Shipping Fabric From Thailand to the USA: Duty by Fibre, the 12.5 Percent Tariff and What the Invoice Must Say

How much duty does fabric from Thailand pay in the USA?

Fabric from Thailand pays the normal US rate for its fibre plus a 12.5 percent tariff on goods of Thailand. Before the extra tariff, woven silk is Free, woven cotton runs from 3 to 14.7 percent, woven polyester from 13.6 to 14.9 percent and knits from 10 to 12.3 percent.

Source: Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, 2026 Revision 20, effective 28 September 2026, General column. Examples only: a fabric is classified from its construction, not from its shop name.

Thailand has no preferential rate to lower these figures, because the US preference programme for developing countries has lapsed. The schedule itself says so: "As of the date of preparation of this edition, Congress has not renewed the effectiveness of the GSP program."

The yarn number is the trap in cotton. The same printed cotton weighing over 100 g/m2 can sit at 6 percent with a thicker yarn or at 12.5 percent with a fine one, so the seller's description of "cotton poplin" says nothing until the yarn number is on the invoice. On 1,000 dollars of fabric, that is 125 dollars of duty for woven silk, 185 dollars for a quilting-weight cotton print and 274 dollars for dyed polyester satin.

Handwoven Thai cotton has its own lines at 3 percent, but only with paperwork from Thailand. The schedule defines "certified hand-loomed fabrics" as fabrics made on a hand loom by a cottage industry "which prior to exportation have been certified by an official of a government agency of the country where the fabrics were produced to have been so made". Without that certificate, issued before the box leaves, the same cloth pays the ordinary cotton rate.

What is the extra tariff on goods of Thailand, and where did the 19 percent go?

The extra tariff on goods of Thailand is 12.5 percent, collected since 24 July 2026 under a US trade action on forced labour. The 19 percent reciprocal tariff of August 2025 ended in February 2026, after the US Supreme Court ruled that the law behind it did not allow tariffs.

The Supreme Court's holding is one line:

Held: IEEPA does not authorize the President to impose tariffs.

Source: Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump, Supreme Court of the United States, 20 February 2026.

US Customs stopped collecting the 19 percent on goods entered from 24 February 2026. A temporary 10 percent surcharge on every country followed for 150 days and expired at the close of 23 July 2026. The next day the new rate for Thailand took effect:

the Trade Representative has determined to impose 12.5 percent tariffs on products of Thailand, except as provided in Annex I and Annex II, Part A, of this Notice.

Source: Notice of Actions in Section 301 Investigations, Office of the United States Trade Representative, Federal Register, 28 July 2026.

The tariff schedule confirms that the 12.5 percent sits on top of the normal rate, not in place of it: the line for products of Thailand reads "The duty provided in the applicable subheading + 12.5%". Trade rules have changed three times in a year, so the rate that applies is always the rate on the date of entry.

Is cloth bought in a Bangkok market always "product of Thailand"?

No. The origin of a fabric is the country where it was woven or knitted, not where it was bought. A roll sold in Pratunam or Phahurat but woven in China or India keeps that origin, and pays that country's extra tariff instead of Thailand's.

The US rule of origin for textiles ties the answer to the fabric-making process, defined as:

A fabric-making process is any manufacturing operation that begins with polymers, fibers, filaments (including strips), yarns, twine, cordage, rope, or fabric strips and results in a textile fabric.

Source: 19 CFR 102.21, Electronic Code of Federal Regulations.

Dyeing alone does not move the origin. For cotton woven elsewhere and finished in Thailand, the regulation requires both dyeing and printing plus at least two further finishing operations before Thailand becomes the origin. A buyer ordering from a market stall should ask where the cloth was woven, because the invoice and the entry need the name of the mill that formed the fabric, not the shop that resold it.

What must the invoice say about a roll of fabric?

The commercial invoice for fabric must carry the technical facts US Customs needs to pick the tariff line. For cotton that means the exact width, the fibre percentages, whether it is bleached, dyed or printed, the threads per square centimetre, the weight per square metre and the average yarn number.

The cotton list in the regulation ends with the two figures most sellers do not know:

(7) Exact weight per square meter in grams; (8) Average yarn number

Source: 19 CFR 141.89, Additional information for certain classes of merchandise, eCFR.

Woven polyester and other man-made fabrics have a parallel list: exact width, trade name, finish, the percentage of each fibre, and whether the fibre is artificial or synthetic, filament or staple. A line such as "fabric, 50 metres" gives Customs nothing to classify, and the box waits while it asks. The value on the invoice is the price paid for the fabric. US duty is charged on that price without the international freight, and the regulation's own worked example puts it plainly:

Because the transaction value excludes C.I.F. charges, the $150 ocean freight and insurance charge is excluded.

Source: 19 CFR 152.103, Transaction value, eCFR.

General invoice rules are in the guide on customs declarations and commercial invoices from Thailand.

Does fabric sold by the yard need a label or a flammability test?

It depends on the buyer. A reseller selling fabric by the yard to US consumers needs fibre content on each bolt or roll and care information at its end. A quilter or garment maker buying for their own production can receive the fibre content on the invoice instead.

The Federal Trade Commission's textile rules cover "All fibers, yarns and fabrics", and its guidance for shops is short:

Fabric cut from bolts or rolls in stores doesn't need a label if the bolt or roll is labeled properly.

Source: Threading Your Way Through the Labeling Requirements Under the Textile and Wool Acts, Federal Trade Commission.

Care information is a separate rule for fabric sold to people who sew their own clothes:

(a) Manufacturers and importers of certain piece goods must provide care information clearly and conspicuously on the end of each bolt or roll.

Source: 16 CFR 423.7, Care Labeling Rule, eCFR.

The US flammability standard for clothing textiles applies to fabric "in a form or state ready for use in an article of wearing apparel", and several fabrics are exempt from testing: plain surface fabrics of 2.6 ounces per square yard or more, and any fabric made entirely of acrylic, modacrylic, nylon, olefin, polyester or wool. Light silk is not on the exempt fibre list, so a fine silk chiffon for dresses is the case to check.

Does Thai silk need the Peacock emblem to ship?

No. The Peacock emblem is a voluntary Thai certification mark that proves silk was made in Thailand to a set standard. US Customs classifies silk by fibre content and construction, not by emblem, and nothing on the certifying department's page makes the mark a condition of sale or export.

The mark is issued by the Queen Sirikit Department of Sericulture, under Thailand's Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, in four colours:

Source: Certification mark for Thai silk products, Royal Peacock, Queen Sirikit Department of Sericulture (Thai-language page; English summary of the criteria).

All four colours require the silk to be produced in Thailand, and each certificate is valid for 3 years. For a US buyer the emblem answers the question the tariff line does not: whether "Thai silk" is Thai. The same marketplaces that sell Thai silk also carry fabric labelled "Thai silk" that ships from mills outside Thailand, and the Green blend still needs its other fibres named on the US fibre label.

How Dragon Courier ships fabric to the USA

Dragon Courier runs its own service to the USA and clears customs itself, then a US carrier delivers the last leg. Prices are duty and tax inclusive: the duty for the fabric's tariff line and the 12.5 percent are worked into the quote before the box leaves Thailand, so the buyer receives the rolls without a customs bill.

Thai Baht, duty and tax included, general price list of 3 August 2026. Rolls are charged on actual weight or on dimensions, whichever is greater. The 800 dollar duty-free allowance no longer applies to courier parcels, as explained in the guide on shipping costs from Thailand to the USA. Finished clothing follows different rules, covered in the guide on shipping garments from Thailand to the USA.

About Dragon Courier

Dragon Courier is a Bangkok courier, family owned, with more than 30 years in logistics in Thailand and more than 20,000 shipments a month to over 200 destinations. For a quote, the fibre and type of fabric, the number of rolls or metres, the weight and the receiver's address are enough.

Contacts and drop-off

The fabric type, the weight and where it is going are enough to get a quote. Office +66 2656 9019, Justin is on LINE and WhatsApp at +66 6-5937-0812, or info@dragoncourier.com. Drop-off runs until 17:00, Monday to Saturday, at the Bangkok office on Sukhumvit Soi 4 (217/3 Crystal Garden Building, 3rd floor, Klongtoey 10110) or the Chiang Mai office on Viangbua Road, and a pickup can be arranged for a date and time that suits. Was the cloth in the box woven in Thailand, or only bought there?