The independent observatory for US trade — ship movements,
customs records and policy events, measured and tested.
What China actually pays on of cotton (369)
Importers of HS 9404.90 (of cotton (369)) from China actually paid 20.37% on the taxed portion of the value in 2026-06 — 19.27% across everything shipped, taxed or not. Measured from official duty receipts, not the rulebook: the statutory MFN base rate on this code is 5.3%. Over the window the rate on the taxed portion moved 10.58% → 20.37%, with the largest single step +18.5pp in 2025-05. Measured from official US duty receipts · as-of 2026-06 · confidence: measured, not modelled. The HTS base rate is 5.3% — importers actually paid 20.37%, so the trade-war overlay added 15.1 pts, measured at the border (not a summed rulebook estimate). Reproduce exactly: tariff_story(hs: "9404.90", origin: "China") · see it at trimtabist.com/tariffs
HS 9404.90. The schedule base rate is
5.3%; importers from China actually paid 20.37% on the
dutiable value in 2026-06 — the trade-war overlay added 15.1 points, measured at the border. Measured, not modelled.
Over the window the collected rate moved 10.58% (2023-07) → 20.37% (2026-06), largest single step +18.5pp in 2025-05.
Landed cost vs the benchmark
Vietnam's lower duty (16.13% vs 19.27%) lets it price up to 2.7% above China at the factory and still match on duty-inclusive customs cost. But on the LATEST measured prices, China actually lands cheaper — $2.25/kg vs $5.67/kg (duty in, freight out).
The trade-war measures that name China or this sector
15 Chapter-99 measures name China; 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.
Notice of Modification: China's Acts, Policies and Practices Related to Technology Transfer, Intellectual Prop measure 9903.91.03 · Federal Register citation+100%
Notice of Modification: China's Acts, Policies and Practices Related to Technology Transfer, Intellectual Prop measure 9903.91.08 · Federal Register citation+100%
Notice of Modification and Proposed Modification of Section 301 Action: China's Targeting of the Maritime, Log measure 9903.91.14 · Federal Register citation+100%
Notice of Modification: China's Acts, Policies and Practices Related to Technology Transfer, Intellectual Prop measure 9903.91.02 · Federal Register citation+50%
Notice of Modification: China's Acts, Policies and Practices Related to Technology Transfer, Intellectual Prop measure 9903.91.05 · Federal Register citation+50%
Notice of Modification: China's Acts, Policies and Practices Related to Technology Transfer, Intellectual Prop measure 9903.91.07 · Federal Register citation+50%
9903.01.64 measure 9903.01.64+35%
Notice of Implementation of Additional Duties on Products of the People's Republic of China Pursuant to the… measure 9903.01.63 · Federal Register citation+34%
In print: “What China actually pays on of cotton (369) (HS 9404.90)” —
Trimtab US Trade Ledger (TT-010 Duty receipts), US Census imports-for-consumption records — trimtabist.com/tariff/940490/china