The United States has trade agreements with about twenty countries. For goods that originate in one of them, an agreement can lower the base duty, often to zero. It is not automatic: the goods must meet the agreement's rules of origin, and the importer must claim it. And it rarely touches the additional duties.
The Special column and its symbols
Each line of the tariff has a Special column beside the General one. It gives the lower rates, followed in parentheses by the symbols of the agreements and programs that grant them, such as "Free (AU, BH, CL, CO, IL, JO, KR, MA, OM, P, PA, PE, S, SG)". A symbol missing from a line means that agreement gives that product no lower rate. The General Notes at the start of the tariff define each agreement and its rules.
The agreements and their symbols
- S, S+
- The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA): Canada and Mexico.
- P
- CAFTA-DR: Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.
- AU, BH, CL, CO, IL, JO
- Australia, Bahrain, Chile, Colombia, Israel and Jordan.
- JP, KR, MA, OM, PA, PE, SG
- Japan, South Korea, Morocco, Oman, Panama, Peru and Singapore.
- C, K, L
- Agreements on particular products open to every country with normal trade relations: civil aircraft, pharmaceuticals and dye intermediates.
Originating goods only
An agreement's rate is for goods that originate under its rules, not for every product shipped from its country. Goods originate when they are wholly obtained or produced there, or when the materials from elsewhere were transformed enough to meet the rule written for that product: a change of tariff classification, a minimum share of regional value, or both. Each agreement has its own rules, set out in its General Note. Goods made in China and shipped through Mexico, for example, do not originate under the USMCA.
Claiming it
The importer claims an agreement on the entry, by declaring its symbol with the product's code, and must be able to show that the goods qualify: under the USMCA, a certification of origin, which the importer, the exporter or the producer can complete, and the records behind it. CBP can ask for them, and a wrong claim means the duty back, with interest and possibly penalties. Some agreements allow a claim after the entry, within a deadline.
What an agreement changes, and what it does not
- The base duty falls to the agreement's Special rate.
- The merchandise processing fee is waived for goods originating under the USMCA and the agreements with Israel, Singapore, Chile, Australia, Bahrain, CAFTA-DR, Oman, Peru, Korea, Colombia and Panama, but not under those with Morocco, Jordan or Japan. See how entry fees are calculated.
- An additional duty changes only where its own text says so. Goods of Canada and Mexico entered free under the USMCA are spared the Section 301 rate of 2026; the Section 232 duty on a USMCA vehicle falls on its non-US content; Nicaragua's Section 301 duty is for its goods that do not originate under CAFTA-DR. Most other additional duties apply whatever the agreement. See how duties stack.
What TariffTrust does
- For your code and country of origin, the calculator offers the agreements that the line's Special column names and that apply to that country, each with the rate it would give.
- Choosing one is your declaration that the goods meet its rules of origin: TariffTrust does not verify it.
- Without a claim, the result still says what each agreement offered would give, so that you can see what qualifying is worth.
- The agreements and programs whose symbols are not listed on the coverage page are not calculated.
Updated October 30, 2026. General information as of that date, not legal or customs advice: the official texts prevail, and a licensed customs broker can confirm what applies to your goods.