Importers of HS 8481.20 (valves for oleohydraulic or pneumatic transmissions) from Mexico actually paid 10.59% on the taxed portion of the value in 2026-06 — 4.2% across everything shipped, taxed or not. Measured from official duty receipts, not the rulebook: the statutory MFN base rate on this code is 2%. Over the window the rate on the taxed portion moved 2% → 10.59%, with the largest single step +21.4pp in 2025-03. Measured from official US duty receipts · as-of 2026-06 · confidence: measured, not modelled. The HTS base rate is 2% — importers actually paid 10.59%, so the trade-war overlay added 8.6 pts, measured at the border (not a summed rulebook estimate). Reproduce exactly: tariff_story(hs: "8481.20", origin: "Mexico") · see it at trimtabist.com/tariffs
HS 8481.20. The schedule base rate is 2%; importers from Mexico actually paid 10.59% on the dutiable value in 2026-06 — the trade-war overlay added 8.6 points, measured at the border. Measured, not modelled.
Over the window the collected rate moved 2% (2023-07) → 10.59% (2026-06), largest single step +21.4pp in 2025-03.
Mexico's lower duty (4.2% vs 35.82%) lets it price up to 30.3% above China at the factory and still match on duty-inclusive customs cost. But on the LATEST measured prices, China actually lands cheaper — $19.65/kg vs $33.64/kg (duty in, freight out).
5 Chapter-99 measures name Mexico; scope mapping is partial (several annexes are PDFs) — absence never means exemption. They do not sum, and some are product-specific — the collected rate above is the composed truth.
All goods from Mexico · the whole tariff ledger · 3 CBP rulings cite this code · reproduce: tariff_story(hs: "8481.20", origin: "Mexico") via /connect. Not customs or legal advice.