Do my products have to say "Made in China"?

Yes. 19 U.S.C. § 1304 requires that every article of foreign origin imported into the US must be marked in a conspicuous place, as legibly and permanently as the nature of the article permits, to indicate to the ultimate purchaser the English name of the country of origin.

✅ Compliance & Regulations

Country of Origin Calculator Import

Use our country of origin calculator import to determine and document country of origin for China imports. Calculate substantial transformation requirements for origin marking compliance.

Updated: 2026-04-13

Planning Reference

Standards Last Reviewed April 2026

Reference Basis

Based on published CPSC, FCC, FDA, CE, and other regulatory agency fee schedules and compliance cost benchmarks.

Planning Note

Compliance requirements and testing costs vary by product, jurisdiction, and certifying body. Confirm with an accredited lab before ordering.

Secondary opportunity

country of origin calculator import
High SERP difficulty

Shipment FOB Value USD

China HTS Duty Rate % Standard Column 1 HTS duty rate for your product.

Section 301 Rate (China) Section 301 tariff adds to the base HTS rate for Chinese goods.

Alternative Country Duty Rate % Duty rate if the product is sourced from Vietnam, India, Mexico, etc. (Check HTS for that country's column 1 rate).

Alternative Country Price Premium % How much more expensive is the FOB price from the alternative country vs. China? Typical: Vietnam +10–25%, India +15–30%, Mexico +20–40%.

Marking and Substantial Transformation

Misunderstanding Country of Origin (COO) laws leads to container seizures. Finding a factory in Vietnam to screw together 4 parts made entirely in China does not magically make the product "Made in Vietnam."

US Customs looks for a "Substantial Transformation." If the parts did not fundamentally change character or use in the secondary country, the origin remains China, and you will still owe Section 301 tariffs.

Tips for China Importers

Identify compliance requirements before sourcing, not after. Discovering that your product needs a $30,000 FDA clearance after you've ordered 5,000 units is a business-ending scenario. Research first.
Use only accredited labs. Test reports from SGS, Intertek, Bureau Veritas, or TÜV are accepted by retailers, Amazon, and customs. Supplier-provided "test reports" from unknown labs are worthless for compliance purposes.
Verify CE/FCC was tested on production units, not prototypes. Certifications obtained on pre-production samples are technically valid only for that sample. If production materials differ, retesting is required.
Check for anti-dumping duties before importing. Anti-dumping and countervailing duty orders cover hundreds of Chinese product categories. These are separate from HTS duties and can be 20–200%+ of value.
Keep all compliance documents for at least 5 years. Amazon, major retailers, and CBP may request CPC certificates, test reports, or labeling documentation at any time. Losing records can cost you your account.