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, and since 24 July 2026 a further 10% tariff under Section 301 of the Trade Act sits on top of it for goods made in Bangladesh. The earlier "reciprocal" tariffs are gone — the Supreme Court ruled on 20 February 2026 that the law behind them does not authorise tariffs — but the additional layer has changed several times since April 2025 and may change again. Here is what a US buyer needs to plan around, as checked on 1 October 2026.
Normal US duty by HTS code, plus a 10% Section 301 tariff on Bangladesh goods since 24 July 2026
Bangladesh has no US duty preference, so a garment pays the general rate for its HTS code: 16.5% on a knitted cotton T-shirt (6109.10.00) and 32% on a man-made-fibre knit pullover (6110.30.30). Rates differ widely by fibre and construction, so the code is the first thing to settle. On top of that, goods of Bangladesh entered on or after 24 July 2026 pay an additional 10% under Section 301 (HTS heading 9903.05.26), so a cotton tee carries 26.5% of its customs value. The 19% reciprocal rate agreed in February 2026 no longer applies: the Supreme Court held on 20 February 2026 that the emergency-powers law behind the reciprocal tariffs does not authorise tariffs, an executive order ended them the same day, and a temporary 10% surcharge ran from 24 February to 24 July 2026. We read these rates in the USITC tariff schedule and the Federal Register on 1 October 2026 — have a licensed customs broker confirm the rate for your exact code before you price.
Duty position checked . Confirm at booking.
10% under Section 301, since 24 July 2026
16.5% cotton knit tees, 32% man-made-fibre knits — by HTS code
Announced, not yet in force (checked 1 Oct 2026)
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 needs a qualified claim such as "Made in U.S.A. of imported fabric", which is the FTC's own example. 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 your broker whether the US-cotton tariff-rate quota has been set up yet. It was announced in July 2026 to let some Bangladeshi apparel enter free of the 10% tariff, but no quota had been published in the Federal Register when we checked on 1 October 2026.
- Budget duty alone at about 26.5% of the FOB value on a cotton knit T-shirt and 42% on a man-made-fibre knit pullover, then add freight, customs fees, inspection and testing. A general 25–40% rule of thumb is too low for the US at today's rates.
- Expect duty on couriered samples too: the US$800 de minimis exemption has been suspended for all countries since 29 August 2025.
- Engage a licensed customs broker before you commit to retail pricing, not after.
Price it delivered to the United States
Put your FOB price into our landed cost calculator to add freight, duty, inspection and testing — with duty assessed on the value basis United States customs actually uses.
What United States buyers ask.
Is there really a zero-tariff route for Bangladesh apparel into the US?
Not yet. The February 2026 US–Bangladesh framework promised a mechanism for a set volume of Bangladeshi textiles and apparel, tied to how much US cotton and man-made-fibre textile input Bangladesh buys, to enter at a zero reciprocal tariff, but the reciprocal tariffs themselves ended on 20 February 2026, before any volume was fixed. The idea has carried over into the current regime: the US Trade Representative's notice of 28 July 2026 says it will set up tariff-rate quotas for Bangladesh, with an initial duration of three years, that let a volume of specific textiles and apparel — tied to Bangladesh's imports of US cotton and textile inputs — enter free of the 10% Section 301 tariff. Until those quotas are established the 10% applies, and none had been published in the Federal Register when we checked on 1 October 2026. Even when they arrive, they remove only the additional 10%, not the normal duty for your HTS code. If your programme can genuinely run on US cotton, tell us, and ask your broker where the quota stands on the day you order.
Why can't you just quote me a landed cost?
Because the honest answer depends on a number we don't control: your product's HS classification. A basic cotton knit tee, a fleece hoodie and a technical activewear piece can carry different MFN base duty rates even at similar fabric weights, and that classification is exactly what a licensed customs broker determines, not a manufacturer. What we can quote precisely is FOB — the number that's actually ours to give — and then walk you through what stacks on top: the normal duty rate for your HTS code, the additional 10% Section 301 tariff on goods of Bangladesh, and whether a US-cotton tariff-rate quota is open by the time you ship. Anyone who hands you a single all-in landed-cost number before your HS code is confirmed is guessing, and in a tariff environment this unstable, guessing is how buyers get burned on their first shipment.
How stable are these tariff rates?
Not stable, and we'd rather tell you that directly than dress up a number as settled fact. Since April 2025 the additional tariff on Bangladeshi goods has been set, renegotiated, struck down and replaced. On 20 February 2026 the Supreme Court held that the emergency-powers law used for the reciprocal tariffs does not authorise tariffs, and they were ended the same day. A temporary 10% surcharge under Section 122 of the Trade Act then applied from 24 February until 24 July 2026. Since 24 July 2026 the layer is a 10% tariff under Section 301, charged on top of the normal duty for your HTS code. That is the position we read in the US tariff schedule on 1 October 2026 — but treat any tariff number you see cited for Bangladesh apparel, ours included, as provisional and reconfirm it at booking, not at the quoting stage. Build your margin so it survives a move of several points either way.
Costing a programme for the United States?
Send a reference and a target quantity — we'll return costing, MOQ and lead-time, usually the same business day, and flag what lands on top of FOB in your market.