HTS heading 1806 · Chapter 18, Cocoa and cocoa preparations

US imports of Chocolate and other food preparations containing cocoa

Chocolate and other food preparations containing cocoa

$2.23 billionEntered value, March–July 2026
52Origin countries shipping this heading
$4.24Duty paid per $100 of entered value
30.3%Share of value that was dutiable

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 1806 at a glance

Between March and July 2026, US importers entered $2.23 billion of chocolate and other food preparations containing cocoa under HTS heading 1806, from 52 of the 55 origin countries covered here and across 59 ten-digit tariff lines — roughly $447 million a month of customs value under a single four-digit heading.

The heading belongs to chapter 18, cocoa and cocoa preparations. Classification disputes in this range usually turn on the six-digit subheading, which is where the rates start to diverge.

Top origin countries by share of HTS 1806

Canada 56.3% Mexico 15.1% Belgium 4.5% Germany 4.1% Switzerland 2.7% Italy 2.7% Turkey 2.4% Poland 2.4% France 2.2% Colombia 1.2%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, USA Trade Online / International Trade API, imports for consumption, March–July 2026; effective duty = calculated duty ÷ dutiable value.

Origin countries: value, share and duty paid

Top 15 origins under HTS 1806, March–July 2026. Effective duty is calculated duty divided by dutiable value; duty per $100 spreads the same duty over all entered value.
OriginImport valueShareDutiable shareEffective dutyDuty per $100Detail
Canada$1.26 billion56.3%0.4%12.98%$0.06
Mexico$336 million15.1%12.9%17.81%$2.29
Belgium$101 million4.5%99.5%13.82%$13.74
Germany$90.6 million4.1%90.6%13.65%$12.37
Switzerland$61.1 million2.7%100%12.83%$12.83
Italy$60.1 million2.7%100%13.98%$13.98
Turkey$53.0 million2.4%100%14.47%$14.47
Poland$53.0 million2.4%100%13.88%$13.88
France$48.5 million2.2%100%14.44%$14.44
Colombia$27.1 million1.2%96.5%9.96%$9.62
Ireland$23.4 million1.1%100%14.50%$14.50
Austria$19.1 million0.9%100%15.41%$15.41
Netherlands$16.9 million0.8%100%14.74%$14.73
Peru$13.4 million0.6%98.7%10.10%$9.97
Malaysia$9.8 million0.4%100%16.96%$16.96

Who exports chocolate and other food preparations containing cocoa to the United States

Canada supplies 56.3% of everything entered under this heading — $1.26 billion over the five months — which makes this a single-source market in practice. Mexico is a distant second at 15.1%, then Belgium at 4.5%. 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.

Canada and Mexico sit near the top of the table, and the duty numbers reflect it: Canada entered 99.6% of its value free of duty and Mexico entered 87.1% of its value free of duty. Cargo that qualifies under USMCA and is claimed correctly at entry pays nothing; cargo that does not qualify, or that is never claimed, pays the ordinary rate. The certification is the whole difference.

What importers actually paid in duty

Duty treatment is split. 30.3% of the entered value was dutiable and the rest came in free, usually under a trade agreement or a duty-free provision in the tariff schedule. CBP collected $94.8 million in all, an effective 14% on the dutiable value and $4.24 per $100 of goods once the free entries are counted.

The spread between origins is real. Among origins with at least 2% of the heading, Turkey paid the most duty relative to value — $14.47 per $100 — while Canada paid $0.06. On a $250,000 purchase order that gap is about $36,000 in duty alone, which is worth pricing into a sourcing decision rather than discovering on the entry summary.

10-digit tariff lines under HTS 1806

The 12 largest of 59 ten-digit lines that recorded imports in March–July 2026.
HTS codeDescriptionImport valueShareDuty per $100Largest origin
1806.32.90.00Other$304 million13.6%$3.64Canada
1806.90.90.90Other$274 million12.3%$2.39Canada
1806.20.50.00Other$255 million11.4%$2.19Canada
1806.90.90.19Other$232 million10.4%$8.09Canada
1806.31.00.49Filled$153 million6.9%$6.57Canada
1806.20.99.00$129 million5.8%$0.64Canada
1806.20.60.00$91.9 million4.1%$1.00Canada
1806.32.30.00$86.9 million3.9%$9.66Mexico
1806.32.90.90Other$73.2 million3.3%$1.41Canada
1806.90.90.45Other$70.8 million3.2%$6.96Mexico
1806.90.90.11Other$64.5 million2.9%$1.18Mexico
1806.20.24.00$58.7 million2.6%$7.04Canada

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 1806

59 ten-digit lines carried trade under this heading in the period. The largest, 1806.32.90.00 (other), took 13.6% of the heading at $304 million. 1806.90.90.90, 1806.20.50.00 and 1806.90.90.19 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 $4.24 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: Belgium (1806.32.90), Germany (1806.31.00) and Switzerland (1806.32.90). 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

The numbers above are a starting point, not the answer for a specific shipment: the rate depends on the exact 10-digit line, the origin, and any trade-agreement claim you can substantiate. Airlift USA arranges the ocean and air movement and coordinates classification and entry filing through our licensed broker network.

For the operational side rather than the tariff side, see the Processed Food Products guide for how this cargo moves, the Belgium to USA lane for transit times and ports and the heading index to compare against the rest of chapter 18.

Price a shipment under HTS 1806

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 chocolate and other food preparations containing cocoa to the United States?

Canada is the largest origin under HTS heading 1806, with $1.26 billion entered between March and July 2026, or 56.3% of the heading. Mexico follows at 15.1% and Belgium at 4.5%. 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 chocolate and other food preparations containing cocoa under HTS 1806?

Across all origins, 30.3% of the entered value was dutiable and CBP calculated $94.8 million of duty over the five months — an effective 14% on dutiable value, or about $4.24 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 1806?

Heading 1806 covers chocolate and other food preparations containing cocoa. 59 ten-digit lines recorded imports in this period; the largest by value were 1806.32.90.00, 1806.90.90.90, 1806.20.50.00 and 1806.90.90.19. Duty rates differ between those lines, so the 10-digit classification matters more than the heading.

Which origin pays the lowest duty on chocolate and other food preparations containing cocoa?

Among origins with at least 2% of the heading, Canada paid the least duty relative to entered value — about $0.06 per $100 of goods, with 99.6% 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.