The US implemented new Section 301 tariffs on imports from Brazil this month, adding another country-specific action to an already active year of trade policy moves. For importers with Brazilian suppliers, this changes the duty calculation on affected goods with immediate effect.
What to Check First
- Confirm whether your specific HTS codes appear on the newly published Section 301 list for Brazil
- Reverify country of origin — origin is based on where substantial transformation occurred, not simply where goods were shipped from
- Check whether any exclusion process is available or planned for your product category
- Recalculate landed cost on affected SKUs before your next purchase order, not after the shipment lands
Why This Keeps Happening
Section 301 actions have become a recurring tool in US trade policy, arriving with country-specific and product-specific scope rather than as a single blanket measure. That makes a one-time compliance check insufficient — the list of affected countries and products has continued to expand through the year.
A supply chain that was tariff-clean last quarter isn't guaranteed to still be clean this quarter. Section 301 exposure needs to be rechecked, not assumed.