Section 301 Exclusions Expire November 9, 2026: Why the Entry Date Decides, and the Maritime Suspension

By Bernardo Campelo, Forbes Business Council E-Commerce Leader, Amazon SPN Certified provider, Amazon SP-API authorized partner, and Founder of PrepVia.

Unless USTR extends them again, the 178 product exclusions from the 2018 Section 301 tariffs on Chinese goods, Lists 1 to 4A, stop covering new entries on the night of November 9, 2026. USTR's notice of December 1, 2025 extends them "through 11:59 p.m. eastern daylight time on November 9, 2026," and the tariff schedule in force says "through November 9, 2026." As of October 28, 2026, no further extension had been published, and none was on the Federal Register's public inspection list.

The same night, the one-year suspension of a separate Section 301 action, on China's maritime, logistics and shipbuilding sectors, is set to end. In a notice published October 26, USTR proposed extending it through January 9, 2027. Those are the two China dates left on November 9 for an importer. A third China date, the suspension of the heightened reciprocal tariff until 12:01 a.m. on November 10, stopped mattering in February, when the Supreme Court held that IEEPA does not authorize tariffs.

Most of the 178 exclusions cover industrial and medical inputs. A handful cover products that brands selling on Amazon import, such as certain air purifiers, backpacks, tempered-glass screen protectors and bicycle helmets. For those, the duty on a container depends on when it is entered with CBP, not when it sailed.

Every rule below was checked on October 28, 2026 against primary sources: USTR, the Federal Register and its public inspection list, CBP, the eCFR and the tariff schedule. Each notice and rule is linked in the text. This is general information, not customs advice: for classification and scope, talk to your licensed customs broker.

What Runs Out on November 9

A note on the clock. Daylight saving time ends on November 1, 2026, so "eastern daylight time" on November 9 is the notice's wording, not the time on the wall, and the body of the same notice says USTR extended the exclusions "until November 10, 2026." When USTR used the same wording for November 29, 2025, CBP's CSMS # 66077997 restated it as "before 11:59 p.m. eastern time." Read literally, though, 11:59 p.m. eastern daylight time is 10:59 p.m. on the wall clock, so do not count on the last hour, and ask your broker how its entries will be timed against it.

The 178 Exclusions and What They Cover

The 178 are two groups. 164 product-specific exclusions are claimed under heading 9903.88.69 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTSUS), and 14 exclusions for certain solar manufacturing equipment are claimed under heading 9903.88.70. The 164 are what remained after USTR extended part of a larger group of 429 in May 2024; the 14 solar exclusions date from September 2024. In 2026, USTR's only changes were conforming amendments, in September and October, that updated tariff numbers for five of them, "To maintain the pre-existing product coverage."

An exclusion is narrow. USTR's notice says the scope of each one "is governed by the scope of the ten-digit Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) statistical reporting numbers and product descriptions" in the tariff schedule's notes. A product has to match both the written description and the ten-digit number; the product name alone is not enough. CBP's Section 301 FAQ says importers can ask Import Specialists at a Center for Excellence and Expertise whether goods fall under an exclusion, or seek a binding ruling.

These are some of the consumer products in the list, paraphrased from the descriptions in the current tariff schedule, chapter 99. Each one has limits of size, weight, materials or features, and a product outside them is not excluded.

The duty that comes back is the one for the list the product was excluded from. In the tariff schedule, Lists 1, 2 and 3 carry the duty of the product's subheading plus 25%, and List 4A carries plus 7.5%. The 14 solar-equipment exclusions come from List 2. An exclusion removes only that Section 301 list duty; it says nothing about any other duty on the same product. That includes the separate Section 301 duty on goods of China entered since July 24, 2026, which comes from a different investigation and was never covered by these exclusions. Our breakdown of the 2026 tariff layers shows where the China exclusions sit in landed cost.

Why the Entry Date Decides

The exclusions apply to goods "entered for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption" before the deadline. Under 19 CFR 141.69, "The rates of duty applicable to merchandise shall be the rates in effect at time of entry," and 19 CFR 141.68(e) says an entry will not "be considered filed or presented, until the merchandise has arrived within the port limits with the intent to unlade." CBP's Section 301 FAQ asks whether it can grant relief when port congestion delayed an entry past a tariff increase, and answers with that same rule.

• On the water. A container that has not arrived within the port limits by the deadline cannot be entered in time, whatever its ship date.
• Filed before arrival. Under 19 CFR 141.68(a)(3), the entry can be submitted before arrival and, if the importer requests it on the entry documentation, the time of entry is the time the goods arrive within the port limits. For a vessel due around November 9, ask your broker about it.
• In-bond moves. CBP's FAQ says entries covered by an immediate transportation entry take the Section 301 rates in effect when that entry was accepted at the port of original importation. Ask your broker how that applies to an exclusion.
• Bonded warehouses. Under 19 CFR 141.69(a), goods entered for warehouse are dutiable at the rates in effect when they are withdrawn for consumption.

The date a container reaches a prep center does not change any of this. What counts is the time of entry with CBP, which depends on when the goods arrive and when your broker files the entry.

"November 9 is one night. If a container is on the water that week, your broker, your forwarder and your warehouse need the same date on the calendar."

Bernardo Campelo, Founder of PrepVia

If an Extension Comes Late

Nothing guarantees an extension, and nothing rules one out. USTR tied the current extension to the trade deal between President Trump and President Xi Jinping that the White House announced on November 1, 2025, and its notice says "The U.S. Trade Representative may continue to consider further extensions and/or additional modifications as appropriate." In 2025 it asked for public comments on the 178 from September 16 to October 16 before deciding; as of October 28, 2026, it had not opened a comment period on extending them past November 9, 2026.

The timing of past renewals is worth knowing, because it decides what an importer pays in the meantime. In each of the three renewals of 2025, USTR announced the extension between zero and three days before the old deadline, and the Federal Register notice came out after the deadline had passed, with the new period starting the day after the old one ended.

Exclusions have also reached back further. In March 2022, USTR reinstated expired exclusions back to October 12, 2021, for entries not yet liquidated or still within the protest period, and in September 2024 it granted the 14 solar exclusions effective back to January 1, 2024. That is history, not a promise: a refund exists only if a new notice reaches back to the date of your entry.

If it does, CBP has said how to claim it. Its CSMS # 69990649 of September 22, 2026 says importers "may file a Post Summary Correction (PSC) if within the PSC filing timeframe. If the entry is beyond the PSC filing timeframe, importers may protest the liquidation if within the protest filing timeframe." CBP's earlier guidance, CSMS # 42566154, sets the PSC at up to 15 days before the scheduled liquidation date, generally within 300 days of the entry summary, and the protest within 180 days after liquidation. The same September 2026 message adds that importers "shall not submit the corresponding Chapter 99 HTSUS number for the Section 301 China duties when HTSUS 9903.88.69 is submitted," so the way an entry is filed changes with the exclusion's status. Agree with your broker in advance how entries made after November 9 will be filed.

The exclusions also sit inside a larger review. On October 7, 2026, USTR confirmed that the 2018 China Section 301 actions "have not terminated and will remain in effect, subject to possible further modifications, including any modifications resulting from the statutory four-year review," and its May 2026 notice lists the exclusion notices among the modifications that review would examine. USTR said it would publish a separate notice describing the review process; as of October 28, it had not.

"The problem is that the assumption of certainty creates delay. And delay, in fast-moving environments, becomes decline."

Bernardo Campelo, in a Forbes Business Council article, March 20, 2026

Applied here: plan landed cost for both outcomes, with and without an extension, instead of waiting for the notice.

The Maritime Suspension

The maritime action is a different Section 301 investigation, and it works differently. Its April 2025 notice sets fees that the vessel operator pays when a ship calls at U.S. ports: on Chinese-operated or Chinese-owned vessels, on operators of Chinese-built vessels, charged per net ton or per container discharged, and on foreign-built vehicle carriers. Its only import duties, added in October 2025, are 100% on Chinese ship-to-shore cranes and certain cargo handling equipment.

• Who pays. USTR's April 2025 notice says "the vessel operator must pay." Whether any of it reaches an importer is a question of ocean freight pricing. When USTR suspended the action in 2025, it recorded that many commenters said a suspension "would lower shipping costs and avoid commercial disruption."
• The current suspension. USTR's November 2025 notice suspended the actions "as of 12:01 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on November 10, 2025, through 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on November 9, 2026," and during that period no party accrues liability for the fees or for the crane and equipment duties.
• The proposal. In a notice published October 26, 2026, after opening comments on October 23, USTR proposed suspending the actions "from 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time on November 10, 2026, through 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on January 9, 2027," adding that "The United States is continuing to engage with China with the goal of obtaining the elimination of the acts, policies, and practices at issue in the investigation." USTR set the comment deadline at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on October 30, 2026, in docket USTR-2026-0694 on comments.ustr.gov. It is a proposal, not a final decision.
• Last year's pace. In 2025, USTR opened comments on November 6, closed them the next day, announced the suspension on November 9 and published it in the Federal Register on November 13, three days after it took effect.

The China Dates That No Longer Apply

Two other November dates still show up in planning calendars. The suspension of the heightened reciprocal tariff on China, set by Executive Order 14358 to run until 12:01 a.m. eastern standard time on November 10, 2026, became moot when the Supreme Court decided Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump on February 20, 2026. CBP stopped collecting IEEPA duties on goods entered on or after 12:00 a.m. Eastern on February 24, 2026, according to CSMS # 67834313, and Executive Order 14389 states that it does not affect Section 301 duties. Our post on IEEPA refunds and the importer of record covers what is left of that tariff. The Commerce Department's one-year stay of the BIS "Affiliates Rule," which also ends on November 9, 2026, is an export-control rule and does not change import duties.

What to Do Before November 9

Where a Prep Center Fits

A prep center does not set the duty on a container. The time of entry does, and the broker files the entry. PrepVia receives imported freight at our Miami warehouse and routes it into Amazon FBA, and discrepancies are reported within 24 hours of arrival, with photos. If you import from China, share each container's expected entry date with us as well as with your broker, so everyone works from the same date. Our breakdown of what the customs broker, the forwarder and the 3PL each do shows where those hand-offs sit.

Frequently Asked Questions

When do the Section 301 exclusions expire?

USTR's December 1, 2025 notice extends the 178 exclusions through 11:59 p.m. eastern daylight time on November 9, 2026, as the notice writes it; read literally, that is 10:59 p.m. on the wall clock. The tariff schedule in force says "through November 9, 2026." As of October 28, 2026, USTR had published no further extension.

What duty applies if a Section 301 exclusion expires?

The regular Section 301 duty for the list the product was excluded from: an additional 25% for Lists 1, 2 and 3, including the 14 solar-equipment exclusions, and an additional 7.5% for List 4A, on top of the duty of the product's subheading. Any other duty on the product was never covered by the exclusion and stays as it is; your broker's entry shows the full total.

Does the exclusion cover goods shipped before November 9 that arrive after?

No, unless a new USTR notice covers the entry date. The exclusion applies to goods entered for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, before the deadline, and CBP does not treat an entry as filed until the goods have arrived within the port limits. The ship date does not count.

How many Section 301 exclusions are still in effect?

178 through November 9, 2026: 164 product-specific exclusions claimed under heading 9903.88.69 and 14 exclusions for certain solar manufacturing equipment claimed under heading 9903.88.70. Unless USTR extends them, none covers goods entered after the deadline.

If USTR extends the exclusions after November 9, can I get a refund?

Only if the new notice reaches back to the date of your entry. If it does, CBP's guidance is to file a Post Summary Correction while the entry is within the PSC window, or to protest after liquidation within the protest period.

What is the Section 301 maritime suspension?

USTR suspended its Section 301 action on China's maritime, logistics and shipbuilding sectors through 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on November 9, 2026. The action consists mostly of fees on vessel operators, plus 100% duties on Chinese ship-to-shore cranes and certain cargo handling equipment. In a notice published October 26, 2026, USTR proposed extending the suspension through January 9, 2027.

Do importers pay the Section 301 maritime fees?

Not directly. USTR's notices make the vessel operator or owner pay the fees, not the importer of the cargo; whether a carrier passes any of it on through ocean freight rates is a commercial question. The action's only import duties are on Chinese ship-to-shore cranes and certain cargo handling equipment.

Final Take

On November 9, 2026, two Section 301 dates on China are set to expire together: the 178 product exclusions and the suspension of the maritime fees, which USTR has proposed to extend to January 9, 2027. For an importer of an excluded product, the deadline works by entry: what is entered before the notice's 11:59 p.m. eastern daylight time, which read literally is 10:59 p.m. on the wall clock, keeps the exclusion, and what is entered later pays the list duty, unless a new USTR notice covers its entry date. Plan for both outcomes, know which containers are entered when, and keep the broker, the forwarder and the warehouse on the same date.