HTS heading 8438 · Chapter 84, Machinery, mechanical appliances and computers
US imports of Machinery, not specified or included elsewhere in this chapter
Machinery, not specified or included elsewhere in this chapter, for the industrial preparation or manufacture of food or drink, other than machinery for the extraction or preparation of animal or fixed vegetable or microbial fats or oils; parts thereof
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 8438 at a glance
Between March and July 2026, US importers entered $825 million of machinery, not specified or included elsewhere in this chapter under HTS heading 8438, from 50 of the 55 origin countries covered here and across 14 ten-digit tariff lines — roughly $165 million a month of customs value under a single four-digit heading.
Heading 8438 sits in chapter 84, machinery, mechanical appliances and computers, so anything classified here shares a duty structure with the rest of that chapter.
Top origin countries by share of HTS 8438
Origin countries: value, share and duty paid
| Origin | Import value | Share | Dutiable share | Effective duty | Duty per $100 | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | $195 million | 23.6% | 97.4% | 9.82% | $9.56 | Duty on 8438.90.90 |
| Italy | $128 million | 15.5% | 98.6% | 10.04% | $9.90 | Duty on 8438.90.90 Italy lane |
| Netherlands | $103 million | 12.5% | 97.9% | 10.20% | $9.99 | Duty on 8438.90.90 |
| Canada | $72.2 million | 8.8% | 3.7% | 11.68% | $0.43 | |
| France | $44.1 million | 5.3% | 98% | 10.35% | $10.15 | Duty on 8438.80.00 |
| Denmark | $43.4 million | 5.3% | 96.7% | 9.96% | $9.63 | Duty on 8438.90.90 |
| United Kingdom | $37.5 million | 4.5% | 99.8% | 9.65% | $9.63 | Duty on 8438.90.90 |
| China | $31.0 million | 3.8% | 99.8% | 29.74% | $29.68 | Duty on 8438.80.00 China lane |
| Spain | $29.6 million | 3.6% | 99.8% | 11.07% | $11.05 | Duty on 8438.80.00 |
| Japan | $28.5 million | 3.5% | 99.1% | 10.35% | $10.26 | Duty on 8438.80.00 |
| Mexico | $14.8 million | 1.8% | 3% | 11.11% | $0.33 | |
| Belgium | $14.5 million | 1.8% | 99.2% | 11.11% | $11.02 | Duty on 8438.80.00 Belgium lane |
| Taiwan | $11.0 million | 1.3% | 99.8% | 11.10% | $11.09 | Duty on 8438.80.00 |
| Brazil | $9.3 million | 1.1% | 99.8% | 4.74% | $4.73 | Duty on 8438.90.10 Brazil lane |
| Switzerland | $7.8 million | 0.9% | 96.2% | 10.19% | $9.79 | Duty on 8438.90.90 |
Who exports machinery, not specified or included elsewhere in this chapter to the United States
Germany is the largest origin with $195 million, or 23.6% of the heading, with Italy at 15.5% and Netherlands at 12.5%. The top three take 51.6% between them — enough concentration to matter when one origin's duty treatment changes, but not so much that a buyer has no alternative to qualify.
Canada sits near the top of the table, and the duty numbers reflect it: Canada entered 96.3% 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: 88.1% of entered value carried duty, and CBP collected $79.1 million over the five months. The effective rate on dutiable value was 10.9%, which works out to $9.59 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 — $29.68 per $100 — while Canada paid $0.43. On a $250,000 purchase order that gap is about $73,000 in duty alone, which is worth pricing into a sourcing decision rather than discovering on the entry summary.
10-digit tariff lines under HTS 8438
| HTS code | Description | Import value | Share | Duty per $100 | Largest origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8438.90.90.90 | Other | $151 million | 18.3% | $11.08 | Italy |
| 8438.80.00.00 | Other machinery | $145 million | 17.6% | $10.28 | Germany |
| 8438.10.00.10 | Bakery machinery | $120 million | 14.5% | $8.30 | Italy |
| 8438.90.90.60 | Of machinery for the preparation of meat or poultry | $97.2 million | 11.8% | $8.62 | Canada |
| 8438.20.00.00 | Machinery for the manufacture of confectionery, cocoa or chocolate | $83.7 million | 10.2% | $8.41 | Germany |
| 8438.50.00.90 | Other | $58.1 million | 7% | $11.68 | Germany |
| 8438.50.00.10 | Meat- and poultry-packing plant machinery | $32.5 million | 3.9% | $9.60 | Netherlands |
| 8438.10.00.90 | Other | $30.4 million | 3.7% | $9.46 | Italy |
| 8438.90.90.15 | Of bakery machinery and machinery for the manufacture of macaroni, spaghetti or similar products | $28.4 million | 3.4% | $10.51 | Canada |
| 8438.60.00.00 | Machinery for the preparation of fruits, nuts or vegetables | $25.7 million | 3.1% | $8.17 | Italy |
| 8438.90.10.00 | — | $19.8 million | 2.4% | $3.10 | Germany |
| 8438.40.00.00 | Brewery machinery | $13.5 million | 1.6% | $11.93 | United Kingdom |
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 8438
14 ten-digit lines carried trade under this heading in the period. The largest, 8438.90.90.90 (other), took 18.3% of the heading at $151 million. 8438.80.00.00, 8438.10.00.10 and 8438.90.90.60 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 $9.59 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 (8438.90.90), Italy (8438.90.90) and Netherlands (8438.90.90). 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
Classify first, confirm origin second, quote freight third. A heading like 8438 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 Heavy Machinery & Industrial Equipment guide for how this cargo moves, the Italy to USA lane for transit times and ports and the heading index to compare against the rest of chapter 84.
Price a shipment under HTS 8438
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 machinery, not specified or included elsewhere in this chapter to the United States?
Germany is the largest origin under HTS heading 8438, with $195 million entered between March and July 2026, or 23.6% of the heading. Italy follows at 15.5% and Netherlands at 12.5%. 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 machinery, not specified or included elsewhere in this chapter under HTS 8438?
Across all origins, 88.1% of the entered value was dutiable and CBP calculated $79.1 million of duty over the five months — an effective 10.9% on dutiable value, or about $9.59 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 8438?
Heading 8438 covers machinery, not specified or included elsewhere in this chapter, for the industrial preparation or manufacture of food or drink, other than machinery for the extraction or preparation of animal or fixed vegetable or microbial fats or oils; parts thereof. 14 ten-digit lines recorded imports in this period; the largest by value were 8438.90.90.90, 8438.80.00.00, 8438.10.00.10 and 8438.90.90.60. Duty rates differ between those lines, so the 10-digit classification matters more than the heading.
Which origin pays the lowest duty on machinery, not specified or included elsewhere in this chapter?
Among origins with at least 2% of the heading, Canada paid the least duty relative to entered value — about $0.43 per $100 of goods, with 96.3% 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.