Shipping from France to the USA

U.S. imports for consumption from France came to $29.5 billion in March–July 2026 (U.S. Census Bureau), 44.54% of it dutiable. Airlift USA moves ocean and air freight from France to the United States through our partner network at origin, with the U.S. side handled from our own offices. Below: what France ships, its container ports, the U.S. duty treatment, the documents, and how to get a quote.

U.S. imports from France$29.5 billion Imports for consumption, March–July 2026; Census extract of 2026-09-03.
Dutiable share44.54% Calculated duty was 12.41% of dutiable value, 5.53% of all value.
Airlift at originPartner network Airlift USA is the NVOCC on the bill of lading (FMC OTI licence 016162); U.S. customs is coordinated through our licensed broker network.
Free trade agreementNone with the United States USTR — Free Trade Agreements
Section 301 forced-labour tier10% Action of 2026-07-24; see tariff updates.
Container ports4 with a port pageUN/LOCODE 2024-2; each port page carries the code, the classifiers and the lanes that serve it.

What France ships to the United States

Among the 300 largest U.S. import headings, France is a listed supplier on 166 of them, worth $23.3 billion in March–July 2026 (78.8% of all imports from France in the period). The chapters below rank those headings; goods outside the 300 largest headings, and headings where France is not among the top 15 origins, are in the total but not in the table.

HS chapterValue (March–July 2026)Share of coveredLargest headings
84 Machinery, mechanical appliances and computers · guide$4.58 billion19.7%8411 Turbojets, turbopropellers and other gas turbines ($3.10 billion); 8481 Taps, cocks, valves and similar appliances, for pipes ($169 million); 8483 Transmission shafts and cranks ($164 million); 8408 Compression-ignition internal combustion piston engines ($159 million)
30 Pharmaceutical products · guide$3.68 billion15.8%3004 Medicaments consisting ($2.03 billion); 3002 Human blood ($1.59 billion); 3006 Pharmaceutical goods specified in note 4 to this chapter ($40.9 million); 3005 Wadding, gauze, bandages and similar articles ($25.5 million)
88 Aircraft, spacecraft and parts thereof · guide$3.46 billion14.9%8802 Other aircraft ($2.55 billion); 8807 Parts of goods of heading 8801, 8802 or 8806 ($917 million)
97 Works of art, collectors’ pieces and antiques$1.63 billion7%9701 Painting, drawings and pastels, executed entirely by hand ($1.36 billion); 9703 Original sculptures and statuary, in any material ($269 million)
22 Beverages, spirits and vinegar · guide$1.54 billion6.6%2204 Wine of fresh grapes, including fortified wines ($1.02 billion); 2208 Undenatured ethyl alcohol of an alcoholic strength ($498 million); 2202 Waters, including mineral waters and aerated waters ($25.7 million); 2203 Beer made from malt ($2.0 million)
33 Essential oils, perfumery and cosmetics · guide$1.44 billion6.2%3303 Perfumes and toilet waters ($1.01 billion); 3304 Beauty or make-up preparations and preparations ($393 million); 3307 Pre-shave, shaving or after-shave preparations ($23.2 million); 3305 Preparations for use on the hair ($12.5 million)
90 Optical, photographic, measuring and medical instruments · guide$1.01 billion4.4%9018 Instruments and appliances used in medical, surgical ($240 million); 9021 Orthopedic appliances, including crutches ($236 million); 9014 Direction finding compasses ($150 million); 9022 Apparatus based on the use of X-rays or of alpha, beta ($73.1 million)
85 Electrical machinery, electronics and parts · guide$886 million3.8%8542 Electronic integrated circuits ($254 million); 8536 Electrical apparatus for switching or protecting electrical ($168 million); 8501 Electric motors and generators ($87.5 million); 8507 Electric storage batteries, including separators therefor ($58.6 million)

Each heading links to its U.S. import market page, with every origin's share and effective duty. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, International Trade API, U.S. imports for consumption by HS10 and country of origin, public domain (work of the u.s. federal government); method as in our tariff-rates research.

Container ports in France

The seaports below have a port page on this site with the UN/LOCODE, the classifiers and the lanes serving them. Which one your cargo uses depends on the factory's region and the carrier's service string; tell us the pickup address and we route it.

Any seaport's UN/LOCODE: port code finder; airports: airport code finder (IATA/ICAO).

U.S. duty treatment for goods from France

  • Column 1 general rate. Set by the HTS classification of the goods, not by the freight. France has no free trade agreement with the United States, so the general rate applies.How FTA claims work.
  • Section 301, forced labour. France is reported in the 10% tier of the Section 301 forced-labour action (in force from 2026-07-24), subject to its general and economy-specific exemption lists.
  • Section 232. Applies regardless of origin: steel, aluminium and copper on full customs value in 50%, 25% and 15% annex tiers since 2026-04-06, plus vehicles and parts, lumber and furniture, trucks, semiconductors and drones under their own proclamations. Dated entries on the tariff updates tracker.
  • IEEPA and Section 122. The IEEPA tariffs ended on 2026-02-24 after the Supreme Court decision of 2026-02-20, with refunds ordered; the Section 122 surcharge that replaced them expired on 2026-07-24. Neither applies to entries filed now.
  • MPF and HMF. The merchandise processing fee and, for ocean cargo, the harbor maintenance fee apply on top of duty.

Estimate the total for an HTS code with France as origin in the tariff simulator, or find the code first in the HTS code finder. Tariff facts above are dated as on the tracker; confirm with your broker before pricing.

U.S. import duty pages for goods from France

Worked duty pages for the highest-value tariff lines imported from France, with the Column 1 rate, every Chapter 99 line and a $10,000 example.

6 more in this group. Rates are the engine's calculated total for a commercial entry today; see each page for the components and entry-date history. Browse all import duty pages or price your own shipment.

Transit from France to the USA

Airlift has not published a planning range from France to the USA, so this page does not quote one. Ask for the current sailing when you request a quote, or search live sailings for any port pair.

Documents for a shipment from France to the USA

On the U.S. side every ocean import needs the same set, whatever the origin. On the France side, the EU export declaration is lodged electronically through the Automated Export System (AES) with the customs office of export before the goods leave the EU (European Commission — What is exportation); your forwarder or customs agent at origin files it.

  • Importer Security Filing (ISF, "10+2"). Required by CBP for cargo arriving by vessel, filed before the container is laden; Airlift files it in-house. Details · glossary · CBP — Importer Security Filing (10+2)
  • Customs bond. A continuous or single-entry bond in the importer's name, arranged through the customs broker before the entry is filed. Details
  • Commercial invoice. Seller, buyer, terms of sale, a full description and value per line, and the country of origin; the entry is built on it. Details
  • Packing list. Marks, package count, weights and dimensions per package, matching the invoice and the bill of lading. · glossary

Airlift's customs clearance service covers document review, HTS classification support, ISF and entry coordination through our licensed broker network at the port of entry. Less-than-container loads: LCL ocean freight.

Shipping from France to the USA: questions

In the Census sample for March–July 2026, U.S. imports for consumption from France totalled $29.5 billion. Among the 300 largest U.S. import headings, the biggest from France were machinery, mechanical appliances and computers; pharmaceutical products; aircraft, spacecraft and parts thereof. The table on this page lists the headings with their values.

Every origin by region: shipping to the USA by country of origin. Airlift's lane guides: shipping route guides.

Trade figures: U.S. Census Bureau, International Trade API, U.S. imports for consumption by HS10 and country of origin (March–July 2026, extract of 2026-09-03), public domain (work of the u.s. federal government). Port codes: UNECE UN/LOCODE 2024-2. Tariff facts: the dated entries on the tariff updates tracker and the sources linked above. Reviewed September 2026.

Request a quote: shipping from France to the USA

Give us the pickup city or load port in France, the U.S. destination, the commodity, the package count with weights and dimensions or the container size and count, the cargo-ready date, and whether you need pickup at origin, U.S. delivery or customs clearance. We reply with the freight rate, destination charges and the services included.

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