Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States · HTS code · HS 5601.21
5601.21.00: Wadding of textile materials and articles thereof: of cotton
Not declarable on its own: use one of its 2 subdivisions Data: Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States · checked on 24 October 2026
- 5601 Wadding of textile materials and articles thereof; textile fibers, not exceeding 5 mm in length (flock), textile dust and mill neps:
- Wadding of textile materials and articles thereof:
- 5601.21.00 Of cotton
What you pay
Importing into USA
US additional duties of HTS chapter 99 in force on 22 October 2026 are included (Section 301, 232, 338 and 201). IEEPA duties are no longer collected after the Supreme Court ruling of February 2026. Conditional exemptions (US content, end use, metal share) are not computed: check the provision.
Additional duties and import rules
Charges on top of the customs duty, and rules the goods must meet at the border.
Additional duties and charges 1
- Additional dutySection 301 — China — technology transfer, IP and innovation (2018 actions and 2024 four-year review) 25%
- Applies to goods from
- China
- In force
- from 24 September 2018
- Legal act
- HTSUS 9903.88.03
Preferential rates by country
| Agreement or scheme | Countries | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| General (MFN) | — | 3.6% |
| US–Australia FTA AU | Australia | Free |
| US–Bahrain FTA BH | Bahrain | Free |
| US–Chile FTA CL | Chile | Free |
| US–Colombia TPA CO | Colombia | Free |
| US–Israel FTA IL | Israel | Free |
| US–Jordan FTA JO | Jordan | Free |
| US–Korea FTA KR | South Korea | Free |
| US–Morocco FTA MA | Morocco | Free |
| US–Oman FTA OM | Oman | Free |
| CAFTA-DR P | Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua | Free |
| US–Panama TPA PA | Panama | Free |
| US–Peru TPA PE | Peru | Free |
| USMCA S | Canada, Mexico | Free |
| US–Singapore FTA SG | Singapore | Free |
| Column 2 | Cuba, North Korea, Russia, Belarus | 40% |
Special: reduced rates under trade agreements and preference programmes; the letters in brackets name the programmes (for example AU = Australia FTA, KR = Korea FTA).
Subdivisions
- 5601.21.00 Of cotton 3.6%
- 5601.21.00.10 Wadding, in the piece (223) kg
- 5601.21.00.90 Other (369) kg
Same subheading in other tariffs
5601.21 Wadding of textile materials and articles thereof: of cotton
UK 2% Third-country duty 2 tariff lines 
EU 3.8% Third-country duty 2 tariff lines 
Türkiye 3.8% Third-country duty 3 tariff lines 
Canada Free – 14% General (MFN) 4 tariff lines · average 3.5% 
Mexico Free General (MFN) 2 tariff lines 
Brazil 16.2% General (MFN) 2 tariff lines 
Argentina 18% General (MFN) 5 tariff lines 
Peru Free General (MFN) 1 tariff line 
New Zealand Free General (MFN) 1 tariff line 
Japan Free General (MFN) 1 tariff line 
Taiwan 10% General (MFN) 2 tariff lines 
GCC 5% General (MFN) 3 tariff lines 
Switzerland Free General (MFN) 1 tariff line 
Norway Free General (MFN) 1 tariff line 
North Macedonia 10% General (MFN) 2 tariff lines 
Nigeria 20% General (MFN) 1 tariff line Binding rulings for similar goods
Decisions of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CROSS) and HMRC (Advance Tariff Rulings) on goods classified here. A ruling binds only its holder, but shows how the authorities classify similar goods. The descriptions are the authorities’ own, in English.
- N340357 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of an electric vaporizer from China
- N334928 U.S. CBP
The country of origin determination of cotton swabs; 19 CFR 102.21(c)(2)
- N330026 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of cotton swabs, cotton pads, and an emery board from China.
- N313260 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification, country of origin and country of origin marking of cotton pads; 19 CFR 102.21(c)(2); 19 CFR 134
- N290532 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of cotton balls from Turkey and China
- N290573 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of cotton balls from Turkey
Legal notes
In the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, 5601.21.00 is one of 1 line under subheading 5601.21, wadding of textile materials and articles thereof: of cotton.
The general duty is 3.6%.
2 statistical sub-lines below it are used in the declaration.
For the same subheading, the UK duty is 2%, the EU duty is 3.8%, the Türkiye duty is 3.8%, the Canada duty is 0%–14%, the Mexico duty is free, the Brazil duty is 16.2%, the Argentina duty is 18%, the Peru duty is free, the New Zealand duty is free, the Japan duty is free, the Taiwan duty is 10%, the GCC duty is 5%, the Switzerland duty is free, the Norway duty is free, the North Macedonia duty is 10% and the Nigeria duty is 20%.
The United States imported goods of subheading 5601.21 worth US$119m in 2024; the largest supplier was China.
Questions and answers
What is the USA import duty for HTS code 5601.21.00?
The general duty in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States is 3.6%. Preferential rates for goods from agreement countries, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
Is there a lower rate for 5601.21.00 under US trade agreements?
Yes. The Special column reads “Free (AU,B, BH, CL, CO, IL, JO, KR, MA, OM,P, PA, PE,S, SG)”: the letters in brackets name the agreements and programmes that grant it.
Where does the United States import these goods from?
For subheading 5601.21 as a whole, the largest supplier in 2024 was China (US$43m), followed by Mexico.
Typical products
- cotton wool, balls
- cotton wool, pad
- cotton wool, pleat
- sanitary towels, of textile wadding
- waddings of textile, not medical
Everyday names, not part of the legal text.