HTS heading 2523 · Chapter 25, Salt, sulphur, earths, stone, plaster and cement
US imports of Portland cement, aluminous cement, slag cement
Portland cement, aluminous cement, slag cement, supersulfate cement and similar hydraulic cements, whether or not colored or in the form of clinkers
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 2523 at a glance
Between March and July 2026, US importers entered $809 million of portland cement, aluminous cement, slag cement under HTS heading 2523, from 26 of the 55 origin countries covered here and across 5 ten-digit tariff lines — roughly $162 million a month of customs value under a single four-digit heading.
The heading belongs to chapter 25, salt, sulphur, earths, stone, plaster and cement. 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 2523
Origin countries: value, share and duty paid
| Origin | Import value | Share | Dutiable share | Effective duty | Duty per $100 | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | $297 million | 36.7% | 0% | 9% | $0.00 | |
| Turkey | $207 million | 25.6% | 96.4% | 8.80% | $8.48 | Duty on 2523.29.00 |
| Vietnam | $123 million | 15.2% | 99.1% | 9.71% | $9.62 | Duty on 2523.29.00 Vietnam lane |
| Mexico | $46.5 million | 5.8% | 0% | 0% | $0.00 | |
| Egypt | $46.4 million | 5.7% | 99.7% | 7.94% | $7.91 | Duty on 2523.29.00 |
| France | $19.3 million | 2.4% | 100% | 9.91% | $9.91 | Duty on 2523.30.00 |
| Colombia | $17.7 million | 2.2% | 92.1% | 10% | $9.21 | Duty on 2523.29.00 |
| Greece | $15.6 million | 1.9% | 100% | 8.52% | $8.52 | Duty on 2523.29.00 |
| Pakistan | $8.4 million | 1% | 73.8% | 0% | $0.00 | Duty on 2523.21.00 |
| Poland | $6.9 million | 0.9% | 96.3% | 10% | $9.63 | Duty on 2523.30.00 |
| Thailand | $6.9 million | 0.9% | 100% | 10% | $10.00 | Duty on 2523.29.00 Thailand lane |
| South Korea | $5.2 million | 0.6% | 99.6% | 10% | $9.96 | Duty on 2523.29.00 |
| Indonesia | $3.7 million | 0.5% | 100% | 10% | $10.00 | Duty on 2523.29.00 Indonesia lane |
| Saudi Arabia | $2.0 million | 0.3% | 100% | 10% | $10.00 | Duty on 2523.29.00 |
| Netherlands | $1.4 million | 0.2% | 96.9% | 10.11% | $9.80 | Duty on 2523.30.00 |
Who exports portland cement, aluminous cement, slag cement to the United States
Canada, Turkey and Vietnam together account for 77.6% of the heading. Canada leads with $297 million (36.7%), ahead of Turkey at 25.6% and Vietnam at 15.2%. Concentrated but not captive: alternatives exist, and buyers who qualify a second origin early keep some leverage when duties move.
Canada and Mexico sit near the top of the table, and the duty numbers reflect it: Canada entered 100% of its value free of duty and Mexico entered 100% 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. 56% 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 $40.7 million in all, an effective 9% on the dutiable value and $5.03 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, France paid the most duty relative to value — $9.91 per $100 — while Canada paid $0.00. On a $250,000 purchase order that gap is about $25,000 in duty alone, which is worth pricing into a sourcing decision rather than discovering on the entry summary.
10-digit tariff lines under HTS 2523
| HTS code | Description | Import value | Share | Duty per $100 | Largest origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2523.29.00.00 | — | $613 million | 75.8% | $5.66 | Canada |
| 2523.21.00.00 | — | $75.7 million | 9.4% | $1.63 | Turkey |
| 2523.10.00.00 | Cement clinkers | $47.2 million | 5.8% | $5.09 | Canada |
| 2523.90.00.00 | Other hydraulic cements | $46.7 million | 5.8% | $0.09 | Canada |
| 2523.30.00.00 | Aluminous cement | $25.9 million | 3.2% | $8.89 | France |
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 2523
5 ten-digit lines carried trade under this heading in the period. The largest, 2523.29.00.00, took 75.8% of the heading at $613 million. 2523.21.00.00, 2523.10.00.00 and 2523.90.00.00 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 $5.03 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: Turkey (2523.29.00), Vietnam (2523.29.00) and Egypt (2523.29.00). 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
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 Stone & Mineral Commodities guide for how this cargo moves, the Vietnam to USA lane for transit times and ports and the heading index to compare against the rest of chapter 25.
Price a shipment under HTS 2523
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 portland cement, aluminous cement, slag cement to the United States?
Canada is the largest origin under HTS heading 2523, with $297 million entered between March and July 2026, or 36.7% of the heading. Turkey follows at 25.6% and Vietnam at 15.2%. 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 portland cement, aluminous cement, slag cement under HTS 2523?
Across all origins, 56% of the entered value was dutiable and CBP calculated $40.7 million of duty over the five months — an effective 9% on dutiable value, or about $5.03 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 2523?
Heading 2523 covers portland cement, aluminous cement, slag cement, supersulfate cement and similar hydraulic cements, whether or not colored or in the form of clinkers. 5 ten-digit lines recorded imports in this period; the largest by value were 2523.29.00.00, 2523.21.00.00, 2523.10.00.00 and 2523.90.00.00. Duty rates differ between those lines, so the 10-digit classification matters more than the heading.
Which origin pays the lowest duty on portland cement, aluminous cement, slag cement?
Among origins with at least 2% of the heading, Canada paid the least duty relative to entered value — about $0.00 per $100 of goods, with 100% 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.