HTS heading 1511 · Chapter 15, Animal and vegetable fats and oils
US imports of Palm oil and its fractions
Palm oil and its fractions, whether or not refined, but not chemically modified
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, USA Trade Online / International Trade API, imports for consumption, March–July 2026; effective duty = calculated duty ÷ dutiable value.
US imports under HTS 1511 at a glance
Between March and July 2026, US importers entered $709 million of palm oil and its fractions under HTS heading 1511, from 18 of the 55 origin countries covered here and across 2 ten-digit tariff lines — roughly $142 million a month of customs value under a single four-digit heading.
Heading 1511 sits in chapter 15, animal and vegetable fats and oils, so anything classified here shares a duty structure with the rest of that chapter.
Top origin countries by share of HTS 1511
Origin countries: value, share and duty paid
| Origin | Import value | Share | Dutiable share | Effective duty | Duty per $100 | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indonesia | $579 million | 81.6% | 87.8% | 10.01% | $8.79 | Duty on 1511.90.00 Indonesia lane |
| Malaysia | $91.8 million | 12.9% | 85.6% | 10% | $8.56 | Duty on 1511.90.00 |
| Singapore | $22.7 million | 3.2% | 100% | 10.27% | $10.27 | Duty on 1511.90.00 |
| Colombia | $8.8 million | 1.2% | 96.6% | 10.07% | $9.73 | Duty on 1511.90.00 |
| Mexico | $4.0 million | 0.6% | 1.9% | 4.98% | $0.09 | |
| Guatemala | $1.5 million | 0.2% | 96.3% | 0% | $0.00 | Duty on 1511.10.00 |
| Honduras | $742,000 | 0.1% | 100% | 10% | $10.00 | Duty on 1511.10.00 |
| Netherlands | $305,000 | 0% | 100% | 10% | $10.00 | Duty on 1511.90.00 |
| Dominican Republic | $154,000 | 0% | 76.3% | 10% | $7.63 | Duty on 1511.90.00 |
| Sweden | $87,000 | 0% | 100% | 10% | $10.00 | Duty on 1511.90.00 |
| India | $71,000 | 0% | 100% | 5.11% | $5.11 | Duty on 1511.90.00 India lane |
| Canada | $67,000 | 0% | 0% | 0% | $0.00 | |
| Taiwan | $27,000 | 0% | 100% | 10% | $10.00 | Duty on 1511.90.00 |
| Brazil | $17,000 | 0% | 69.9% | 10.01% | $7.00 | Duty on 1511.90.00 Brazil lane |
| Turkey | $10,000 | 0% | 25.8% | 10.01% | $2.58 | Duty on 1511.90.00 |
Who exports palm oil and its fractions to the United States
Indonesia supplies 81.6% of everything entered under this heading — $579 million over the five months — which makes this a single-source market in practice. Malaysia is a distant second at 12.9%, then Singapore at 3.2%. When one origin carries this much of a heading, a tariff action aimed at that country moves the landed cost of the whole category rather than shifting share between suppliers.
Asian origins supply 94.6% of the heading, led by Indonesia, Malaysia, India and Taiwan. That means ocean transit from Asian base ports and, for most of these countries, no free-trade-agreement relief — so the tariff line you classify into carries the full cost.
What importers actually paid in duty
Almost everything under this heading is dutiable: 87.6% of entered value carried duty, and CBP collected $62.1 million over the five months. The effective rate on dutiable value was 10%, which works out to $8.75 of duty per $100 of goods. There is no meaningful duty-free channel here — classification and origin are the only levers.
The spread between origins is real. Among origins with at least 2% of the heading, Singapore paid the most duty relative to value — $10.27 per $100 — while Malaysia paid $8.56. On a $250,000 purchase order that gap is about $4,000 in duty alone, which is worth pricing into a sourcing decision rather than discovering on the entry summary.
10-digit tariff lines under HTS 1511
| HTS code | Description | Import value | Share | Duty per $100 | Largest origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1511.90.00.00 | Other | $707 million | 99.7% | $8.77 | Indonesia |
| 1511.10.00.00 | Crude oil | $2.5 million | 0.3% | $3.45 | Guatemala |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, USA Trade Online / International Trade API, imports for consumption, March–July 2026; effective duty = calculated duty ÷ dutiable value.
The 10-digit lines under heading 1511
2 ten-digit lines carried trade under this heading in the period. The largest, 1511.90.00.00 (other), took 99.7% of the heading at $707 million. 1511.10.00.00 follow. Rates diverge between those lines, so the classification your broker files is worth checking against the goods rather than carried over from the last entry.
What the duty stack looks like
The rate on an entry is not one number. It is a stack: the general (column 1) rate for the 10-digit line, less any trade-agreement preference the goods qualify for, plus whatever additional duties apply to that product and origin, all applied to the customs value declared. The $8.75 per $100 above is what that stack averaged across every entry in this heading — a benchmark, not a quote.
For the origins carrying the most volume, the per-country breakdowns go a level deeper: Indonesia (1511.90.00), Malaysia (1511.90.00) and Singapore (1511.90.00). To price a specific shipment, put your 10-digit code and country of origin into the tariff simulator.
What this means for your next shipment
Classify first, confirm origin second, quote freight third. A heading like 1511 rewards that order, because the duty differences between lines and between origins are usually larger than the freight differences on the same lane. Airlift USA handles the freight and coordinates classification and entry through our licensed broker network.
For the operational side rather than the tariff side, see the Food & Edible Commodities guide for how this cargo moves, the Indonesia to USA lane for transit times and ports and the heading index to compare against the rest of chapter 15.
Price a shipment under HTS 1511
Airlift USA has moved ocean and air freight into the United States since 1999 and coordinates HTS classification, ISF and entry filing through our licensed broker network.
Methodology
Figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's international trade statistics for imports for consumption — the customs value of goods entered into US commerce, not shipments in transit or goods held in bonded warehouses. The period is March–July 2026 (5 months of data), and coverage is limited to 55 major origin countries, so totals here are lower than published US-wide totals for the same heading.
Three quantities are additive and everything else is derived from them: entered customs value, dutiable value and calculated duty. Effective duty is calculated duty divided by dutiable value — the rate CBP actually applied to the part of the trade that was dutiable. Dutiable share is dutiable value divided by entered value; below 20% it means the trade entered mostly free, under a trade agreement or a duty-free provision. Duty per $100 spreads calculated duty across all entered value, which is the figure comparable between origins.
Chapter 98 and chapter 99 are excluded: those are special classification and temporary-measure provisions rather than product headings. Heading and tariff-line descriptions are the current HTS text. Values are historical and reflect duty as calculated at the time of entry; they are not a quote and not a prediction of the rate on a future shipment.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, USA Trade Online / International Trade API, imports for consumption, March–July 2026; effective duty = calculated duty ÷ dutiable value. Census data is a work of the US government and is in the public domain.
Frequently asked questions
Which countries export the most palm oil and its fractions to the United States?
Indonesia is the largest origin under HTS heading 1511, with $579 million entered between March and July 2026, or 81.6% of the heading. Malaysia follows at 12.9% and Singapore at 3.2%. Figures cover the 55 major origin countries in this dataset. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, USA Trade Online / International Trade API, imports for consumption, March–July 2026; effective duty = calculated duty ÷ dutiable value.
How much import duty is paid on palm oil and its fractions under HTS 1511?
Across all origins, 87.6% of the entered value was dutiable and CBP calculated $62.1 million of duty over the five months — an effective 10% on dutiable value, or about $8.75 per $100 of goods across the whole heading. Your own rate depends on the exact 10-digit line and country of origin.
Which HTS codes fall under heading 1511?
Heading 1511 covers palm oil and its fractions, whether or not refined, but not chemically modified. 2 ten-digit lines recorded imports in this period; the largest by value were 1511.90.00.00 and 1511.10.00.00. Duty rates differ between those lines, so the 10-digit classification matters more than the heading.
Which origin pays the lowest duty on palm oil and its fractions?
Among origins with at least 2% of the heading, Malaysia paid the least duty relative to entered value — about $8.56 per $100 of goods, with 14.4% of its value entering free. Duty is only one part of landed cost, and a claim has to be substantiated at entry to be allowed.
How do I check the duty on my own shipment?
Use the Airlift USA tariff simulator with your 10-digit HTS code and country of origin to see the duty stack that applies today, then confirm the classification before you file. Airlift USA coordinates classification and entry filing through our licensed broker network and can review the code against your product specification.