UK to US Import Duty Calculator

Section 321 exempts shipments under $800 from all duties, taxes, and fees. For UK retailers selling DTC to US customers, this is transformative. A £600 Barbour jacket or £450 John Lobb shoes ship duty-free — no tariff, no MPF, no HMF. US sales tax is state-level and collected at point of sale, not at customs — the import itself generates no sales-tax event. Compare to UK-to-EU post-Brexit: £135+ threshold, 20% VAT, full customs declarations. The US is a far friendlier destination for UK DTC e-commerce than the EU. See our de minimis value guide for the complete rulebook.

Category-Specific Duty Breakdown for Major UK Exports

• Scotch whisky (2208.30): Specific rate ~0–2.8¢/proof liter. PLUS TTB federal excise at $13.50/proof gallon. The excise dwarfs customs. Case of 12 bottles at 40% ABV: customs ~$1.08, excise ~$27. Customs is the rounding error; excise is the real cost.
• Automotive parts (8708): 2.5% average. UK suppliers — GKN, Delphi, Johnson Matthey — ship billions in parts to US assembly plants and aftermarket. One of the largest UK-to-US export categories.
• Apparel (Chapters 61–62): 2.5–32% depending on fabric and garment type. Scottish cashmere sweaters at 4–6%, Savile Row wool suits at 17.5%. The HTS subheading matters enormously.
• Books (Chapter 49): 0% MFN. Books are duty-free into the US. UK publishers — Penguin Random House, Oxford and Cambridge University Presses — move millions of units annually, zero customs liability.
• Aerospace parts (Chapter 88): 0–3%. Rolls-Royce engines, BAE Systems components. Low rates reflect deeply integrated US-UK aerospace supply chains.
• Pharmaceuticals (Chapter 30): Mostly 0%. GSK and AstraZeneca account for tens of billions in annual UK-to-US pharma trade, virtually all duty-free.

Proposed US-UK Trade Agreement — Still Not Here

The US and UK have been discussing a comprehensive FTA since Brexit. Multiple rounds, nothing ratified as of 2026. A pharmaceutical GMP mutual recognition agreement has been signed — one of the few sectoral deals. Tariffs remain at MFN levels for the vast majority of goods. If a full FTA eventually passes, a large share of UK-US trade would drop to 0% — particularly benefiting automotive, machinery, and certain agriculture. Do not budget on it happening soon. US trade negotiations move slowly and the UK is not the highest-priority bilateral partner for the USTR. For comparison: EU to US duty guide.

FDA and TTB Compliance for UK Food, Beverage, and Spirits

For spirits: importers need a TTB Federal Basic Permit and COLA label approval before CBP clears the shipment. Scotch whisky must meet the US standard of identity — produced in Scotland, aged at least 3 years in oak casks, minimum 40% ABV. Single malt, blended, and grain Scotch each have distinct TTB labeling rules. For food products: FDA facility registration, prior notice filing, and full labeling compliance are mandatory. UK food labeling (traffic-light system, dual metric/imperial) is generally compatible with US requirements, but the US nutrition facts panel format is mandatory and does not accept the UK equivalent. UK exporters must produce a US-compliant label — missing FDA prior notice results in detention.

Shipping UK to US — Post-Brexit Logistics

UK goods ship directly with a UK certificate of origin — no intermediate EU customs territory. Key UK departure ports: Felixstowe, Southampton, London Gateway (ocean); Heathrow (air). US entry ports: New York/Newark, Savannah, Houston. Southampton to NY: 7–9 days — one of the fastest transatlantic ocean routes. LHR to JFK: overnight. UK luxury and high-value e-commerce is overwhelmingly air-freighted via integrators (DHL, FedEx, UPS). The $800 de minimis means most individual consumer parcels clear without customs charges.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the duty rate for UK goods entering the US?

The average is 3.5% MFN, but it varies widely by product category. Most manufactured goods run 0–5%. Books enter at 0%. Scotch whisky carries a specific rate of approximately 0–2.8¢ per proof liter (plus TTB federal excise). Automotive parts average 2.5%. Apparel ranges from 2.5% to 32% depending on fabric and garment type. No Section 301 or additional surcharges apply to UK-origin goods — the standard MFN schedule is the entire tariff story.

Is there a US-UK free trade agreement?

No comprehensive FTA exists. Negotiations have been ongoing since Brexit, but nothing has been ratified. A handful of limited sectoral agreements — most notably a pharmaceutical GMP mutual recognition agreement — are in force. UK goods pay standard MFN rates. Do not budget on a full FTA passing soon; US trade negotiations move slowly and the UK is not the USTR's highest-priority bilateral partner.

Do UK shipments under $800 enter duty-free?

Yes — Section 321 exempts shipments under $800 (per person, per day) from all duties. For DTC e-commerce from UK retailers to US consumers, this covers most individual purchases. A £600 Barbour jacket, £450 John Lobb shoes, £200 bottle of single malt — all duty-free. If the shipment exceeds $800, duty applies to the full CIF value.

Does post-Brexit affect UK-to-US duty rates?

No. UK-to-US trade was always outside the EU customs union for US tariff purposes. The US has always treated the UK as a separate country of origin. Brexit changed nothing about how CBP classifies UK goods. Brexit transformed UK-to-EU trade, adding customs declarations, VAT, and rules-of-origin requirements — but UK-to-US trade was never inside that system. The transatlantic corridor is unchanged.