What happened: on July 23, 2026, USTR announced final action under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, imposing tariffs on 60 economies for failing to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on importing goods made with forced labor. This is a summary of USTR’s press release, not of the legal notice.
Timeline in the release
| Date (2026) | Step |
|---|---|
| March 12 | USTR initiated 60 investigations |
| April 28-29 | First public hearings |
| June 2 | Determination that the practices are actionable; proposed responsive action; comments invited by July 6 |
| July 7-9 | Hearings on proposed action |
| July 23 | Final action announced |
Rates and groups, as announced
Rates are published by country and group, and the group is what decides your exposure.
- 10%: for investigated economies that impose a forced-labor import prohibition, have committed to one through an Agreement on Reciprocal Trade, or have a partial regime. USTR lists Argentina, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Canada, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago and the United Kingdom.
- 10% or 12.5%, net of the most-favored-nation rate: for certain products of the European Union, Taiwan, Japan, Korea and Switzerland not otherwise exempted.
- 12.5%: for all other investigated economies.
- Exemptions: USTR says product exemptions are appropriate for categories including raw materials whose tariffing could make domestic supply unavailable, and products that cannot be produced in sufficient quantity or at reasonable prices in the U.S. The release points to the Federal Register notice for details.
What this release does not tell you
A notice about rates is not a ruling about your product.
- Effective dates. The release I read gives no effective date for collection. Read the Federal Register notice and CBP guidance.
- Whether your goods are covered. Coverage depends on the country, the product’s HTS classification and any exemption.
- Which economies are among the 60. The release lists those at 10%; it says 12.5% applies to “all other investigated economies” without listing them in the text I read.
What to do
The actions are the same as for any tariff change: classification, origin and contract.
- Ask your customs broker to check your HTS codes and origins against the notice.
- Ask suppliers which origin they will declare, and keep quotes open to duty changes.
- The importer of record is billed at entry; who bears the cost is a contract term, so check yours.
Boundary: this is not legal or customs advice. Rules and dates may change; verify in the official notice.
Sources and further reading. External references are dated; where a figure is quoted, the link shows where it came from.
Office of the U.S. Trade Representative: USTR Takes Action in Forced Labor Section 301 Investigations (2026-07-23) ↗Tariffs and Supply Chain Risk in Wear Parts: Planning for Cost Shocks ↗Landed Cost for Imported Plow Blades: Freight, Duty and Duty Drawback Basics ↗Sourcing carbide wear parts guide ↗What an APT Price Does and Does Not Tell a Carbide Edge Buyer ↗Why a Tungsten Price-per-Pound Chart Is Not Your Carbide Edge Price ↗China’s Tungsten Export Licences: A Buyer’s Timeline From February 2025 to 2026 ↗
