Trimtabist

The independent observatory for US trade — ship movements, customs records and policy events, measured and tested.

What South Korea actually pays on parts and accessories

Importers of HS 8486.90 (parts and accessories) from Korea, South actually paid 9.91% on the taxed portion of the value in 2026-06 — 0.03% across everything shipped, taxed or not. Measured from official duty receipts, not the rulebook: the statutory MFN base rate on this code is Free. Over the window the rate on the taxed portion moved null% → 9.91%, with the largest single step -31.5pp in 2026-05. Measured from official US duty receipts · as-of 2026-06 · confidence: measured, not modelled. The HTS base rate is Free — importers actually paid 9.91%, so the trade-war overlay added 9.9 pts, measured at the border (not a summed rulebook estimate). Reproduce exactly: tariff_story(hs: "8486.90", origin: "Korea, South") · see it at trimtabist.com/tariffs

South Korea paid 9.91% on HS 8486.90 — the schedule says Free Collected rate on the taxed value — measured from US duty receipts, not the rulebook 9.91% HTS base Free — the rulebook floor2025-032025-102026-06 Measured · as-of 2026-06 · Trimtab US Tariffs & Trade Ledger · trimtabist.com

HS 8486.90. The schedule base rate is Free; importers from South Korea actually paid 9.91% on the dutiable value in 2026-06 — the trade-war overlay added 9.9 points, measured at the border. Measured, not modelled.

Over the window the collected rate moved % (2023-07) → 9.91% (2026-06), largest single step -31.5pp in 2026-05.

Landed cost vs the benchmark

Korea, South's lower duty (0.03% vs 25.06%) lets it price up to 25% above China at the factory and still match on duty-inclusive customs cost. But on the LATEST measured prices, Korea, South actually lands cheaper — $24.86/kg vs $49.75/kg (duty in, freight out).

Go deeper

All goods from South Korea · the whole tariff ledger · reproduce: tariff_story(hs: "8486.90", origin: "South Korea") via /connect. Not customs or legal advice.

In print: “What South Korea actually pays on parts and accessories (HS 8486.90)” — Trimtab US Trade Ledger (TT-010 Duty receipts), US Census imports-for-consumption records — trimtabist.com/tariff/848690/south-korea