Tariff Chart for Optics and Our Approach

The legal ground under US tariffs shifted twice in 2026. The Supreme Court struck down the IEEPA layers in February, a 150-day stopgap replaced them, and that stopgap expired on July 24. This page shows every layer we have paid since 2018, what ended, and what you pay now.

We would rather show you the arithmetic than fold it into the base price and say nothing.

This is for reference only and not legal advice. Please contact your broker and trade compliance expert for more details.

Updated July 24, 2026 Rates shown for China-origin optical components entering the US

Stacked rate in force today

37.5%

The 2018 Section 301 China duty plus the new Section 301 forced labor action.

Announced 2025 peak

180%

Never collected at that rate. The retaliatory layer was paused before it took effect.

IEEPA layers ruled unlawful

Feb 20, 2026

The Supreme Court held that IEEPA gives the President no power to impose tariffs.

Webstore price outside the US

Unchanged

Duty drawback and in-bond movement keep international orders off the US tariff line.

Preisliste für optische Komponenten und Linsen

A $100 item from China, so the math stays legible. Each row is one measure, in the order it took effect. The stacked column is the total rate in force while that measure was live, which is why it resets after February 2026: the four IEEPA layers ended together on the day they were ruled unlawful.

Tariff layers applied to China-origin optics, 2018 to 2026, with effective dates, end dates, and cost on a $100 item before and after duty drawback.
Tarif	Rate	Gestapelt	Gültig	Ended	Cost of $100 item	Nachteil?	After drawback
Section 301Trade Act of 1974, China action	25%	25%	6. Juli 2018	In force	$125.00	Ja	$102.50
IEEPA 1Fentanyl order	10%	35%	4. Februar 2025	Feb 20, 2026Ruled unlawful	$135.00	Nein	$112.50
IEEPA 2Fentanyl increase	10%	45%	3. März 2025	Feb 20, 2026Ruled unlawful	$145.00	Nein	$122.50
ReciprocalIEEPA	10%	55%	5. April 2025	Feb 20, 2026Ruled unlawful	$155.00	Ja	$123.50
RetaliatoryIEEPA	125%Paused	180%	April 9, 2025Paused May 14, 2025	Feb 20, 2026Ruled unlawful	$280.00	Ja	$136.00
Section 122Trade Act of 1974, balance-of-payments surcharge	10%	35%	Feb 24, 2026	July 24, 2026150-day statutory limit	$135.00	Ja	$103.50
Section 301 forced laborTrade Act of 1974, USTR action on 60 economies	12.5%	37.5%	July 24, 202612:01 a.m. EDT	In forceNo sunset date	$137.50	Ja	$103.75
Total in force today	37.5%	37.5%	July 24, 2026	Current	$137.50	Ja	$103.75

In force still collected on entries today Greyed rows no longer collected

After-drawback figures assume 90% net recovery on drawback-eligible duties. Statutory drawback is 99% of duties paid. The gap covers filing, brokerage, and the entries we cannot match to an export, which is the reason international orders still cost us money and the reason we ask for full lead-time.
The two fentanyl IEEPA orders barred drawback outright, so those layers hit at full value. That is why the after-drawback column climbs fastest through 2025.
The 125% retaliatory layer was announced and then paused before collection. It is shown because it set the announced ceiling, not because anyone paid it.
The 12.5% forced labor duty stacks on top of the 2018 Section 301 China duty. Section 301 duties are drawback-eligible under standard rules. CBP has not yet published drawback guidance specific to this action, so treat that column as our working assumption rather than settled practice.
Rates apply to China-origin goods. Optics we ship from other origins carry different rates under the same USTR action, either 10% or 12.5% depending on the economy.

What Changed in 2026

Three dates account for the whole reset. If you priced a project against our 2025 chart, these are the ones that moved your number.

February 20, 2026: The Supreme Court Struck Down the IEEPA Tariffs

In a 6-3 decision the Court held that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not give the President authority to impose tariffs, and that the taxing power sits with Congress. All four IEEPA layers came off: both fentanyl orders, the reciprocal duty, and the paused retaliatory duty. The ruling left Section 232, Section 122, and Section 301 untouched, which is why our 2018 China duty survived.

February 24, 2026: Section 122 Filled the Gap for 150 Days

Four days after the ruling, a 10% surcharge on nearly all imports took effect under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974. That statute caps the rate at 15% and the duration at 150 days, and only Congress can extend it. The Court of International Trade found on May 7, 2026 that the action exceeded the statute, but the appeal outran the clock. Day 150 was July 24, 2026.

July 24, 2026: A 12.5% Section 301 Forced Labor Duty Replaced It

USTR announced the action on July 23 and it took effect at 12:01 a.m. EDT the next morning, with no gap. It covers 60 economies and roughly 99% of US imports. Seventeen economies with forced labor import prohibitions or commitments pay 10%. The EU, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, and Switzerland fall in a middle band on non-exempted goods. China and 42 others pay 12.5%. This one carries no sunset date, so it is the layer to plan around rather than wait out.

For International Customers and Supply Chains: We Have It Covered

If you are outside the US, or you have us ship to a contract manufacturer outside the US, our intent is to keep your price unaffected by US trade policy when you give us sufficient lead-time.

Webstore

Webstore Orders Delivered Outside the US

Duty drawback is a statutory refund program under 19 U.S.C. 1313, administered by CBP. It returns most of the duty we paid on goods that are later exported. We file it the ordinary way, and it is how we hold webstore prices for international customers.

Recovery is never complete, and the filing costs are real. That is why we cannot offer volume discounts on online purchases, and why volume needs to go through a PO with correct lead-time.

Volume

Volume Orders Delivered Outside the US

Volume orders bound for other countries move under a standard CBP in-bond entry. The goods stay in customs custody and are exported without being entered for US consumption, so no US import duty is owed on them. This is ordinary customs practice, filed and tracked with CBP like any other entry.

It needs full lead-time. We cannot partial-ship an in-bond volume order out of US domestic inventory without additional charges, because that inventory has already been entered and duty-paid.

For US Customers: This Is a Moving Target and We Adjust Accordingly

Two legal resets in five months tells you how much confidence to place in any single rate. Here is how we price against that.

Webstore

Webstore Orders Delivered Inside the US

Our webstore carries a variable surcharge line item called Tariffs, so the impact is visible instead of buried in the base price. That line item sits well below the real tariff rate and only partially offsets our cost. We are absorbing the rest.

The point of showing it as a line item is that it can come back down. When rates fall, so does the line.

Volume

Volume Orders Delivered Inside the US

Volume prices are subject to the rates in force at the expected delivery date, not the quote date. For goods entering the US after a rate change, we add a quote line to partially offset the cost. If rates drop before the lead-time closes, that line gets reduced, removed, or never billed.

We can also ship direct to a contract manufacturer outside the US using the in-bond route described above.

On Refunds for the Tariffs We Already Paid

The Supreme Court ruled the IEEPA tariffs unlawful but left the refund mechanics to the Court of International Trade, which ordered CBP to refund the importer of record. CBP built a dedicated refund path called CAPE, ran phase one from April 20, 2026, and has been processing refunds since May. The government appealed part of that order on June 2, 2026, and refunds on certain already-liquidated entries are still contested.

Our position has not changed since we first wrote it. We paid roughly four times the tariff we collected from customers. If we recover more than half of it, we will refund every tariff line item we billed.

Objektivproduktion in den USA

The durable answer to a tariff on China-origin optics is optics that do not originate in China.

We assemble lenses with country of origin US on the first fully automated lens assembly machine outside Asia. Using that line takes lead-time, and often NRE for re-engineering, because a design drawn for one assembly process rarely drops into another unchanged. We also support full custom optical designs both designed and manufactured in the US.

Ask About US Domestic Lens Manufacturing Browse Machine Vision Lenses

Automated M12 lens assembly line used for country-of-origin US lens production at Commonlands — Automated M12 lens assembly. Country of origin US, which removes the China-origin tariff layers entirely.

Häufig gestellte Fragen

What tariff rate applies to Commonlands optics today?

China-origin optical components carry 37.5% as of July 24, 2026. That is the 25% Section 301 China duty from 2018 plus the 12.5% Section 301 forced labor duty that took effect on July 24, 2026. Goods from other origins carry either 10% or 12.5% under the same USTR action, depending on the economy.

When were the IEEPA, reciprocal, and retaliatory tariffs ruled illegal?

February 20, 2026. The Supreme Court held 6-3 that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not authorize tariffs, which ended both fentanyl orders, the reciprocal duty, and the paused 125% retaliatory duty. Section 232, Section 122, and Section 301 duties were not affected by the ruling.

What happened to the Section 122 surcharge?

It expired on July 24, 2026 at day 150, the statutory maximum. Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 caps a balance-of-payments surcharge at 15% and 150 days, and extension requires an Act of Congress. The 10% surcharge ran from February 24, 2026 until it lapsed by operation of law.

Does the new forced labor duty stack on the existing China Section 301 tariff?

Yes. Goods made in China can be subject to both the 2018 Section 301 China duty and the new forced labor action, which is how the stacked rate reaches 37.5%. The new duty does not stack on Section 232 tariffs, and exemptions exist for raw materials and goods not available domestically at reasonable prices.

Will international customers see a price increase?

Not on webstore orders, provided you give us sufficient lead-time. Duty drawback under 19 U.S.C. 1313 refunds most of what we pay on goods that are later exported, and volume orders move under a CBP in-bond entry, exported without being entered for US consumption. Recovery costs are real, which is why volume pricing runs through a PO rather than the webstore.

Will Commonlands refund the tariff line items already billed?

If we recover more than half of what we paid, yes, on every tariff line item we billed. CBP is processing IEEPA refunds through its CAPE system, but the government appealed part of the refund order on June 2, 2026 and refunds on certain already-liquidated entries remain contested. Customs refunds are slow even when uncontested.

Need a Landed Cost Before You Commit?

Send us the destination, the quantity, and the date you need parts on the dock. We will quote against the rates in force at delivery and tell you where the in-bond or US-origin route saves you money.

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