US import duty · semiconductors
The June 23, 2027 tariff increase on Chinese semiconductors
A Section 301 action on Chinese semiconductors took effect in December 2025 at a rate of 0%. On June 23, 2027 that rate rises to a level USTR has not yet announced. It sits on top of the 50% Section 301 duty Chinese chips already pay. This page covers what is affected, what is known about the increase, and when the number has to be published.
The action
USTR's notice of action on "China's Acts, Policies, and Practices Related to Targeting of the Semiconductor Industry for Dominance" (90 FR 60848, December 29, 2025) took effect on December 23, 2025. It imposed tariffs "with an initial tariff level of 0 percent, increasing in 18 months on June 23, 2027, to a rate to be announced not fewer than 30 days prior to that date".
The duty is implemented through heading 9903.91.05, which already carries the 50% rate set by the 2024 four-year review. The notice describes the new tariffs as "additional to the existing 50 percent Section 301 tariff on semiconductors from China".
When the rate must be announced
The schedule's own note (U.S. note 31(f)(ii) to chapter 99) says USTR "will announce the amount of the increase in a Federal Register notice that is issued at least 30 days prior to that date". Counting back from June 23, 2027, the notice has to be out by about May 24, 2027. As of October 14, 2026 no rate has been announced. Anyone quoting a figure for the June 2027 rate today is guessing.
What it covers
Eighteen eight-digit subheadings:
| Subheading | Product |
|---|---|
| 2804.61.00 | Polysilicon of at least 99.99% silicon |
| 3818.00.00 | Doped wafers and similar |
| 8541.10.00, 8541.21.00, 8541.29.00, 8541.30.00 | Diodes, transistors, thyristors |
| 8541.49.10, 8541.49.70, 8541.49.80, 8541.49.95, 8541.51.00, 8541.59.00, 8541.90.00 | Photosensitive and other semiconductor devices, and parts |
| 8542.31.00, 8542.32.00, 8542.33.00, 8542.39.00, 8542.90.00 | Integrated circuits (processors and controllers, memories, amplifiers, other) and parts |
The action covers chips imported as chips. It does not cover the finished products they go into, and there is no battery or battery-part line on the list.
The other layers on a Chinese chip
- Section 301, 2024 review: 50% on the semiconductor subheadings from January 1, 2025, and on polysilicon and wafers from the same date (89 FR 101682).
- Section 232: a separate national-security duty of 25% applies to certain semiconductor articles under heading 9903.79.01, as defined in U.S. note 39. Whether a given import is a covered "semiconductor article" depends on that note, so check it for your part.
- Forced-labor Section 301 duty: the 8541 and 8542 semiconductor subheadings are on the exempt list in U.S. note 52(b), and Section 232 semiconductor articles are excluded by note 52(f). See the Section 301 forced-labor tariff.
- IEEPA tariffs no longer apply to any entry after February 23, 2026, following the Supreme Court's decision in Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump.
What a buyer can do now
- List your direct imports of chips, discrete devices, wafers and polysilicon by subheading and country of origin. Confirm the origin of each part with your broker rather than assuming it from the supplier's location.
- Model the increase as an open number. Since the rate is unannounced, plan around a range and revisit it when USTR publishes, which must happen by late May 2027.
- Look at inventory timing. The new rate applies by entry date, so entries before June 23, 2027 pay the 0% layer.
The announcement deadline and the increase are both on the trade-rule calendar.
Sources: 90 FR 60848 (December 29, 2025); 89 FR 76581 and 89 FR 101682; USITC HTS 2026 Revision 21, headings 9903.91.05 and 9903.79.01 and U.S. notes 31, 39 and 52. Last checked October 14, 2026. General information, not customs advice.
Last checked 2026-10-14