What South Korea ships to the United States
Of the 300 largest U.S. import headings (four-digit HTS product groups), South Korea is one of the top 15 suppliers on 190. Those headings were worth $64.4 billion in March–July 2026, 91.7% of all U.S. imports from South Korea in the period.
The table groups those headings by HS chapter. Goods outside the 300 largest headings, and headings where South Korea is not among the top 15 origins, count toward the total above but are not in the table.
| HS chapter | Value (March–July 2026) | Share of covered value | Largest headings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 84 Machinery, mechanical appliances and computers · shipping guide | $18.3 billion | 28.5% | 8473 Parts and accessories for machines of headings 8470 to 8472 ($12.6 billion); 8486 Machines and apparatus ($900 million); 8479 Machines and mechanical appliances having individual functions ($487 million); 8418 Refrigerators ($374 million) |
| 85 Electrical machinery, electronics and parts · shipping guide | $16.0 billion | 24.8% | 8523 Discs, tapes, solid-state non-volatile storage devices ($6.02 billion); 8542 Electronic integrated circuits ($2.27 billion); 8507 Electric storage batteries, including separators therefor ($1.71 billion); 8517 Telephone sets ($1.46 billion) |
| 87 Vehicles other than railway rolling stock · shipping guide | $15.8 billion | 24.6% | 8703 Motor cars and other motor vehicles principally designed ($13.2 billion); 8708 Parts and accessories of motor vehicles ($2.40 billion); 8701 Tractors ($170 million); 8716 Trailers and semi-trailers ($13.4 million) |
| 30 Pharmaceutical products · shipping guide | $2.81 billion | 4.4% | 3002 Human blood ($2.76 billion); 3005 Wadding, gauze, bandages and similar articles ($38.9 million); 3003 Medicaments consisting ($7.9 million) |
| 27 Mineral fuels, oils and waxes · shipping guide | $2.33 billion | 3.6% | 2710 Petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals ($2.12 billion); 2707 Oils and other products of the distillation ($192 million); 2711 Petroleum gases and other gaseous hydrocarbons ($19.1 million) |
| 39 Plastics and articles of plastic · shipping guide | $1.36 billion | 2.1% | 3907 Polyacetals, other polyethers and epoxide resins ($352 million); 3918 Floor coverings of plastics ($213 million); 3926 Other articles of plastics and articles ($176 million); 3921 Other plates, sheets, film, foil and strip, of plastics ($160 million) |
| 33 Essential oils, perfumery and cosmetics · shipping guide | $1.02 billion | 1.6% | 3304 Beauty or make-up preparations and preparations ($903 million); 3305 Preparations for use on the hair ($61.0 million); 3307 Pre-shave, shaving or after-shave preparations ($45.2 million); 3303 Perfumes and toilet waters ($7.1 million) |
| 76 Aluminum and articles of aluminum · shipping guide | $938 million | 1.5% | 7606 Aluminum plates, sheets and strip ($728 million); 7607 Aluminum foil of a thickness not exceeding 0.2 mm ($93.5 million); 7602 Aluminum waste and scrap ($45.0 million); 7601 Unwrought aluminum ($29.2 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 South Korea
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 South Korea
- Base rate (HTS Column 1). Your product's HTS classification sets it; the shipping route does not. South Korea is a U.S. free-trade-agreement partner (KORUS FTA). Goods that meet the agreement's rules of origin, backed by a valid certification of origin, can claim the preferential rate instead. The preference does not remove Chapter 99 trade-remedy duties. How FTA claims work.
- Section 301 (forced labor). South Korea is reported in the 12.5% 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 South Korea 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 South Korea
Worked duty pages for the highest-value tariff lines imported from South Korea: the Column 1 rate, every Chapter 99 line and a $10,000 example.
- Memory modules
- Solid-state non-volatile storage devices
- Motor cars and other motor vehicles
- Motor cars and other motor vehicles
- Motor cars and other motor vehicles
- Motor cars and other motor vehicles
- Immunological products
- Smartphones
- Dynamic random access memory (DRAM)
- Immunological products
- Aluminum can body stock
- Beauty or make-up preparations and preparations
12 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 South Korea to the USA
Airlift has not published a planning range from South Korea 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 South Korea to the USA
In South Korea, your forwarder or customs agent files an export declaration with the national customs authority. This page doesn't name the form for South Korea, so ask us which one applies to your shipment. 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 South Korea to the USA: FAQs
In the Census sample for March–July 2026, U.S. imports for consumption from South Korea totaled $70.2 billion. Among the 300 largest U.S. import headings, the biggest from South Korea were machinery, mechanical appliances and computers; electrical machinery, electronics and parts; vehicles other than railway rolling stock. The table on this page lists the headings with their values.
Other origin countries
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 South Korea to the USA
Include the pickup city or load port in South Korea, 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.