HTS heading 9015 · Chapter 90, Optical, photographic, measuring and medical instruments
US imports of Surveying, hydrographic, oceanographic, hydrological
Surveying (including photogrammetrical surveying), hydrographic, oceanographic, hydrological, meteorological or geophysical instruments and appliances, excluding compasses; rangefinders; parts and accessories 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 9015 at a glance
Between March and July 2026, US importers entered $585 million of surveying, hydrographic, oceanographic, hydrological under HTS heading 9015, from 45 of the 55 origin countries covered here and across 19 ten-digit tariff lines — roughly $117 million a month of customs value under a single four-digit heading.
The heading belongs to chapter 90, optical, photographic, measuring and medical instruments. 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 9015
Origin countries: value, share and duty paid
| Origin | Import value | Share | Dutiable share | Effective duty | Duty per $100 | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | $113 million | 19.3% | 8.3% | 10.18% | $0.85 | |
| Germany | $79.7 million | 13.6% | 69.8% | 9.83% | $6.86 | Duty on 9015.10.40 |
| China | $60.8 million | 10.4% | 99.7% | 34.76% | $34.66 | Duty on 9015.80.20 China lane |
| United Kingdom | $53.8 million | 9.2% | 83.3% | 10.01% | $8.34 | Duty on 9015.80.80 |
| Thailand | $34.9 million | 6% | 98.4% | 11.80% | $11.61 | Duty on 9015.80.20 Thailand lane |
| Japan | $33.2 million | 5.7% | 57.5% | 11.26% | $6.48 | Duty on 9015.10.40 |
| Switzerland | $25.7 million | 4.4% | 95.4% | 9.92% | $9.46 | Duty on 9015.20.40 |
| Mexico | $24.2 million | 4.1% | 5.1% | 9.99% | $0.51 | |
| Vietnam | $21.5 million | 3.7% | 89.4% | 10.94% | $9.78 | Duty on 9015.10.40 Vietnam lane |
| Austria | $20.3 million | 3.5% | 76.6% | 10.01% | $7.67 | Duty on 9015.40.40 |
| Sweden | $18.9 million | 3.2% | 97.3% | 10.02% | $9.76 | Duty on 9015.20.40 |
| Singapore | $12.4 million | 2.1% | 98.4% | 10.08% | $9.92 | Duty on 9015.20.40 |
| France | $12.1 million | 2.1% | 61.1% | 10.02% | $6.12 | Duty on 9015.10.40 |
| Philippines | $8.6 million | 1.5% | 98.6% | 10.98% | $10.83 | Duty on 9015.10.40 |
| Finland | $7.8 million | 1.3% | 87.6% | 10.01% | $8.77 | Duty on 9015.80.20 |
Who exports surveying, hydrographic, oceanographic, hydrological to the United States
No single country owns this heading. Canada is the largest origin at 19.3% ($113 million), but the top three combined reach only 43.3% and 45 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.
Canada and Mexico sit near the top of the table, and the duty numbers reflect it: Canada entered 91.7% of its value free of duty and Mexico entered 94.9% 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. 66.5% 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 $55.5 million in all, an effective 14.3% on the dutiable value and $9.49 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, China paid the most duty relative to value — $34.66 per $100 — while Mexico paid $0.51. On a $250,000 purchase order that gap is about $85,000 in duty alone, which is worth pricing into a sourcing decision rather than discovering on the entry summary.
10-digit tariff lines under HTS 9015
| HTS code | Description | Import value | Share | Duty per $100 | Largest origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9015.10.40.00 | — | $125 million | 21.3% | $11.16 | Germany |
| 9015.80.80.80 | Other | $95.5 million | 16.3% | $6.51 | Canada |
| 9015.80.20.00 | — | $79.3 million | 13.6% | $16.70 | China |
| 9015.80.80.40 | Geophysical instruments and appliances | $56.0 million | 9.6% | $5.27 | Canada |
| 9015.90.01.60 | Of other geophysical instruments and appliances | $45.2 million | 7.7% | $7.21 | Canada |
| 9015.20.40.00 | — | $41.8 million | 7.1% | $10.25 | Sweden |
| 9015.90.01.90 | Other | $39.2 million | 6.7% | $9.29 | Thailand |
| 9015.90.01.10 | Of rangefinders | $35.2 million | 6% | $6.24 | Mexico |
| 9015.40.40.00 | — | $19.8 million | 3.4% | $7.36 | Austria |
| 9015.10.80.00 | — | $12.2 million | 2.1% | $7.54 | Germany |
| 9015.80.60.00 | — | $10.3 million | 1.8% | $2.49 | Canada |
| 9015.30.80.00 | — | $6.5 million | 1.1% | $15.08 | China |
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 9015
19 ten-digit lines carried trade under this heading in the period. The largest, 9015.10.40.00, took 21.3% of the heading at $125 million. 9015.80.80.80, 9015.80.20.00 and 9015.80.80.40 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 $9.49 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 (9015.10.40), China (9015.80.20) and United Kingdom (9015.80.80). 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 Science & Technology Equipment 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 90.
Price a shipment under HTS 9015
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 surveying, hydrographic, oceanographic, hydrological to the United States?
Canada is the largest origin under HTS heading 9015, with $113 million entered between March and July 2026, or 19.3% of the heading. Germany follows at 13.6% and China at 10.4%. 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 surveying, hydrographic, oceanographic, hydrological under HTS 9015?
Across all origins, 66.5% of the entered value was dutiable and CBP calculated $55.5 million of duty over the five months — an effective 14.3% on dutiable value, or about $9.49 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 9015?
Heading 9015 covers surveying (including photogrammetrical surveying), hydrographic, oceanographic, hydrological, meteorological or geophysical instruments and appliances, excluding compasses; rangefinders; parts and accessories thereof. 19 ten-digit lines recorded imports in this period; the largest by value were 9015.10.40.00, 9015.80.80.80, 9015.80.20.00 and 9015.80.80.40. Duty rates differ between those lines, so the 10-digit classification matters more than the heading.
Which origin pays the lowest duty on surveying, hydrographic, oceanographic, hydrological?
Among origins with at least 2% of the heading, Mexico paid the least duty relative to entered value — about $0.51 per $100 of goods, with 94.9% 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.