Importing Porcelain Tile to the US: HTS Codes, Duties, and Timelines
May 20, 2026 · 8 min read · Jose Cabrera
Importing porcelain tile is not complicated. Getting the classification wrong is expensive. This is everything a US buyer needs to know before placing an international tile order: the correct HTS codes, the applicable duty rates, the antidumping situation, and realistic lead times from each major origin.
The HTS codes that matter
The Harmonized Tariff Schedule splits floor and wall tile into a handful of subheadings. Getting the right one matters because the duty rates differ and CBP audits misclassified tile loads.
6907.21: Porcelain or china ceramic flags and paving, hearth or wall tiles, with a water absorption coefficient not exceeding 0.5%. This is rectified porcelain tile. Most 60×60, 80×80, 120×60, and 120×120 cm format products that come out of Italy, Spain, Mexico, and China fall here. Base duty rate: 8.5% on the CIF value.
6907.22: Ceramic tile with water absorption exceeding 0.5% but not 10%. This covers standard wall tile and lower-density floor tile that does not meet the porcelain threshold. Base duty rate: 10% on CIF value.
6907.23: Ceramic tile with water absorption exceeding 10%. Traditional rustic and handmade tile often lands here. Base duty rate: 8.5%.
6907.30: Mosaic cubes, whether or not on backing. Typically used for glass or stone mosaic. Base duty rate: 8.5%.
If you are buying rectified porcelain: the standard for contemporary residential and commercial projects: your product is 6907.21 at 8.5% base duty.
Antidumping and countervailing duties on Chinese tile
Here is where the numbers change significantly. Chinese porcelain tile (HTS 6907.21) carries two additional duty layers on top of the base rate:
Antidumping duties (ADD): Ranges from 0% to over 400% depending on the specific Chinese manufacturer. Most factories not on the CBP-approved zero-rate list fall into the 103 to 340% range. The rate is company-specific: your Chinese supplier can tell you their ADD rate, and you can verify it against the CBP ADCVD database.
Countervailing duties (CVD): An additional 11 to 13% on most Chinese porcelain tile, also layered on top of ADD and base duty.
Section 301 tariffs: An additional 7.5% on top of all of the above for most tile HTS codes covered under the 2018 trade actions.
In practice, Chinese porcelain tile shipped to the US in 2026 arrives at landed duty costs between 25% and 80%+ above the FOB price for most suppliers: not the 8.5% base rate a buyer might expect. This is why the effective cost of Chinese tile often runs higher than Mexican or Spanish tile once you account for duty, even when the FOB price from China is lower. To estimate your China AD/CVD exposure for a specific factory, plug the FOB value and the ADD/CVD rate into the calculator before you commit.
Origin matters: duty rates by country
| Origin | Base Duty | ADD/CVD | Section 301 | Effective Duty Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico (USMCA) | 0% | None | None | 0% |
| Spain (US-EU MFN) | 8.5% | None | None | 8.5% |
| Italy (US-EU MFN) | 8.5% | None | None | 8.5% |
| Brazil | 8.5% | None | None | 8.5% |
| China | 8.5% | 103 to 340%+ | 7.5% | 25 to 400%+ |
| India | 8.5% | None | None | 8.5% |
Mexico is the clear duty winner under USMCA: zero tariff, no antidumping exposure. Mexican tile ships under the Certificate of Origin form for USMCA compliance, which any established factory can provide. The catch is that USMCA preference only applies when the tile is actually manufactured in Mexico, not just processed or relabeled. CBP audits this through factory inspections and manufacturing records.
What "duty on CIF value" means in practice
Duty is calculated on the CIF (Cost + Insurance + Freight) value, not the FOB value. This is a common source of confusion. If your FOB price is $6,000 and ocean freight adds $2,400, your CIF value is roughly $8,400. The 8.5% duty applies to $8,400, not $6,000. That is $714 in duty, not $510.
On a full container with additional handling fees, a buyer budgeting duty on the FOB price will be off by several hundred dollars per load. Not catastrophic on one container, but it compounds across a project. To calculate your true landed cost across freight, duty, broker, terminal and inland in one shot, plug your numbers into the landed cost calculator.
Lead times by origin (factory to Miami)
| Origin | Transit Mode | Port-to-Port | Factory to Miami (Total) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico | Rail + truck | 7 to 12 days | 35 to 55 days |
| Spain | Ocean | 18 to 22 days | 50 to 70 days |
| Italy | Ocean | 20 to 25 days | 55 to 80 days |
| China | Ocean | 30 to 38 days | 65 to 95 days |
| Brazil | Ocean | 12 to 16 days | 45 to 65 days |
Mexico wins on lead time. Rail from Guadalajara to Laredo, then truck to Miami, is the fastest surface route from any ceramic manufacturing country: and it avoids the port congestion that periodically affects East Coast container terminals. For project managers running tight schedules, the 30-day difference between Mexican and Chinese lead times is often worth the conversation before the PO is signed.
Factory lead time adds to all of these. A custom color or format typically adds 3 to 6 weeks on top of transit. Standard catalog formats can ship from warehouse stock within 5 to 10 business days of order confirmation.
What CBP looks at on tile imports
Customs and Border Protection reviews tile shipments for three main issues: HTS classification accuracy, ADD/CVD applicability, and USMCA origin claims. The most common enforcement action is reclassification, CBP determines that a load classified as 6907.22 (lower duty) is actually 6907.21 (standard porcelain) and bills the importer for the difference plus interest.
Less common but more serious: CBP holds loads at port while they verify antidumping rates for Chinese suppliers. This can add 2 to 4 weeks to clearance and generates demurrage and storage fees that run $100 to 300 per day.
A licensed customs broker who handles tile regularly will catch classification issues before they reach the port. The $250 to 350 broker fee per container is cheap insurance against a reclassification event.
Putting it together: what you actually pay
A 40HC container of rectified porcelain tile (80×80 cm, matte finish) from a Spanish factory, landed Miami (you can estimate the boxes your project needs before sizing the order):
- FOB Valencia: $7,200
- Ocean freight to Miami: $2,600
- CIF value: $9,800
- Import duty (8.5% on CIF): $833
- Customs broker: $275
- ISF filing: $75
- Terminal handling: $380
- Inland to Doral (30 miles): $480
- Total landed Miami: $11,843
The same container from a verified Mexican factory under USMCA:
- FOB Guadalajara: $6,400
- Rail + truck to Miami: $1,900
- CIF equivalent: $8,300
- Import duty: $0
- Customs broker: $275
- Terminal handling: $310
- Inland to Doral: $480
- Total landed Miami: $9,365
A $2,500 difference per container before factoring in the lead time advantage. Over a 20-container project, that gap becomes material.
For the full breakdown of how all landed cost components add up, see landed cost explained. For a direct comparison of what each origin delivers in terms of quality and price, see porcelain tile sourcing: Italy vs Spain vs Mexico vs China.
At Nexo, every quote we send includes the full landed number, FOB, freight, duty, customs, terminal, and inland to your job site. Request a quote →
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