Shipping from France to the USA

Airlift USA ships ocean and air freight from France to the United States through our partner network at origin, with the U.S. side handled from our own offices. This page covers what France ships to the U.S., its container ports, the U.S. duties that apply, the paperwork, and how to get a quote.

For scale: U.S. imports for consumption from France came to $29.5 billion in March–July 2026 (U.S. Census Bureau), and 44.54% of that value was dutiable.

U.S. imports from France$29.5 billion Imports for consumption, March–July 2026. Census data pulled 2026-09-03.
Share that was dutiable44.54% Calculated duty came to 12.41% of the dutiable value, or 5.53% of all goods by value.
Airlift at originPartner network Airlift USA is the NVOCC on your bill of lading (FMC OTI license 016162). U.S. customs clearance is coordinated through our licensed broker network.
Free trade agreementNone with the United States USTR — Free Trade Agreements
Section 301 forced-labor tier10% Action in force from 2026-07-24. Details on the tariff updates tracker.
Container ports4 with a port pageEach port page gives its UN/LOCODE (2024-2 edition), function classifiers and the lanes that serve it.

What France ships to the United States

Of the 300 largest U.S. import headings (four-digit HTS product groups), France is one of the top 15 suppliers on 166. Those headings were worth $23.3 billion in March–July 2026, 78.8% of all U.S. imports from France in the period.

The table groups those headings by HS chapter. Goods outside the 300 largest headings, and headings where France is not among the top 15 origins, count toward the total above but are not in the table.

HS chapterValue (March–July 2026)Share of covered valueLargest headings
84 Machinery, mechanical appliances and computers · shipping guide$4.58 billion19.7%8411 Turbojets, turbopropellers and other gas turbines ($3.10 billion); 8481 Taps, cocks, valves and similar appliances, for pipes ($169 million); 8483 Transmission shafts and cranks ($164 million); 8408 Compression-ignition internal combustion piston engines ($159 million)
30 Pharmaceutical products · shipping guide$3.68 billion15.8%3004 Medicaments consisting ($2.03 billion); 3002 Human blood ($1.59 billion); 3006 Pharmaceutical goods specified in note 4 to this chapter ($40.9 million); 3005 Wadding, gauze, bandages and similar articles ($25.5 million)
88 Aircraft, spacecraft and parts thereof · shipping guide$3.46 billion14.9%8802 Other aircraft ($2.55 billion); 8807 Parts of goods of heading 8801, 8802 or 8806 ($917 million)
97 Works of art, collectors’ pieces and antiques$1.63 billion7%9701 Painting, drawings and pastels, executed entirely by hand ($1.36 billion); 9703 Original sculptures and statuary, in any material ($269 million)
22 Beverages, spirits and vinegar · shipping guide$1.54 billion6.6%2204 Wine of fresh grapes, including fortified wines ($1.02 billion); 2208 Undenatured ethyl alcohol of an alcoholic strength ($498 million); 2202 Waters, including mineral waters and aerated waters ($25.7 million); 2203 Beer made from malt ($2.0 million)
33 Essential oils, perfumery and cosmetics · shipping guide$1.44 billion6.2%3303 Perfumes and toilet waters ($1.01 billion); 3304 Beauty or make-up preparations and preparations ($393 million); 3307 Pre-shave, shaving or after-shave preparations ($23.2 million); 3305 Preparations for use on the hair ($12.5 million)
90 Optical, photographic, measuring and medical instruments · shipping guide$1.01 billion4.4%9018 Instruments and appliances used in medical, surgical ($240 million); 9021 Orthopedic appliances, including crutches ($236 million); 9014 Direction finding compasses ($150 million); 9022 Apparatus based on the use of X-rays ($73.1 million)
85 Electrical machinery, electronics and parts · shipping guide$886 million3.8%8542 Electronic integrated circuits ($254 million); 8536 Electrical apparatus for switching or protecting electrical ($168 million); 8501 Electric motors and generators ($87.5 million); 8507 Electric storage batteries, including separators therefor ($58.6 million)

Each heading code links to its U.S. import market page, showing every origin's share and effective duty rate. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, International Trade API, U.S. imports for consumption by HS10 and country of origin, public domain (work of the u.s. federal government); method as in our tariff-rates research.

Container ports in France

Which port your cargo leaves from depends on where the factory is and which carrier service it books on. Send us the pickup address and we'll route it. Each port below links to a page with its UN/LOCODE, function classifiers and the lanes that serve it.

Look up any seaport's UN/LOCODE in the port code finder, or an airport's IATA/ICAO code in the airport code finder.

U.S. import duties on goods from France

  • Base rate (HTS Column 1). Your product's HTS classification sets it; the shipping route does not. France has no free trade agreement with the United States, so the general rate applies.How FTA claims work.
  • Section 301 (forced labor). France is reported in the 10% tier of the Section 301 forced-labor action (in force from 2026-07-24), subject to its general and economy-specific exemption lists. Confirm the exempt tariff lines with your broker before pricing.
  • Section 232 (applies whatever the origin). Steel, aluminum and copper pay duty on full customs value in annex tiers of 50%, 25% and 15% since 2026-04-06. Vehicles and parts, lumber and furniture, trucks, semiconductors and drones fall under their own proclamations. Dated entries are on the tariff updates tracker.
  • IEEPA and Section 122: no longer in force. The IEEPA tariffs ended on 2026-02-24 after the Supreme Court decision of 2026-02-20, with refunds ordered; the Section 122 surcharge that replaced them expired on 2026-07-24. Neither applies to entries filed now.
  • Fees on top of duty. The merchandise processing fee (MPF) and, for ocean cargo, the harbor maintenance fee (HMF).

Estimate the total for your HTS code with France as origin in the tariff simulator. No code yet? Find it in the HTS code finder. The tariff facts above carry the dates shown on the tracker; confirm with your broker before you price.

U.S. import duty pages for goods from France

Worked duty pages for the highest-value tariff lines imported from France: the Column 1 rate, every Chapter 99 line and a $10,000 example.

6 more in this group. Rates are our tariff engine's total for a commercial entry today. Open a page for the duty lines behind a rate and how it changed by entry date, browse all import duty pages, or price your own shipment.

Transit time from France to the USA

Airlift has not published a planning range from France to the USA, so this page does not quote one. Ask for the current sailing when you request a quote, or search live sailings for any port pair.

Documents for shipping from France to the USA

In France, the EU export declaration is lodged electronically through the Automated Export System (AES) with the customs office of export before the goods leave the EU (European Commission — What is exportation); your forwarder or customs agent at origin files it. On the U.S. side, every ocean import needs the same documents, whatever the origin:

  • Importer Security Filing (ISF, "10+2"). Required by CBP for cargo arriving by vessel, filed before the container is laden; Airlift files it in-house. Details · glossary · CBP — Importer Security Filing (10+2)
  • Customs bond. A continuous or single-entry bond in the importer's name, arranged through the customs broker before the entry is filed. Details
  • Commercial invoice. Seller, buyer, terms of sale, a full description and value per line, and the country of origin; the entry is built on it. Details
  • Packing list. Marks, package count, weights and dimensions per package, matching the invoice and the bill of lading. · glossary

Airlift's customs clearance service covers document review, HTS classification support, ISF and entry coordination through our licensed broker network at the port of entry. Not enough cargo to fill a container? See LCL ocean freight.

Shipping from France to the USA: FAQs

In the Census sample for March–July 2026, U.S. imports for consumption from France totaled $29.5 billion. Among the 300 largest U.S. import headings, the biggest from France were machinery, mechanical appliances and computers; pharmaceutical products; aircraft, spacecraft and parts thereof. The table on this page lists the headings with their values.

See every origin by region in shipping to the USA by country of origin, or browse Airlift's shipping route guides.

Trade figures: U.S. Census Bureau, International Trade API, U.S. imports for consumption by HS10 and country of origin (March–July 2026, data pulled 2026-09-03), public domain (work of the u.s. federal government). Port codes: UNECE UN/LOCODE 2024-2. Tariff facts: the dated entries on the tariff updates tracker and the sources linked above. Reviewed September 2026.

Request a quote: shipping from France to the USA

Include the pickup city or load port in France, the U.S. destination and the commodity, plus either the package count with weights and dimensions or the container size and count. Add the cargo-ready date and say whether you need pickup at origin, U.S. delivery or customs clearance. We reply with the freight rate, destination charges and the services included.

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