Manufacturing in Bangladesh for US brands
The US is the most complicated destination to cost accurately right now, and the one where the gap between a factory quote and a landed cost is widest. Duty is charged on the HS classification of your specific product, a reciprocal tariff sits on top of that, and the legal basis for the reciprocal layer was itself disrupted by a mid-2026 Supreme Court ruling. Here is what a US buyer actually needs to plan around.
MFN duty by HS code, plus a reciprocal tariff layer that is currently in flux
Standard US apparel duties (the Most-Favored-Nation base rate) commonly run from roughly 16% to 32% depending on the exact HS classification — a basic cotton knit tee has historically sat near 16.5% under its own heading. A separate reciprocal tariff applies by country of origin; Bangladesh's settled at 19% under the February 2026 bilateral framework, down from 37% set in April 2025. Whether and how these two layers stack for your specific product is exactly what a licensed customs broker confirms — do not estimate it from a general guide, including this one.
19% (Feb 2026 framework, down from 37%)
~16–32%, varies entirely by HS code
Capped volume for apparel made with US cotton
Required — EIN plus customs bond
What the United States expects on top of the garment.
FTC labelling
Federal law requires fibre content, country of origin, and the identity of the manufacturer or the business responsible for marketing. The FTC's Care Labeling Rule separately requires a washing or dry-cleaning instruction — one is enough if the garment can take either.
"Made in USA" is a trap worth knowing
A garment sewn in the US from imported fabric cannot say "Made in USA". It must read "Made in the USA of Imported Materials". Irrelevant to goods made here, but it catches brands who blend sourcing.
CPSC safety standards
Enforced separately from the FTC's labelling rules, and covering flammability. Children's wear carries additional testing obligations in most markets, the US included.
The United States importer checklist.
- Confirm the exact HS code for your product before estimating anything — it moves landed cost more than any other single variable.
- Register as Importer of Record with an EIN, and arrange a customs bond.
- Ask us whether your programme can be structured to use US-produced cotton and qualify for the capped zero-tariff route.
- Budget landed cost at roughly 25–40% above FOB until a real freight quote and duty rate replace the estimate.
- Engage a licensed customs broker before you commit to retail pricing, not after.
What United States buyers ask.
Is there really a zero-tariff route for Bangladesh apparel into the US?
Within a cap, yes. The February 2026 US–Bangladesh framework allows apparel and textile goods made with US-produced cotton or man-made fibre to enter at 0% — but the eligible volume is capped and tied to how much US-origin cotton Bangladesh imports, with the exact cap left to follow-up negotiation. It is not a blanket zero rate on all Bangladeshi apparel.
Why can't you just quote me a landed cost?
Because the duty depends on your product's HS classification, which depends on its exact construction and fibre content. We can quote FOB precisely and tell you what drives the rest — a customs broker gives you the authoritative duty number.
How stable are these tariff rates?
Not very. A mid-2026 Supreme Court ruling upended the legal basis for the reciprocal tariffs and policy is shifting toward a Section 122 framework still being finalised. Treat any published rate, including ours, as provisional and verify at booking.
Related reading
Costing a programme for the United States?
Send a reference and a target quantity — we'll return costing, MOQ and lead-time the same day, and flag what lands on top of FOB in your market.