HTS heading 8516 · Chapter 85, Electrical machinery, electronics and parts
US imports of Electric instantaneous or storage water heaters and immersion
Electric instantaneous or storage water heaters and immersion heaters; electric space heating apparatus and soil heating apparatus; electrothermic hairdressing apparatus (for example, hair dryers, hair curlers, curling tong heaters) and hand dryers; electric flatirons; other electrothermic appliances of a kind used for domestic purposes; electric heating resistors, other than those of heading 8545; 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 8516 at a glance
Between March and July 2026, US importers entered $4.11 billion of electric instantaneous or storage water heaters and immersion under HTS heading 8516, from 45 of the 55 origin countries covered here and across 43 ten-digit tariff lines — roughly $823 million a month of customs value under a single four-digit heading.
Heading 8516 sits in chapter 85, electrical machinery, electronics and parts, so anything classified here shares a duty structure with the rest of that chapter.
Top origin countries by share of HTS 8516
Origin countries: value, share and duty paid
| Origin | Import value | Share | Dutiable share | Effective duty | Duty per $100 | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | $1.65 billion | 40.2% | 99.9% | 15.72% | $15.70 | Duty on 8516.79.00 China lane |
| Mexico | $882 million | 21.4% | 21.5% | 23.33% | $5.03 | |
| Vietnam | $293 million | 7.1% | 99.2% | 15.87% | $15.75 | Duty on 8516.60.40 Vietnam lane |
| Thailand | $230 million | 5.6% | 96.7% | 17.29% | $16.71 | Duty on 8516.60.40 Thailand lane |
| Indonesia | $155 million | 3.8% | 99.3% | 13.90% | $13.80 | Duty on 8516.71.00 Indonesia lane |
| Malaysia | $127 million | 3.1% | 96.8% | 13.76% | $13.32 | Duty on 8516.71.00 |
| Philippines | $116 million | 2.8% | 99.9% | 12.50% | $12.49 | Duty on 8516.32.00 |
| Canada | $94.8 million | 2.3% | 25.6% | 19.43% | $4.97 | |
| Italy | $73.0 million | 1.8% | 98.7% | 14.06% | $13.87 | Duty on 8516.71.00 Italy lane |
| South Korea | $63.6 million | 1.6% | 96.4% | 17.09% | $16.47 | Duty on 8516.60.40 |
| Germany | $57.6 million | 1.4% | 98.3% | 13.11% | $12.88 | Duty on 8516.80.80 |
| Japan | $43.5 million | 1.1% | 95.8% | 10.96% | $10.50 | Duty on 8516.80.80 |
| Switzerland | $42.1 million | 1% | 100% | 14.45% | $14.45 | Duty on 8516.71.00 |
| United Kingdom | $37.5 million | 0.9% | 81.1% | 13.49% | $10.94 | Duty on 8516.50.00 |
| Cambodia | $36.5 million | 0.9% | 100% | 14.27% | $14.27 | Duty on 8516.60.40 Cambodia lane |
Who exports electric instantaneous or storage water heaters and immersion to the United States
China is the largest origin with $1.65 billion, or 40.2% of the heading, with Mexico at 21.4% and Vietnam at 7.1%. The top three take 68.8% 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.
Mexico and Canada sit near the top of the table, and the duty numbers reflect it: Mexico entered 78.5% of its value free of duty and Canada entered 74.4% 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: 80.5% of entered value carried duty, and CBP collected $521 million over the five months. The effective rate on dutiable value was 15.8%, which works out to $12.67 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, Thailand paid the most duty relative to value — $16.71 per $100 — while Canada paid $4.97. On a $250,000 purchase order that gap is about $29,000 in duty alone, which is worth pricing into a sourcing decision rather than discovering on the entry summary.
10-digit tariff lines under HTS 8516
| HTS code | Description | Import value | Share | Duty per $100 | Largest origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8516.79.00.00 | — | $718 million | 17.5% | $11.58 | China |
| 8516.50.00.90 | Having a capacity exceeding 31.0 liters | $378 million | 9.2% | $11.95 | China |
| 8516.80.80.00 | — | $324 million | 7.9% | $4.51 | Mexico |
| 8516.71.00.20 | Coffee or tea makers | $319 million | 7.8% | $14.63 | China |
| 8516.10.00.40 | Storage water heaters | $255 million | 6.2% | $1.50 | Mexico |
| 8516.60.40.70 | Cooking stoves, ranges and ovens | $206 million | 5% | $24.76 | Vietnam |
| 8516.60.40.86 | Cooking stoves, ranges and ovens | $167 million | 4.1% | $20.53 | Mexico |
| 8516.32.00.40 | — | $162 million | 3.9% | $12.09 | Philippines |
| 8516.60.40.82 | Cooking stoves, ranges and ovens | $162 million | 3.9% | $20.82 | Mexico |
| 8516.71.00.60 | Coffee or tea makers | $157 million | 3.8% | $10.75 | Indonesia |
| 8516.31.00.00 | — | $151 million | 3.7% | $12.48 | China |
| 8516.29.00.90 | — | $122 million | 3% | $16.97 | Canada |
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 8516
43 ten-digit lines carried trade under this heading in the period. The largest, 8516.79.00.00, took 17.5% of the heading at $718 million. 8516.50.00.90, 8516.80.80.00 and 8516.71.00.20 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 $12.67 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: China (8516.79.00), Vietnam (8516.60.40) and Thailand (8516.60.40). 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 8516 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 Electronics & Semiconductor Commodities guide for how this cargo moves, the China to USA lane for transit times and ports and the heading index to compare against the rest of chapter 85.
Price a shipment under HTS 8516
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 electric instantaneous or storage water heaters and immersion to the United States?
China is the largest origin under HTS heading 8516, with $1.65 billion entered between March and July 2026, or 40.2% of the heading. Mexico follows at 21.4% and Vietnam at 7.1%. 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 electric instantaneous or storage water heaters and immersion under HTS 8516?
Across all origins, 80.5% of the entered value was dutiable and CBP calculated $521 million of duty over the five months — an effective 15.8% on dutiable value, or about $12.67 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 8516?
Heading 8516 covers electric instantaneous or storage water heaters and immersion heaters; electric space heating apparatus and soil heating apparatus; electrothermic hairdressing apparatus (for example, hair dryers, hair curlers, curling tong heaters) and hand dryers; electric flatirons; other electrothermic appliances of a kind used for domestic purposes; electric heating resistors, other than those of heading 8545; parts thereof. 43 ten-digit lines recorded imports in this period; the largest by value were 8516.79.00.00, 8516.50.00.90, 8516.80.80.00 and 8516.71.00.20. Duty rates differ between those lines, so the 10-digit classification matters more than the heading.
Which origin pays the lowest duty on electric instantaneous or storage water heaters and immersion?
Among origins with at least 2% of the heading, Canada paid the least duty relative to entered value — about $4.97 per $100 of goods, with 74.4% 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.