HTS heading 9027 · Chapter 90, Optical, photographic, measuring and medical instruments
US imports of Instruments and apparatus for physical or chemical analysis
Instruments and apparatus for physical or chemical analysis (for example, polarimeters, refractometers, spectrometers, gas or smoke analysis apparatus); instruments and apparatus for measuring or checking viscosity, porosity, expansion, surface tension or the like; instruments and apparatus for measuring or checking quantities of heat, sound or light (including exposure meters); microtomes; 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 9027 at a glance
Between March and July 2026, US importers entered $3.05 billion of instruments and apparatus for physical or chemical analysis under HTS heading 9027, from 50 of the 55 origin countries covered here and across 44 ten-digit tariff lines — roughly $611 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 9027
Origin countries: value, share and duty paid
| Origin | Import value | Share | Dutiable share | Effective duty | Duty per $100 | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | $454 million | 14.9% | 96.8% | 9.60% | $9.30 | Duty on 9027.90.56 |
| Japan | $380 million | 12.4% | 96.5% | 10.07% | $9.72 | Duty on 9027.50.40 |
| Malaysia | $315 million | 10.3% | 28.6% | 9.99% | $2.86 | Duty on 9027.89.45 |
| Mexico | $273 million | 8.9% | 4.6% | 9.95% | $0.46 | |
| Singapore | $217 million | 7.1% | 99.5% | 10.11% | $10.06 | Duty on 9027.50.40 |
| United Kingdom | $200 million | 6.5% | 97% | 9.80% | $9.51 | Duty on 9027.50.40 |
| China | $175 million | 5.7% | 83.2% | 32.17% | $26.78 | Duty on 9027.90.56 China lane |
| Switzerland | $136 million | 4.5% | 97.4% | 8.89% | $8.66 | Duty on 9027.89.45 |
| Canada | $121 million | 4% | 20.1% | 10.16% | $2.04 | |
| Sweden | $114 million | 3.7% | 97.7% | 9.93% | $9.70 | Duty on 9027.90.56 |
| France | $70.0 million | 2.3% | 99.3% | 9.98% | $9.92 | Duty on 9027.50.40 |
| Denmark | $57.1 million | 1.9% | 93.1% | 9.97% | $9.28 | Duty on 9027.90.56 |
| Ireland | $54.0 million | 1.8% | 97.2% | 10% | $9.72 | Duty on 9027.50.40 |
| Poland | $48.3 million | 1.6% | 91.3% | 9.99% | $9.12 | Duty on 9027.10.20 |
| Czechia | $44.9 million | 1.5% | 63.8% | 10.14% | $6.47 | Duty on 9027.10.20 |
Who exports instruments and apparatus for physical or chemical analysis to the United States
No single country owns this heading. Germany is the largest origin at 14.9% ($454 million), but the top three combined reach only 37.6% and 50 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 and Canada sit near the top of the table, and the duty numbers reflect it: Mexico entered 95.4% of its value free of duty and Canada entered 79.9% 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. 76.2% 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 $261 million in all, an effective 11.2% on the dutiable value and $8.55 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 — $26.78 per $100 — while Mexico paid $0.46. On a $250,000 purchase order that gap is about $66,000 in duty alone, which is worth pricing into a sourcing decision rather than discovering on the entry summary.
10-digit tariff lines under HTS 9027
| HTS code | Description | Import value | Share | Duty per $100 | Largest origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9027.89.45.30 | Chemical analysis instruments and apparatus | $382 million | 12.5% | $2.42 | Malaysia |
| 9027.10.20.00 | — | $370 million | 12.1% | $6.11 | Mexico |
| 9027.50.40.15 | Chemical analysis instruments and apparatus | $296 million | 9.7% | $10.69 | Japan |
| 9027.90.56.50 | Of articles of subheading 9027.50.40 | $289 million | 9.5% | $11.97 | Japan |
| 9027.90.56.95 | Other | $159 million | 5.2% | $9.44 | Denmark |
| 9027.50.40.60 | Other | $150 million | 4.9% | $11.67 | United Kingdom |
| 9027.81.00.00 | — | $149 million | 4.9% | $8.77 | Germany |
| 9027.30.40.40 | Spectrophotometers | $118 million | 3.9% | $5.64 | Mexico |
| 9027.90.59.10 | — | $117 million | 3.8% | $8.51 | Japan |
| 9027.89.80.90 | — | $109 million | 3.6% | $11.82 | Germany |
| 9027.90.56.25 | Of articles of subheading 9027.20.50 | $101 million | 3.3% | $10.55 | Sweden |
| 9027.30.40.80 | Other | $79.0 million | 2.6% | $10.07 | Germany |
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 9027
44 ten-digit lines carried trade under this heading in the period. The largest, 9027.89.45.30 (chemical analysis instruments and apparatus), took 12.5% of the heading at $382 million. 9027.10.20.00, 9027.50.40.15 and 9027.90.56.50 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 $8.55 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 (9027.90.56), Japan (9027.50.40) and Malaysia (9027.89.45). 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 9027
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 instruments and apparatus for physical or chemical analysis to the United States?
Germany is the largest origin under HTS heading 9027, with $454 million entered between March and July 2026, or 14.9% of the heading. Japan follows at 12.4% and Malaysia at 10.3%. 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 instruments and apparatus for physical or chemical analysis under HTS 9027?
Across all origins, 76.2% of the entered value was dutiable and CBP calculated $261 million of duty over the five months — an effective 11.2% on dutiable value, or about $8.55 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 9027?
Heading 9027 covers instruments and apparatus for physical or chemical analysis (for example, polarimeters, refractometers, spectrometers, gas or smoke analysis apparatus); instruments and apparatus for measuring or checking viscosity, porosity, expansion, surface tension or the like; instruments and apparatus for measuring or checking quantities of heat, sound or light (including exposure meters); microtomes; parts and accessories thereof. 44 ten-digit lines recorded imports in this period; the largest by value were 9027.89.45.30, 9027.10.20.00, 9027.50.40.15 and 9027.90.56.50. Duty rates differ between those lines, so the 10-digit classification matters more than the heading.
Which origin pays the lowest duty on instruments and apparatus for physical or chemical analysis?
Among origins with at least 2% of the heading, Mexico paid the least duty relative to entered value — about $0.46 per $100 of goods, with 95.4% 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.