What Germany ships to the United States
Among the 300 largest U.S. import headings, Germany is a listed supplier on 235 of them, worth $53.5 billion in March–July 2026 (80.4% of all imports from Germany in the period). The chapters below rank those headings; goods outside the 300 largest headings, and headings where Germany is not among the top 15 origins, are in the total but not in the table.
| HS chapter | Value (March–July 2026) | Share of covered | Largest headings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 84 Machinery, mechanical appliances and computers · guide | $13.4 billion | 25% | 8411 Turbojets, turbopropellers and other gas turbines ($1.75 billion); 8479 Machines and mechanical appliances having individual functions ($1.30 billion); 8481 Taps, cocks, valves and similar appliances, for pipes ($685 million); 8483 Transmission shafts and cranks ($682 million) |
| 87 Vehicles other than railway rolling stock · guide | $10.6 billion | 19.8% | 8703 Motor cars and other motor vehicles principally designed ($8.28 billion); 8708 Parts and accessories of the motor vehicles ($1.71 billion); 8701 Tractors ($411 million); 8711 Motorcycles and cycles fitted with an auxiliary motor ($94.1 million) |
| 30 Pharmaceutical products · guide | $8.39 billion | 15.7% | 3002 Human blood ($6.68 billion); 3004 Medicaments consisting ($1.36 billion); 3006 Pharmaceutical goods specified in note 4 to this chapter ($309 million); 3005 Wadding, gauze, bandages and similar articles ($41.5 million) |
| 85 Electrical machinery, electronics and parts · guide | $5.34 billion | 10% | 8537 Boards, panels, consoles, desks, cabinets and other bases ($718 million); 8501 Electric motors and generators ($474 million); 8504 Electrical transformers, static converters and inductors ($451 million); 8536 Electrical apparatus for switching or protecting electrical ($424 million) |
| 90 Optical, photographic, measuring and medical instruments · guide | $5.26 billion | 9.8% | 9018 Instruments and appliances used in medical, surgical ($1.86 billion); 9022 Apparatus based on the use of X-rays or of alpha, beta ($651 million); 9021 Orthopedic appliances, including crutches ($514 million); 9031 Measuring or checking instruments, appliances and machines ($502 million) |
| 88 Aircraft, spacecraft and parts thereof · guide | $1.98 billion | 3.7% | 8802 Other aircraft ($1.50 billion); 8807 Parts of goods of heading 8801, 8802 or 8806 ($477 million) |
| 39 Plastics and articles of plastic · guide | $1.03 billion | 1.9% | 3926 Other articles of plastics and articles ($275 million); 3920 Other plates, sheets, film, foil and strip, of plastics ($158 million); 3907 Polyacetals, other polyethers and epoxide resins ($141 million); 3921 Other plates, sheets, film, foil and strip, of plastics ($139 million) |
| 71 Pearls, precious stones, precious metals and jewellery · guide | $912 million | 1.7% | 7110 Platinum, unwrought or in semimanufactured forms ($477 million); 7118 Coin ($159 million); 7112 Waste and scrap of precious metal ($123 million); 7108 Gold unwrought or in semimanufactured forms, or in powder form ($65.7 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 Germany
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 Germany
- Column 1 general rate. Set by the HTS classification of the goods, not by the freight. Germany has no free trade agreement with the United States, so the general rate applies.How FTA claims work.
- Section 301, forced labour. Germany 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 Germany 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 Germany
Worked duty pages for the highest-value tariff lines imported from Germany, with the Column 1 rate, every Chapter 99 line and a $10,000 example.
- Immunological products
- Motor cars and other motor vehicles
- Airplanes and other aircraft
- Aircraft turbines
- Motor cars and other motor vehicles
- Motor cars and other motor vehicles
- Cough and cold preparations
- Motor cars and other motor vehicles
- Instruments and appliances
- Boards, panels, consoles, desks, cabinets
- Gear boxes
- Lifting, handling, loading or unloading machinery
13 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 Germany to the USA
Airlift has not published a planning range from Germany 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 Germany to the USA
On the U.S. side every ocean import needs the same set, whatever the origin. On the Germany 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 Germany to the USA: questions
In the Census sample for March–July 2026, U.S. imports for consumption from Germany totalled $66.6 billion. Among the 300 largest U.S. import headings, the biggest from Germany were machinery, mechanical appliances and computers; vehicles other than railway rolling stock; pharmaceutical products. The table on this page lists the headings with their values.
Other origins
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 Germany to the USA
Give us the pickup city or load port in Germany, 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.