U.S. Section 301 Tariffs Set 10% and 12.5% Rates for 60 Economies

The short answer: The United States has set a 10% or 12.5% Section 301 tariff rate for goods from 60 economies. The lower rate is tied to a government's commitments to prohibit and effectively enforce a ban on goods made with forced labor. The U.S. Trade Representative says the action covers 99.4% of U.S. imports from those economies, subject to exemptions and implementation details.

This is not simply a flat country list. The administration is using Section 301 to link market access with labor-enforcement commitments. Economies that make the specified commitments and cooperate with monitoring receive the 10% rate; economies judged to have failed to take the required action face 12.5%, according to the USTR fact sheet published July 24, 2026.

The two rates

The percentage therefore does not answer every customs question. Product exclusions, origin rules, tariff classification and later government findings can change the cost or timing of a shipment. A lower country rate also does not make a prohibited forced-labor shipment admissible.

Why forced labor is the trigger

Forced-labor import prohibitions already exist in U.S. trade law. The new action addresses the USTR's finding that the relevant governments have not all imposed and effectively enforced comparable prohibitions. In June, the agency described the underlying Section 301 investigations and proposed action, including a public-comments and hearings process. The July action moves from investigation findings to an announced tariff mechanism.

Businesses now face two linked compliance questions: which duty applies to the shipment, and whether the supply chain can be documented if a forced-labor inquiry arises. The USTR says it will work with the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies on enforcement. Governments will need to demonstrate changes, while importers will need to map suppliers to the rules actually in force.

Exemptions and next steps

The USTR says the action contains exemptions and describes exclusions for certain goods and circumstances, including products already subject to specified treatment under other presidential tariff actions. Importers should use formal notices and U.S. Customs and Border Protection instructions rather than relying on a country-level percentage alone.

The White House memorandum of July 23 lists the economies covered by the investigations and supplies the legal and policy framework. The next checkpoints are customs implementation notices, country commitments, supply-chain pricing and any review or challenge to the investigation record.

1. Implementation: Customs notices should clarify effective dates, classification and exclusions.
2. Commitments: The key policy question is whether the 10% route produces verifiable national enforcement changes.
3. Pricing: Importers must decide whether to absorb the 2.5-point difference, change sourcing or seek an exclusion.
4. Review: The June record and July presidential action provide the baseline for later amendments or disputes.

This is a rules story as much as a tariff story. PanoramaDigest's G7 tariff coverage explains the allied political context. For another example of cross-border rule enforcement, see our EU digital-services enforcement report.

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Sources

• USTR fact sheet
• White House memorandum
• Associated Press report