Section 232 solar tariff from 4 December 2026: cells, modules and polysilicon
The short answer
- What changes: a new Section 232 duty of 15% starts on solar modules, solar cells and silicon wafers and ingots, with a minimum import price on each and on polysilicon.
- When: goods entered on or after 12:01 a.m. Eastern time on 4 December 2026. Goods entered before that are not affected.
- Which lines: HTS 8541.43 (modules), 8541.42 (cells), 3818.00 (wafers and ingots: statistical lines 0020, 0040, 0045, 0050 and 0091) and 2804.61 (polysilicon, minimum import price only).
- Rate before and after: 0% before, 15% after, from every origin. UK goods pay 10%. For the EU, Japan, Korea, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Taiwan, the MFN duty and Section 232 together come to 15%.
- Stacking: it is added to the other layers and replaces none of them. A module from China pays 50% Section 301 + 12.5% forced-labor tariff + 15% Section 232: 62.5% today, 77.5% from 4 December. From Vietnam: 12.5% to 27.5%.
- Not in any total here: anti-dumping and countervailing duties, and the minimum import price.
Worked examples: total US duty before and from 4 December 2026
Thirteen line-and-origin pairs priced by our tariff engine, once for goods entered today and once for goods entered on 4 December 2026. The layer columns are today's; the last two columns are the Section 232 duty and the total on the date.
| Product | HTS | Origin | MFN | Section 301 | Forced-labor | Section 232 today | Total today | Section 232 from 4 Dec 2026 | Total from 4 Dec 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar modules | 8541.43.00 | China | Free | 50% | 12.5% | 0% | 62.5% | 15% | 77.5% |
| Solar modules | 8541.43.00 | Vietnam | Free | 0% | 12.5% | 0% | 12.5% | 15% | 27.5% |
| Solar modules | 8541.43.00 | Malaysia | Free | 0% | 10% | 0% | 10% | 15% | 25% |
| Solar modules, crystalline siliconAD/CVD order applies; cash deposits are not in these totals. | 8541.43.00.10 | India | Free | 0% | 10% | 0% | 10% | 15% | 25% |
| Solar modulesAD/CVD order applies; cash deposits are not in these totals. | 8541.43.00 | Laos | Free | 0% | Not a listed origin | 0% | 0% | 15% | 15% |
| Solar modulesUSMCA-qualifying goods: 0% today, 15% after. | 8541.43.00 | Mexico | Free | 0% | 10% | 0% | 10% | 15% | 25% |
| Solar modules | 8541.43.00 | Germany | Free | 0% | 10% | 0% | 10% | 15% | 25% |
| Solar modules | 8541.43.00 | Japan | Free | 0% | 12.5% | 0% | 12.5% | 15% | 27.5% |
| Solar modules | 8541.43.00 | United Kingdom | Free | 0% | 10% | 0% | 10% | 10% | 20% |
| Solar cells | 8541.42.00 | China | Free | 50% | 12.5% | 0% | 62.5% | 15% | 77.5% |
| Solar cells | 8541.42.00 | Korea | Free | 0% | 12.5% | 0% | 12.5% | 15% | 27.5% |
| Silicon wafers and ingots | 3818.00.00 | China | Free | 50% | Exempt | 0% | 50% | 15% | 65% |
| Polysilicon | 2804.61.00 | Germany | Free | 0% | Exempt | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Source: Zentria Flow tariff engine (HTSUS and the Chapter 99 notes). Checked 14 November 2026 UTC. Percent of customs value for goods entered without a trade-agreement claim; excludes MPF, HMF and any anti-dumping or countervailing duty. The minimum import price is not in any total. Each HTS code opens in the checker.
What changes on 4 December 2026
A new Section 232 duty of 15% starts on solar modules, solar cells and silicon wafers and ingots, with a minimum import price on each and on polysilicon. Solar modules (8541.43), solar cells (8541.42), silicon wafers and ingots (3818.00, five statistical lines) and polysilicon (2804.61, minimum import price only). Minimum import prices: solar modules $0.38 per watt; solar cells $0.22 per watt; silicon wafers and ingots $100 per kg; polysilicon $21 per kg.
The four product groups and what each one gets:
- HTS 8541.43, solar modules: 15% Section 232 duty and a minimum import price of $0.38 per watt.
- HTS 8541.42, solar cells: 15% Section 232 duty and a minimum import price of $0.22 per watt.
- HTS 3818.00, silicon wafers and ingots: 15% Section 232 duty and a minimum import price of $100 per kg.
- HTS 2804.61, polysilicon: a minimum import price of $21 per kg; no percentage duty.
Solar cells from China (8541.42.00) move the same way as modules, 62.5% to 77.5%, and cells from Korea go from 12.5% to 27.5%. Chinese silicon wafers (3818.00.00) go from 50% to 65%: wafers are exempt from the forced-labor tariff, so only the 50% Section 301 duty and the new Section 232 duty apply. Polysilicon from Germany (2804.61.00) stays at 0% in percentage terms, because polysilicon gets the minimum import price alone.
The rate that applies is the one in force when the goods are entered for consumption, not when they were ordered or shipped. Cargo on the water in late November that is entered on or after 4 December pays the new duty.
Does it stack with Section 301, the forced-labor tariff and AD/CVD?
Yes, with all of them. This is the unusual part. Most Section 232 programs (metals, vehicles, wood) take the place of the forced-labor Section 301 tariff, because HTSUS chapter 99 U.S. note 52(f) exempts their goods from it. Solar goods are not on that list, so the engine charges both. Its own sentence for a solar module:
From 4 December 2026, solar modules pay an additional Section 232 duty of 15% (Proclamation 11052). The forced-labor Section 301 tariff is a separate duty and is charged on top of it where the line is not exempt: solar goods are not on that tariff's Section 232 exemption list (HTSUS ch. 99 U.S. note 52(f)). A minimum import price of $0.38 per watt starts the same day. Goods entered before that date are not affected.
- China Section 301: stays. Solar cells and modules of China pay 50% under heading 9903.91.02, and the Section 232 duty is added to it.
- Forced-labor tariff: stays. 12.5% for China and Vietnam, 10% for Malaysia and India. Laos is not one of that tariff's listed origins, so a Laotian module goes from 0% to 15%.
- The 15% partners: for the EU, Japan, Korea, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Taiwan, the Section 232 duty is the amount that brings MFN plus Section 232 to 15%. Modules are free of MFN duty, so that amount is 15%. The forced-labor tariff comes on top: Germany 10% to 25%, Japan 12.5% to 27.5%.
- United Kingdom: 10% Section 232 plus the forced-labor tariff, 10% to 20%.
- USMCA: does not remove the Section 232 duty. Mexican modules that qualify go from 0% to 15%; modules that do not qualify go from 10% to 25%.
- AD/CVD: separate and additional. See the next section.
What these numbers leave out, and what is uncertain
Anti-dumping and countervailing duties are not in any total on this page. For solar they can be larger than every other layer together, and they are set per exporter.
- AD/CVD orders the engine flags: crystalline silicon solar cells and modules from India, Indonesia and Laos, applicable 9 Nov 2026 (AD 91 FR 70862, CVD 91 FR 70843), on lines 8541.42.0010 and 8541.43.0010. The published cash deposits are: India, all-others anti-dumping 107.17% and all-others countervailing 126.09%, about 233% combined; Indonesia, all-others anti-dumping 94.36% and all-others countervailing 73.2%, about 168% combined; Laos, Laos-wide anti-dumping 65.36% and all-others countervailing 82.03%, about 147% combined. The engine shows these as a notice and never adds them. An Indian crystalline silicon module (8541.43.00.10) therefore shows 10% today and 25% from 4 December, before any deposit.
- AD/CVD orders the engine does not hold: older orders on solar cells and modules, including those on China, Taiwan, Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. The engine shows no notice and has no rates for them, so the 27.5% for Vietnam and 25% for Malaysia above are the duty before any AD/CVD deposit. Check the orders and your exporter's own rate with your customs broker.
- The minimum import price: whether a specific duty is charged depends on the US resale price and a certification, not on the HTS code. The engine states the minimum and adds nothing for it.
- Wafers at 8 digits: under 3818.00.00 the duty covers statistical lines 0020, 0040, 0045, 0050 and 0091 only. The engine charges the 8-digit code and leaves the other statistical lines out when you enter all 10 digits.
- The printed tariff schedule: the HTSUS revision in force when we checked (Revision 23) did not yet print the new U.S. note 42 or its headings. The engine follows the proclamation's text and should be re-read against the revision that carries the note.
- The forced-labor exemption list: the stacking above rests on solar headings being absent from U.S. note 52(f). If USTR amends that note to add them, the forced-labor tariff would no longer be charged on these goods and every total above would fall by that layer.
- Fees: the merchandise processing fee and harbor maintenance fee are extra.
What the date costs on a $100,000 shipment of modules
Duty on a customs value of $100,000 of solar modules (8541.43.00), before fees, AD/CVD and the minimum import price:
| Origin | Entered by 3 Dec 2026 | Entered from 4 Dec 2026 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | $62,500 | $77,500 | +$15,000 |
| Vietnam | $12,500 | $27,500 | +$15,000 |
| Malaysia | $10,000 | $25,000 | +$15,000 |
| Germany | $10,000 | $25,000 | +$15,000 |
| United Kingdom | $10,000 | $20,000 | +$10,000 |
To see your own line, open the checker with 8541.43.00 from China or the same check dated 4 December 2026, and change the code and origin.
Legal reference
Section 232 solar: Proclamation 11052 (Proclamation 11052 of 6 August 2026, 91 FR 51975), which adds U.S. note 42 and headings 9903.45.30 to 9903.45.36 to HTSUS chapter 99. The clause on the 15% partners is clause 5(b); the Section 232 exemption list of the forced-labor tariff is HTSUS chapter 99 U.S. note 52(f). AD/CVD orders: 91 FR 70862 and 91 FR 70843.
This page explains published rules and our engine's reading of them. It is an estimate for planning, not a customs ruling. The same event is on the US tariff changes calendar, and Solar's 4 December tariff step covers goods in transit.
Section 232 solar tariff: questions
What is the Section 232 tariff on solar panels from 4 December 2026?
A new Section 232 duty of 15% on solar modules (HTS 8541.43), solar cells (8541.42) and silicon wafers and ingots (3818.00), from every origin, starting 4 December 2026. Goods of the United Kingdom pay 10%. Until that date these goods pay 0% under Section 232. It is added to the duties already charged, so a solar module from China goes from 62.5% to 77.5% and one from Vietnam from 12.5% to 27.5%. Engine figures, checked 14 November 2026 UTC.
Does the solar Section 232 duty stack with Section 301 and the forced-labor tariff?
Yes. For a Chinese module the engine adds all three: 50% China Section 301, the 12.5% forced-labor Section 301 tariff and the 15% Section 232 duty, 77.5% in total. Most Section 232 goods are exempt from the forced-labor tariff, but solar goods are not on that tariff's Section 232 exemption list (HTSUS chapter 99, U.S. note 52(f)), so they pay both.
Is the solar tariff 15% all-in for the EU, Japan and Korea?
No. For the EU, Japan, Korea, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Taiwan, the normal (MFN) duty and the Section 232 duty together come to 15% (Proclamation 11052, clause 5(b)). That 15% is not the total: the forced-labor tariff is a separate duty on top. A German module goes from 10% to 25% and a Japanese one from 12.5% to 27.5%.
What are the solar minimum import prices?
From the same day: $0.38 per watt for solar modules, $0.22 per watt for solar cells, $100 per kg for silicon wafers and ingots and $21 per kg for polysilicon. Without a certified US resale at or above the minimum, a specific duty equal to that price is charged. That depends on the sale, not the HTS code, so the engine describes it and never adds it to a total. Polysilicon (2804.61) gets the minimum import price only, with no percentage duty.
Are anti-dumping and countervailing duties included in these totals?
No. AD/CVD cash deposits are set per exporter and are never in a Zentria Flow total. The engine shows a notice for the orders on crystalline silicon solar cells and modules from India, Indonesia and Laos (applicable 9 Nov 2026; AD 91 FR 70862, CVD 91 FR 70843), where the all-others deposits are about 233%, 168% and 147% combined. Older orders, such as those on cells and modules from China, Taiwan, Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, are not in the engine at all.
Does USMCA exempt solar modules from Mexico or Canada?
Not from the Section 232 duty. For Mexican modules that qualify under USMCA the engine's total goes from 0% to 15% on 4 December 2026: the Section 232 duty still applies, the forced-labor tariff does not. Modules that do not qualify go from 10% to 25%.
Price your own solar line before 4 December
Enter an HTS code and origin to see every duty layer today and on 4 December 2026. With a list of products, the bulk tariff check prices them in one run. A product on the Watchlist is re-priced when its tariff changes, and its owner gets an email with the old and the new cost. 3 calculations a day free as a guest, 10 with a free account.
Related: Section 232 wood furniture tariff from 1 January 2027, China tariffs, forced-labor tariff checker, anti-dumping duties guide. GET /api/public-tools/tariff-check returns the same layers.