Section 301 tariff alerts

Section 301 duties land on specific product lists, change without much warning, and can stack on top of everything else you already pay. We watch USTR every day and ping you only when your products are on a list.

What a Section 301 alert looks like

Pick a scenario. This is the actual shape of the email you would get, filled with sample data.

Preview an alert for:

Sample alert. Real alerts carry the official source link and date for every item.

How Section 301 works, in plain English

The background you need to read an alert correctly.

1

USTR investigates, then lists products

Under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, the U.S. Trade Representative can impose additional duties in response to unfair foreign trade practices. The duties apply to published product lists (Lists 1 through 4), not to everything from a country.

2

The lists change

Products get added, rates get raised, exclusions get granted and then expire. The 2024 four-year review raised rates on electric vehicles, semiconductors, solar cells, and more. Missing an exclusion expiry costs real money.

3

We watch the lists for you

Tariff Wire maps your products to HS-6 categories once, then checks every USTR action against them daily. You hear from us when a list change touches your categories, with the source linked and each item labeled detected or confirmed.

Section 301, recent history

Public record, summarized. This is why importers watch it.

2018

Lists 1, 2, and 3

USTR imposed 25% additional duties on Lists 1 and 2 (about $50B of goods), then 10% on List 3 (about $200B), later raised to 25%.

2019

List 4A and 4B

List 4A took effect September 1, 2019 at 15% (later reduced to 7.5%), covering consumer goods like apparel, footwear, and electronics. List 4B was suspended under the Phase One deal.

2020 to 2023

Exclusion rounds

USTR ran successive product-exclusion processes. Hundreds of exclusions were granted, extended, and eventually allowed to expire, each expiry a quiet cost increase for whoever was relying on it.

2024

Four-year review increases

USTR concluded its statutory review and raised rates on electric vehicles (to 100%), semiconductors, solar cells, steel and aluminum products, and others, phased in through 2026.

FAQ

Do Section 301 duties stack with other duties?

Yes. Section 301 additional duties apply on top of the normal (MFN) rate and on top of other remedies like antidumping and countervailing duties and Section 232 duties. The stacking is why a single list change can move your landed cost by double digits overnight.

What is a product exclusion?

A product-specific carve-out from Section 301 duties, granted by USTR after a request process. Exclusions have expiry dates. We track exclusion expiries against your products and alert you before they lapse, because an expired exclusion is a silent duty increase.

How fast will I hear about a change?

Same-day detection when USTR publishes. Items are labeled detected until the structured rate is confirmed, then confirmed. You never get a same-day detection presented as settled truth.

Is this customs brokerage?

No. General trade information, not customs brokerage and not legal advice. We watch categories at HS-6 and link official sources. Keep your broker for entry-level decisions.

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