HTS heading 8209 · Chapter 82, Tools, implements and cutlery of base metal
US imports of Plates, sticks, tips and the like for tools, unmounted
Plates, sticks, tips and the like for tools, unmounted, of cermets
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 8209 at a glance
Between March and July 2026, US importers entered $591 million of plates, sticks, tips and the like for tools, unmounted under HTS heading 8209, from 33 of the 55 origin countries covered here and across 2 ten-digit tariff lines — roughly $118 million a month of customs value under a single four-digit heading.
Chapter 82 covers tools, implements and cutlery of base metal; heading 8209 is one of its larger entries by value, which is why the duty treatment below is worth checking line by line.
Top origin countries by share of HTS 8209
Origin countries: value, share and duty paid
| Origin | Import value | Share | Dutiable share | Effective duty | Duty per $100 | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | $87.8 million | 14.9% | 99.8% | 14.36% | $14.33 | Duty on 8209.00.00 |
| Israel | $85.9 million | 14.5% | 100% | 13.39% | $13.39 | Duty on 8209.00.00 |
| Thailand | $67.7 million | 11.5% | 100% | 14.61% | $14.61 | Duty on 8209.00.00 Thailand lane |
| Sweden | $64.7 million | 11% | 99.9% | 14.49% | $14.48 | Duty on 8209.00.00 |
| Japan | $60.3 million | 10.2% | 99.9% | 13.67% | $13.66 | Duty on 8209.00.00 |
| Austria | $58.3 million | 9.9% | 100% | 12.80% | $12.79 | Duty on 8209.00.00 |
| Mexico | $49.1 million | 8.3% | 0.3% | 14.60% | $0.05 | |
| China | $35.3 million | 6% | 100% | 39.78% | $39.78 | Duty on 8209.00.00 China lane |
| South Korea | $28.0 million | 4.7% | 97.3% | 10.46% | $10.17 | Duty on 8209.00.00 |
| India | $17.6 million | 3% | 99.9% | 14.61% | $14.60 | Duty on 8209.00.00 India lane |
| Canada | $8.8 million | 1.5% | 4.7% | 13.81% | $0.64 | |
| Taiwan | $7.6 million | 1.3% | 100% | 14.42% | $14.42 | Duty on 8209.00.00 |
| Italy | $4.1 million | 0.7% | 96.2% | 14.46% | $13.90 | Duty on 8209.00.00 Italy lane |
| Czechia | $4.0 million | 0.7% | 100% | 14.42% | $14.42 | Duty on 8209.00.00 |
| Switzerland | $3.9 million | 0.7% | 98.4% | 14.48% | $14.24 | Duty on 8209.00.00 |
Who exports plates, sticks, tips and the like for tools, unmounted to the United States
No single country owns this heading. Germany is the largest origin at 14.9% ($87.8 million), but the top three combined reach only 40.9% and 33 origins ship into the heading at all. Sourcing this spread out usually means the specification is broadly available and switching origins is a commercial decision rather than an engineering one.
Mexico sits near the top of the table, and the duty numbers reflect it: Mexico entered 99.7% 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
Almost everything under this heading is dutiable: 90.1% of entered value carried duty, and CBP collected $82.5 million over the five months. The effective rate on dutiable value was 15.5%, which works out to $13.97 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, China paid the most duty relative to value — $39.78 per $100 — while Mexico paid $0.05. On a $250,000 purchase order that gap is about $99,000 in duty alone, which is worth pricing into a sourcing decision rather than discovering on the entry summary.
10-digit tariff lines under HTS 8209
| HTS code | Description | Import value | Share | Duty per $100 | Largest origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8209.00.00.30 | Of sintered metal carbides | $548 million | 92.8% | $13.83 | Israel |
| 8209.00.00.60 | Of other cermets | $42.3 million | 7.2% | $15.70 | Japan |
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 8209
2 ten-digit lines carried trade under this heading in the period. The largest, 8209.00.00.30 (of sintered metal carbides), took 92.8% of the heading at $548 million. 8209.00.00.60 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 $13.97 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: Germany (8209.00.00), Israel (8209.00.00) and Thailand (8209.00.00). 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 practical sequence is: confirm the 10-digit line against the actual goods, confirm origin under the substantial-transformation rules rather than the shipping address, then price the duty on that pair. Airlift USA moves the cargo and coordinates classification and entry filing through our licensed broker network, so the code agreed at booking is the one on the entry.
For the operational side rather than the tariff side, see the Tools & Hardware guide for how this cargo moves, the Thailand to USA lane for transit times and ports and the heading index to compare against the rest of chapter 82.
Price a shipment under HTS 8209
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 plates, sticks, tips and the like for tools, unmounted to the United States?
Germany is the largest origin under HTS heading 8209, with $87.8 million entered between March and July 2026, or 14.9% of the heading. Israel follows at 14.5% and Thailand at 11.5%. 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 plates, sticks, tips and the like for tools, unmounted under HTS 8209?
Across all origins, 90.1% of the entered value was dutiable and CBP calculated $82.5 million of duty over the five months — an effective 15.5% on dutiable value, or about $13.97 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 8209?
Heading 8209 covers plates, sticks, tips and the like for tools, unmounted, of cermets. 2 ten-digit lines recorded imports in this period; the largest by value were 8209.00.00.30 and 8209.00.00.60. Duty rates differ between those lines, so the 10-digit classification matters more than the heading.
Which origin pays the lowest duty on plates, sticks, tips and the like for tools, unmounted?
Among origins with at least 2% of the heading, Mexico paid the least duty relative to entered value — about $0.05 per $100 of goods, with 99.7% 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.