Updated September 27, 2026: This post was rewritten. The original, published in October 2025, covered the 50% US tariffs on Indian goods and a trade deal that was then expected. Both have moved on. This version sets out what Indian goods pay now, how India's main ports are running, and what US importers should do.
A year ago, most Indian goods entering the US paid 50% on top of their normal duty, and importers were waiting on a trade deal. Neither is true today. The tariff picture is simpler, but India's west coast ports have had a hard 2026. Here is where things stand as of September 27, 2026.
What Indian goods pay at US customs now
As of September 2026, most goods of Indian origin pay the normal US duty for their HTS line plus a 10% Section 301 duty. That duty took effect on July 24, 2026, after USTR's forced-labor investigations of 60 economies. Some goods are exempt, and goods that pay a Section 232 duty, such as steel and aluminum, pay that instead. The full stack, with exemptions, is on our US tariffs on India page.
How the 50% ended
The 50% was two tariffs of 25% each, both imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). The 25% duty tied to India's purchases of Russian oil ended on February 7, 2026. On February 20, 2026, the Supreme Court held in Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump that IEEPA does not authorize tariffs, and CBP stopped collecting all IEEPA duties on goods entered from 12:00 a.m. ET on February 24, 2026.
What came in between
A 10% surcharge under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 applied to most imports, including Indian goods, from February 24 to July 24, 2026. It has expired. A court challenge to it is still on appeal.
The trade deal
The US and India published a joint statement on a framework for an interim agreement on February 6, 2026. As of late September 2026, we found no signed agreement text, and no tariff change from the deal is in force.
Stone and quartz importers
Quartz surface products have their own measure. A Section 201 safeguard, a tariff-rate quota, has applied since August 15, 2026, and India is not excluded from it. Antidumping and countervailing duty orders on quartz surface products from India also remain in place. Granite and other natural stone pay the normal duty plus the 10% Section 301 duty unless an exemption applies. Our granite and quartz slabs guide covers the shipping side.
IEEPA duties you already paid
IEEPA duties paid in 2025 and early 2026 on Indian goods are being refunded, with interest, through CBP's CAPE process, which opened on April 20, 2026. Only the importer of record, or the licensed customs broker that filed its entries, can claim, and the refund goes to the importer of record or the party it designates on CBP Form 4811. CAPE takes entries that are unliquidated or no more than 80 days past liquidation, so check your entries now. The steps are in our tariff refund guide.
How India's ports are running in 2026
Congestion at Nhava Sheva (JNPT) and Mundra did not end with 2025. Reports through the year point to the same causes: high volumes, driver and truck shortages, and yards near capacity.
- May 2026: Kuehne+Nagel reported heavily congested yards at Nhava Sheva and Mundra, terminals closing gates at times to manage intake, and an acute driver shortage. It put the seven-day average vessel wait at both ports at about 2.5 days as of May 19, and linked part of the strain to cargo redirected by disruption in the Middle East.
- Late May 2026: Mohawk Global reported gate-in waits of 24 to 48 hours or more at BMCT, one of the Nhava Sheva terminals, with delays of one to three days for empty container pickup.
- August 28 to September 10, 2026: Empty container yard operators outside the Mundra port area stopped work for 13 days. They were protesting a new Adani Ports (APSEZ) policy that sends empty containers only to designated yards inside the port SEZ. Container transporters joined the action. Operations resumed on September 10.
Conditions change week to week, so ask for current dwell times before you commit to a delivery date.
What US importers should do now
Check your duty before you buy
Confirm the 10-digit HTS line and whether it is exempt from the Section 301 duty or covered by Section 232 or a quartz measure. Your licensed customs broker confirms the lines on the entry.
Claim your IEEPA refunds
List your 2025 and early 2026 entries of Indian goods, find each entry's liquidation date, and get the CAPE declaration filed before the 80-day window closes on any of them.
Plan around dwell time, not vessel ETA
A vessel can arrive on time while your container waits days at the terminal or at an empty yard. Build that time into supplier dates and customer promises, and track how long containers actually sit after discharge.
Start the paperwork early
Have your supplier finish export documents before the cargo reaches the port, and file US entry data such as the ISF on time.
Book trucks early for heavy cargo
Stone is dense, so a 20-foot container reaches its weight limit long before it runs out of space. Stone needs 20-foot boxes and heavy-duty trailers, and both are the first to run short when trucks are scarce. Book equipment and haulage in India well ahead of the cargo-ready date.
Watch free time and demurrage
Demurrage runs while a full container sits at the terminal past its free time, and detention runs while the empty is not returned. When trucks cannot move, both keep adding up. Ask your forwarder what free time your booking includes.
Compare ports on door-to-door time
If most of your cargo moves through Mundra or Nhava Sheva, ask whether another gateway, such as Chennai, gives a better total transit once port time is counted. Compare door-to-door time, not ocean time. Our India to USA shipping routes list the main port pairs.
Keep people in the loop in India
A tracking alert tells you a container is late. A team on the ground can find out why and what can be moved. Airlift has its own offices in India, including near Mundra, and arranges US customs entries through licensed customs broker partners.
This post is general information, not legal advice.
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