that increased imports are a substantial cause of serious injury to a domestic industry, the President can impose temporary relief — typically a tariff or tariff-rate quota that phases down over a few years. It is product-based and usually applies regardless of origin. It is less common than the others but belongs in the same family of additional duties.
• AD / CVD Dumping and foreign subsidies Tariff Act of 1930 · Commerce sets the margin, the USITC finds injury Antidumping (AD) and countervailing (CVD) duties offset a specific harm: selling below fair value (dumping) or benefiting from a foreign government subsidy. They are the most case-specific of all — tied to a particular product from a particular country under a written order, often with exporter-specific rates that are reviewed and can change annually. They are collected as cash deposits at entry and finalized later, and the order's legal scope language — not the tariff number alone — decides whether a good is covered.

Which apply to my import? — the method

There is no single list to check; you work it out from the good's classification and origin, in order:

1. 01

   Classify the good first

   Everything keys off the 10-digit HTS classification. Section 301, 232 and 201 ride on the tariff line; AD/CVD use it as a flag. If the code is wrong, the duty answer is wrong. (See the HTS-code guide below.)

2. 02

   Establish the country of origin

   Origin is where a good was made or substantially transformed — not necessarily where it shipped from. Section 301 and AD/CVD turn on origin, so a transshipped good is still assessed on its true origin, not its last port.

3. 03

   Check the HTS line for a Chapter 99 cross-reference

   Section 301/232/201 duties are implemented through special headings in HTS Chapter 99. A footnote on the regular tariff line points to the Chapter 99 heading that adds the duty — that cross-reference is how you see, for a specific code, that an additional measure may apply.

4. 04

   Check whether the product-and-country is under an AD/CVD order

   AD/CVD are separate from the Chapter 99 system. Commerce maintains the list of active orders and their scope; the tariff line narrows the search but the written scope governs. When an order covers your good from your origin, cash deposits are due at entry.

5. 05

   Stack the layers to get the landed duty

   These measures are additive: the Column-1 base rate, then any Section 301/232/201 surcharge, then AD/CVD deposits where an order applies, plus the MPF and (for ocean) HMF user fees. Several can apply to one entry at once.

How they stack — and why it matters

These measures do not replace each other or the base rate; they add to it. A single entry can owe the Column-1 duty, a Section 301 surcharge tied to its origin, and antidumping deposits under an order — all at once — on top of the MPF and, for ocean freight, the HMF. Because AD/CVD are collected as deposits and trued up later, the duty owed at entry is not always the final bill. Getting the stack right is the whole landed-cost calculation; missing one layer understates the cost and the liability.

Where to verify (authoritative sources)

These are the official sources. Coverage, rates and orders change between notices, so confirm what is in force against them before relying on anything, including this page.

• USTR — Section 301 investigations The U.S. Trade Representative’s pages for the active Section 301 actions, covered-product notices and exclusion processes.
• Commerce BIS — Section 232 investigations The Bureau of Industry and Security’s record of Section 232 national-security investigations and actions.
• USITC — Section 201 safeguards The International Trade Commission’s safeguard (global injury) investigations under Section 201.
• Commerce — Antidumping & countervailing duty orders Enforcement & Compliance’s list of active AD/CVD orders and their scope, the authority on whether a good is covered.
• CBP — Trade remedies Customs and Border Protection’s guidance on collecting Section 301/232/201 duties and AD/CVD at entry.
• USITC — HTS Chapter 99 (special provisions) The Chapter 99 headings through which Section 301/232/201 additional duties are applied to regular tariff lines.

Related: How U.S. import duty is calculated — the full stack these layers sit in · How to read an HTS code — the classification everything keys off.

This is an independent, plain-language explainer produced by an autonomously operated software workshop under human oversight. It is not legal, customs or tax advice, is not the official version of any tariff schedule or order, and may be out of date. Whether a trade measure applies to a given import is the importer's legal responsibility — always verify against USTR, Commerce, the USITC, CBP and the HTS before relying on it. No affiliation with, or endorsement by, any U.S. government agency is implied.