Section 301 Exclusions Expire November 2026: What Importers Should Do Now
Roughly 178 China tariff exclusions are set to lapse on November 9 and 10. Here is how to find out if your products are on the list and what a lapse would cost.
In this piece 11 sections
About 178 China product exclusions from Section 301 tariffs are set to expire. The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) extended them through November 10, 2026, and importers treat November 9 as the last practical day of entry. As of October 21, no new extension had been announced. If your goods rely on one, your duty bill could jump.
This guide is for importers, sourcing managers and operations leads who buy from China. At Eastern Plays, we keep the advice practical: find your exposure, price it, and decide what to do before the date passes.
What Are the Section 301 Exclusions?
Section 301 tariffs are extra duties on many Chinese goods, imposed under U.S. trade law. Years ago, USTR carved out a limited set of products from those duties after companies argued they could not source them elsewhere. Those carve-outs are the exclusions.
USTR has renewed the remaining set several times. The November 2025 USTR announcement extended them until November 10, 2026. USTR has also said it may keep considering further extensions, so a renewal is possible, but nothing is promised.
Each exclusion is narrow. It names a product description and an 8-digit tariff code, and your goods must match both. A similar product with a different spec does not qualify.
How Much Could a Lapse Cost You?
When an exclusion ends, your goods enter at the regular Section 301 rate for that tariff line. Those rates vary from 7.5% to as high as 100% across the original lists, depending on the product. Check your own code before assuming anything.
Here is a simple example. Say you import $50,000 worth of an excluded product that carries a 25% rate once the exclusion ends. The extra duty on that shipment is $12,500.
The tariff is also part of your landed cost, the full price of getting goods to your door. If you sell at a fixed price, that $12,500 comes straight out of margin. On thin margins, it can wipe out the profit on the whole shipment.
How Do You Check Whether Your Products Are Exposed?
You need three pieces of information: your HTS code, your product description and your entry history. Work through them in order.
- Pull the 10-digit HTS code from your last several customs entries.
- Compare the first eight digits and the product description with the exclusion list on the USTR Section 301 actions page.
- Ask your customs broker whether your entries claimed an exclusion, and which one.
- Confirm the code itself is right. A wrong code can hide or create exposure.
If you are not sure your code is correct, read our guide on how to find your HTS code and when to ask CBP for a binding ruling. You can also search any code in the official Harmonized Tariff Schedule.
Which Date Counts for Your Shipment?
The exclusion applies to goods entered for consumption before the cutoff. That is a customs term, and it is not the same as the day your container leaves the factory. It is also not always the day it arrives at the port.
This is where importers get burned. A container that sails in October can still arrive after the window closes, and then the tariff applies in full. Ask your broker which date your entry will carry and whether a release before the cutoff is realistic.
Do not try to guess. Rules on entry dates have details, and a mistake means paying the duty plus the hassle of correcting it. Get the answer in writing from your broker and keep it with the shipment file.
What Is the Difference Between the Exclusions and the Truce?
The two deadlines are easy to confuse. The U.S.-China trade truce was extended by two months, which moves its end date to January 10, 2027. That deadline covers a separate group of paused measures, such as certain tariff increases and trade restrictions.
The exclusions have their own expiry, and so far nothing published ties them to the truce. Advisers also note that the truce extension had not yet been formally documented in an executive order or Federal Register notice. Eastern Plays editors recommend one rule: plan around the earlier date, and treat any renewal as a bonus.
There is also a separate proposal for lower tariffs on about $30 billion of goods on each side, including household textiles, small appliances, juvenile products and toys. Nothing was in force at the time of writing. Do not build a price list around it.
Five Steps to Take Before November 9
These steps cost little and protect your margin. Start this week.
- List every SKU that uses an exclusion. Use your entry records, not your memory.
- Call your broker. Ask about entry timing, what date will apply, and what documents they need.
- Re-run landed cost. Use the full Section 301 rate for any goods that arrive after the cutoff.
- Talk to your supplier. Ask whether they will share the cost, change the spec or ship earlier.
- Review your pricing. Decide now whether to absorb, split or pass on the added duty.
Shipping earlier can help, but only if the goods actually clear in time. Freight costs and port fees are moving too, so read our piece on China ship fees returning in November 2026 before you rush a booking.
Two Scenarios to Put in Your Spreadsheet
A side-by-side view makes the decision concrete. Fill in your own numbers, using the example below as a template for a $50,000 shipment at a 25% rate.
| Line | Exclusion renewed | Exclusion lapses |
|---|---|---|
| Goods value | $50,000 | $50,000 |
| Section 301 duty | $0 | $12,500 |
| Freight and fees | Same | Same |
| Added cost per shipment | $0 | $12,500 |
Run the same table for each product and each shipment due to land in November and December. Add the totals at the bottom. That single number tells you whether this is a footnote or a real hole in your quarter.
What to Ask Your Supplier
Suppliers also feel the pain when your orders shrink. Open the conversation early and keep it specific, so you get real answers instead of vague reassurance.
- Can the order ship earlier without cutting corners on quality checks?
- Would they accept a partial price cut to share the added duty?
- Can any part of the product be made or finished in another country, with real origin changes?
- What is the lead time if you place the next order after the cutoff?
Quality should not slip because of the rush. If a factory hurries a run to catch a ship, defects tend to follow. Keep your inspection step in place, even if you shorten everything else.
What Not to Do
A tight deadline tempts people into bad shortcuts. The wrong moves create bigger problems than the duty.
- Do not change the description or code on paper to dodge a rate. Misclassification can bring penalties.
- Do not reroute through a third country without checking origin rules. Origin is based on where the goods are made, not where they ship from.
- Do not ignore forced-labor screening. Those rules are separate from the tariff, as covered in our UFLPA Entity List guide.
If a deal looks too good to be true, ask your broker. They see these patterns every week, and a short call is far cheaper than a customs audit.
How Should You Price the Uncertainty?
Build two versions of every landed-cost sheet. One assumes the exclusion is renewed. The other assumes it lapses. The gap between them is your risk.
For many importers, the smart move is a price review clause with customers, or a quote that expires on a date. If you sell on a marketplace, check whether you can adjust prices quickly. If you sell to retailers on annual contracts, raise the issue early so you are not negotiating after the fact.
The Thomson Reuters tax and trade analysis lists several other measures that are scheduled to change in the same week, including the return of certain port fees. The timing makes early November a crunch point, so book broker time now.
Official notices are published in the Federal Register. Check it, and the USTR press page, in the days before the cutoff. A last-minute extension is possible, and it would change your math.
The Bottom Line for Importers
The 178 exclusions are a narrow set, but if you use one, the cost is real. Confirm your codes, ask your broker about the entry date, and price both outcomes.
Then decide what you will do if USTR stays silent. A plan you made calmly in October beats a scramble in the second week of November.
Keep a dated folder with your broker emails, entry records, supplier replies and the landed-cost sheets you built. If the rules change again, you will know exactly what you assumed and when, and you can update the numbers in minutes instead of days.
