Trade Remedies

Section 301 List 2

Also known as: List 2 · 301 List 2

The second tranche of Section 301 tariffs on Chinese imports, imposing 25% duties on approximately $16 billion of semiconductors, plastics, and chemicals, effective August 23, 2018.

List 2 is the second tranche of Section 301 tariffs on Chinese imports, announced by USTR on August 7, 2018 (83 FR 40823) and effective August 23, 2018. It covers approximately $16 billion in annual Chinese imports across 279 HTS subheadings, at a 25% ad valorem rate.

List 2 product coverage:

  • Additional semiconductors and electronic components not covered in List 1
  • Plastics and plastic products
  • Specialty chemicals and industrial chemicals
  • Railway equipment
  • Tractors and agricultural machinery

List 2 duties are declared under Chapter 99 subheading 9903.88.02 and stack on top of the underlying Chapter 1–97 duty rate. As with List 1, the duties apply only to articles of China based on the substantial transformation standard.

USTR opened a List 2 exclusion process in late 2018; granted exclusions were published as new Chapter 99 subheadings. Most expired by 2020 unless renewed.

The May 2024 four-year review left List 2 mostly intact at 25%, with targeted increases on semiconductors and certain industrial inputs. Importers should always verify both the List 2 base rate and any subsequent USTR amendments before relying on the headline 25% figure.

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Related Terms

Section 301 Tariffs

Punitive tariffs imposed by USTR under the Trade Act of 1974 to address unfair foreign trade practices — most prominently against China since 2018.

Section 301 List 1

The first tranche of Section 301 tariffs on Chinese imports, imposing 25% duties on approximately $34 billion of aerospace, IT, semiconductor, and machinery products, effective July 6, 2018.

Section 301 List 3

The third and largest tranche of Section 301 tariffs on Chinese imports — approximately $200 billion in coverage, initially at 10% in September 2018, raised to 25% in May 2019.

Section 301 List 4A

The fourth tranche of Section 301 tariffs on Chinese imports, covering approximately $300 billion of consumer goods at 7.5% (originally 15%), effective September 1, 2019.

Tariff Exclusion Process

A USTR or Commerce administrative process allowing importers to request that specific products be excluded from Section 301 or Section 232 duties — granted exclusions appear as separate Chapter 99 provisions.

Chapter 99

Chapter 99 is the US-only HTS chapter where temporary tariff measures are applied, including Section 301, Section 232, and IEEPA duties, declared as a second 9903 line on the entry.
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