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What Not to Import from China in 2026 (and What's Still Worth It)
Ten categories where anti-dumping orders, Section 232 or US safety rules wipe out the China price in 2026, and the categories that still make sense.
By Beato Capital · Updated · 11 min read
Most bulky commercial goods are still worth importing from China in 2026. The exceptions are a short list of categories where an anti-dumping order, a Section 232 tariff or a US agency rule makes the factory price irrelevant. This guide names them, gives the specific reason for each, and then lists the categories that held up.
Almost everything from China already pays a baseline: the Section 301 China list duties (7.5% to 25% for most lines) plus a 12.5% Section 301 “forced-labor” duty that started on July 24, 2026. That baseline is manageable for most products. The categories below are the ones where something much bigger sits on top. All rates are as of October 2026, from the sources linked, verified October 15, 2026.
The short list
Avoid these from China unless you have a specific, checked reason: cabinets and vanities, bedroom furniture and mattresses, quartz and tile, golf carts and e-bikes, solar and battery storage, steel storage and handling equipment, engine-powered machines and trailers, medical devices and PPE, foodservice disposables, and cotton you can’t trace.
| Category | Main problem | What it adds (as of October 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen cabinets and vanities | AD/CVD orders + Section 232 timber | AD deposit 251.64% China-wide; Section 232 25%, 50% from Jan 2027 |
| Mattresses; wooden bedroom sets | AD orders | 1,731.75% (mattresses) and 216.01% (bedroom furniture), China-wide |
| Quartz countertops; ceramic tile | AD/CVD orders | 326.15% (quartz) and 356.02% (tile), China-wide AD |
| Golf carts, LSVs; e-bikes | AD/CVD 2025; battery rules | AD up to 478.09%, CVD up to 691.58%; CPSC battery rule proposed |
| Solar panels; battery storage | AD/CVD, Section 301 at 50%, UFLPA | Section 301 on modules 50%; on lithium-ion batteries 25% |
| Steel racking, shelving, hand trucks, tool chests, lifts | AD orders + Section 232 | AD orders in force; Section 232 on racks, shelving, hand trucks |
| Engine equipment; food trailers | EPA and NHTSA certification | Seizure and re-export if uncertified |
| Medical devices and PPE | FDA rules + Section 301 | Up to 100% Section 301 on syringes and medical gloves |
| Paper plates and bags, molded fiber, aluminum containers | AD/CVD orders (2024–2026) | 515.40% (plates), 287.80% (aluminum containers), China-wide AD |
| Cotton textiles without traceability | UFLPA | Detention unless you can prove the supply chain |
The China-wide rate applies to exporters without their own rate; a specific exporter may have a lower one. For how these orders work, see our anti-dumping duties guide.
1. Kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities
Don’t import them from China. They carry three layers at once: AD/CVD orders, a 25% Section 232 timber duty and 25% Section 301.
The AD/CVD orders (A-570-106 / C-570-107) were continued in September 2025. The China-wide AD cash deposit is 251.64% and the CVD rate for other exporters 20.93%. In 2024 Commerce also ruled that cabinets finished in Malaysia or Vietnam from Chinese components are covered (Federal Register). The Section 232 rate is scheduled to rise to 50% on January 1, 2027. Our furniture duties guide shows how this compares with other furniture.
2. Mattresses and wooden bedroom sets
Both are under anti-dumping orders with very high China-wide rates. For hotels, this is the biggest trap in an FF&E package.
The mattress order (A-570-092) carries a China-wide rate of 1,731.75% and was continued in 2025. The wooden bedroom furniture order (A-570-890) has a China-wide rate of 216.01%, and its scope names headboards and night tables, with no exclusion for hotel use. Seating, desks and dining furniture are outside it, so a guestroom package needs a piece-by-piece scope check.
3. Quartz countertops and ceramic tile
Both are under AD/CVD orders, and tile imports from China have effectively stopped.
Quartz surface products (A-570-084 / C-570-085) were continued in January 2025, with a China-wide AD rate of 326.15%. Ceramic tile (A-570-108 / C-570-109) was continued in 2026; its China-wide AD rate is 356.02%. US imports of ceramic tile (HS 6907.21–.23) from China came to well under $1 million in 2025 (UN Comtrade). If a supplier offers the same product under another name, such as “sintered stone” or “porcelain slab”, ask for a scope check first. Natural stone is a different story; see our stone page.
4. Golf carts, low-speed vehicles and e-bikes
Golf carts and LSVs are under AD/CVD orders since August 2025; e-bikes have no order but bring battery rules that are getting stricter.
The orders on low-speed personal transportation vehicles (A-570-176 / C-570-177) cover golf carts and LSVs, with AD rates from 119.39% to 478.09% and CVD rates from 31.45% to 691.58%. Golf carts are also on the Section 232 steel derivative list (HTSUS chapter 99, U.S. note 16). US imports of golf carts from China fell 81% in 2025 (UN Comtrade).
E-bikes pay 25% Section 301 plus 12.5%, and imports fell 69% in 2025 (same source). The bigger issue is the battery. Lithium batteries are Class 9 dangerous goods, and shippers must be able to show that the battery type passed UN 38.3 tests (PHMSA). In June 2026 the CPSC proposed a mandatory standard for lithium-ion batteries in e-bikes, e-scooters and similar products, built on UL 2849 and UL 2272. It is not final yet. We don’t handle UL or battery certification; that stays with the brand owner.
5. Solar panels and battery storage
Solar cells and modules carry AD/CVD orders and a 50% Section 301 rate; lithium-ion storage batteries carry 25%. Both sit in UFLPA high-priority sectors.
The 2012 and 2015 solar AD/CVD orders are still in force, the latter continued in June 2026. Section 301 on solar cells and modules (HTS 8541.42, 8541.43) has been 50% since September 27, 2024, and on lithium-ion non-EV batteries (8507.60) 25% since January 1, 2026 (HTSUS headings 9903.91.02 and 9903.91.06, USITC). A new Section 232 action on polysilicon and its derivatives was signed on August 6, 2026, with remedies starting 120 days later. Polysilicon and lithium are both UFLPA high-priority sectors, so expect detention unless you can trace the supply chain.
6. Steel racking, boltless shelving, hand trucks, tool chests and lifts
Each of these is under its own anti-dumping order, and the racks, shelving and hand trucks also pay Section 232 steel duty.
All five orders are in force as of October 2026: steel racks (A-570-088, continued 2025), boltless steel shelving (A-570-018, continued September 2026), hand trucks (A-570-891, continued August 2026), tool chests and cabinets (A-570-056, continued 2023) and mobile access equipment such as scissor and boom lifts (A-570-139, order 2022). Steel racks, boltless shelving and industrial hand trucks are also listed as Section 232 steel derivatives at 25% (HTSUS chapter 99, U.S. note 16). For store and warehouse projects, plan these items from a US or non-Chinese source and keep China for the store fixtures that aren’t covered.
7. Engine-powered equipment and food trailers
Engines and vehicles need US certification before they arrive, and CBP seizes what doesn’t have it.
The Clean Air Act bars importing nonroad engines and equipment (tractors, excavators, generators) without an EPA certificate of conformity and an emissions label, and CBP seizes uncertified ones (CBP). CBP has documented seizures: a Chinese wheeled tractor seized in Philadelphia in 2025, and more than 730 vehicles and engines seized or re-exported at Los Angeles/Long Beach. Many of these machines are also on the Section 232 steel derivative lists.
Food trucks and trailers are motor vehicles for NHTSA. The manufacturer must certify them to the federal motor vehicle safety standards, register with NHTSA and issue proper VINs; a foreign manufacturer must name a US agent (NHTSA FAQ). Few Chinese builders do this. Trailers are also on the Section 232 steel derivative list at 25%. Import the kitchen equipment instead and have the trailer built in the US; see our restaurant equipment checklist.
8. Medical devices and PPE
Medical devices need FDA registration, listing and usually 510(k) clearance, and several PPE lines carry Section 301 rates of 50% to 100%.
A foreign manufacturer must register with FDA, list each device and name a US agent before shipping, and many devices also need 510(k) clearance (FDA). Unregistered shipments can be detained under Import Alert 99-34. Section 301 on syringes and needles is 100% (since September 2024), on medical rubber gloves 100% and on textile face masks and respirators 50% (both since January 1, 2026; HTSUS chapter 99, U.S. note 31, USITC). For clinics, buy the furniture from China, not the devices.
9. Paper plates and bags, molded fiber and aluminum food containers
All four are under anti-dumping orders issued between 2024 and 2026. Restaurants and caterers feel this first.
- Paper plates (A-570-164): orders March 2025, China-wide rate 515.40%.
- Paper shopping bags (A-570-152 / C-570-153): AD and CVD orders since July 2024.
- Thermoformed molded fiber (A-570-182): orders since January 2026, covering plates, bowls, clamshells, trays and lids.
- Disposable aluminum containers, pans, trays and lids (A-570-170 / C-570-171): orders May 2025, China-wide AD 287.80% and CVD 317.85%.
Commerce has also opened circumvention inquiries into some of these products finished in third countries from Chinese material, so “made in Vietnam” or “made in Thailand” isn’t automatically safe.
10. Cotton textiles without traceability
Cotton is a UFLPA high-priority sector by law, so cotton linens and uniforms are detained unless you can prove where the cotton came from.
Under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, goods made wholly or partly in Xinjiang, or by companies on the UFLPA Entity List, are presumed to be made with forced labor (DHS UFLPA FAQ). DHS added 43 companies to the list on July 31, 2026, including cotton and apparel firms. For hotel linens and staff uniforms, specify polyester or blends, or cotton with documented traceability from the bale to the finished product.
What’s still worth importing from China
Most furniture, lighting, fitness equipment, plastics, event furniture, artificial plants and holiday décor still make sense. They pay the baseline (Section 301 plus 12.5%) but no anti-dumping order on the finished product, and since April 2026 most metal furniture and fitness equipment no longer pay Section 232 metals duty (Annex II).
The trade data backs this up. US imports from China fell from $440.3 billion in 2024 to $308.7 billion in 2025, down 30% (Census data via FRED). Computers and phones alone account for about $46 billion of that drop (UN Comtrade, HS 8471 and 8517). 2025 was also the year of the IEEPA tariffs, which the Supreme Court struck down in February 2026. In 2026 the dollar total is still down 16% for January to August, but every month since May has been above the same month of 2025. Container volumes from China are growing again: up 27.4% year on year in June 2026 (Descartes) and 21.2% in September (Descartes via Reuters).
| Category | US imports from China, 2025 vs 2024 | Duty stack beyond MFN, as of October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Metal office furniture (HS 9403.10) | +29% | 25% Section 301 + 12.5% |
| Wooden office furniture (9403.30) | −14% | 25% + 12.5% |
| Fitness equipment (9506.91) | −19% | 7.5% (List 4A) + 12.5%; no Section 232 since April 2026 |
| Plastic articles (3926) | −18% | Mostly 7.5% (List 4A) or none (suspended List 4B), + 12.5%; varies by line |
| Artificial plants (6702) | −11% | Plastic ones (6702.10) on suspended List 4B: 12.5% only |
| Lighting (9405) | −37% | 25% + 12.5% |
| Christmas décor (9505.10) | −39% | Most lines on suspended List 4B: 12.5% only (glass ornaments 7.5%) |
Import changes are from UN Comtrade (US-reported, FOB value). Section 301 lists are from HTSUS chapter 99, U.S. note 20 (USITC).
A few notes on the categories:
- Furniture other than bedroom sets and cabinets pays 37.5% for plain wood and metal, or 50% for upholstered wooden seating. See the furniture duties guide.
- Fitness equipment came off the Section 232 metals list in April 2026 and sits on List 4A at 7.5%. See gym equipment.
- Event furniture is clear of anti-dumping duty: the folding metal tables and chairs order was revoked effective November 6, 2012. See event furniture.
- Lighting and holiday décor fell with the market in 2025 but carry no anti-dumping order on finished fixtures or decorations. Aluminum profiles can raise an extrusions scope question, and inspectors commonly expect lighting to be listed by a nationally recognized testing laboratory such as UL or Intertek (ETL).
- Artificial plants and holiday décor sit mostly on Section 301 List 4B, which was suspended, so they pay the 12.5% plus normal duty. Order décor by early summer for the holidays; see holiday décor.
How to check a product before you order
Find the HTS code, then check four things: AD/CVD orders, Section 232 annexes, special Section 301 rates, and the agency rules for that product. Commerce’s ACCESS lists AD/CVD cases, and a licensed customs broker can confirm scope and classification. We check anti-dumping exposure before every quote. Our price lock covers factory, freight and exchange-rate changes, but not government duty changes, which are passed on to you.
Key takeaways
- The 2026 baseline for Chinese goods is Section 301 (7.5% to 25% for most lines) plus a 12.5% forced-labor duty; most products can absorb it.
- Avoid categories with anti-dumping orders: cabinets and vanities, mattresses, bedroom furniture, quartz, tile, golf carts, steel storage, and foodservice disposables.
- Engines, trailers, medical devices and e-bike batteries fail on certification, not price: EPA, NHTSA, FDA and CPSC rules apply.
- Cotton and solar supply chains need UFLPA traceability or they get detained.
- Furniture, lighting, fitness equipment, plastics, event furniture, artificial plants and holiday décor still make sense, and container volumes from China are growing again in 2026.