Chapter 50 of the US Harmonized Tariff Schedule covers silk. It holds 7 headings with 13 rated lines; pick the heading your goods sit under to see every line beneath it with its general and preferential rates. The general (MFN) rate runs from free to 3.9% across 13 lines.
| Heading | Goods | General (MFN) rate, before 301/AD/CVD |
|---|---|---|
| 5001 | Silkworm cocoons Silkworm cocoons suitable for reeling | General (MFN) rate free |
| 5002 | Raw silk Raw silk (not thrown) | General (MFN) rate free |
| 5003 | Silk waste Silk waste (including cocoons unsuitable for reeling, yarn waste and garnetted stock) | General (MFN) rate free to 2.5% on 2 lines |
| 5004 | Silk yarn Silk yarn (other than yarn spun from silk waste) not put up for retail sale | General (MFN) rate free |
| 5005 | Spun silk yarn Yarn spun from silk waste, not put up for retail sale | General (MFN) rate free |
| 5006 | Silk yarn, retail packs Silk yarn and yarn spun from silk waste, put up for retail sale; silkworm gut | General (MFN) rate free on all 2 lines |
| 5007 | Silk woven fabrics Woven fabrics of silk or of silk waste | General (MFN) rate free to 3.9% on 5 lines |
This is the schedule, and the schedule is not the whole duty. The rates below are the published United States Harmonized Tariff Schedule for the revision named at the foot of this page. They do not include Section 301 duties, antidumping duties or countervailing duties, and for textiles of some origins those exceed the scheduled rate — a line reading 16.5% can land well above it. Nor is a rate of Free a statement that the goods enter free of charge: it is the general rate only, before any of the above. Which line a particular garment falls under is a classification decision, the difference between two adjacent lines can be several times the duty, and a preferential rate applies only where the goods actually qualify under that agreement’s rules of origin. Check with your broker before quoting a landed price.
13 lines in chapter 50. Source: United States International Trade Commission, HTS 2026 Basic Edition, ingested 2026-10-17.