The independent observatory for US trade — ship movements,
customs records and policy events, measured and tested.
What United Kingdom actually pays on of copper
Importers of HS 8481.90 (of copper) from United Kingdom actually paid 15.38% on the taxed portion of the value in 2026-06 — 14.72% across everything shipped, taxed or not. Measured from official duty receipts, not the rulebook: the statutory MFN base rate on this code is 3%. Over the window the rate on the taxed portion moved 3.86% → 15.38%, with the largest single step +12.3pp in 2025-03. Measured from official US duty receipts · as-of 2026-06 · confidence: measured, not modelled. The HTS base rate is 3% — importers actually paid 15.38%, so the trade-war overlay added 12.4 pts, measured at the border (not a summed rulebook estimate). Reproduce exactly: tariff_story(hs: "8481.90", origin: "United Kingdom") · see it at trimtabist.com/tariffs
HS 8481.90. The schedule base rate is
3%; importers from United Kingdom actually paid 15.38% on the
dutiable value in 2026-06 — the trade-war overlay added 12.4 points, measured at the border. Measured, not modelled.
Over the window the collected rate moved 3.86% (2023-07) → 15.38% (2026-06), largest single step +12.3pp in 2025-03.
Landed cost vs the benchmark
United Kingdom's lower duty (14.72% vs 26.98%) lets it price up to 10.7% above China at the factory and still match on duty-inclusive customs cost. But on the LATEST measured prices, China actually lands cheaper — $7.43/kg vs $37.59/kg (duty in, freight out).
The trade-war measures that name United Kingdom or this sector
15 Chapter-99 measures name United Kingdom; 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.
Procedures for Submissions by Certain Steel and Aluminum Producers Committing to New U.S. Steel or Aluminum… measure 9903.82.04 · Federal Register citation+25%
Notice of Determination and Action Pursuant to Section 301: Enforcement of U.S. WTO Rights in Large Civil Airc measure 9903.89.10 · Federal Register citation+25%
Notice of Determination and Action Pursuant to Section 301: Enforcement of U.S. WTO Rights in Large Civil Airc measure 9903.89.13 · Federal Register citation+25%
Notice of Determination and Action Pursuant to Section 301: Enforcement of U.S. WTO Rights in Large Civil Airc measure 9903.89.16 · Federal Register citation+25%
Notice of Determination and Action Pursuant to Section 301: Enforcement of U.S. WTO Rights in Large Civil Airc measure 9903.89.19 · Federal Register citation+25%
Notice of Determination and Action Pursuant to Section 301: Enforcement of U.S. WTO Rights in Large Civil Airc measure 9903.89.22 · Federal Register citation+25%
Notice of Determination and Action Pursuant to Section 301: Enforcement of U.S. WTO Rights in Large Civil Airc measure 9903.89.25 · Federal Register citation+25%
Notice of Determination and Action Pursuant to Section 301: Enforcement of U.S. WTO Rights in Large Civil Airc measure 9903.89.28 · Federal Register citation+25%
In print: “What United Kingdom actually pays on of copper (HS 8481.90)” —
Trimtab US Trade Ledger (TT-010 Duty receipts), US Census imports-for-consumption records — trimtabist.com/tariff/848190/united-kingdom