HS Code for Stainless Steel Pipe: 7306.40 and the ADCVD Map

Stainless steel pipe is one of the most heavily duty-stacked commodities in US imports. The combination of Section 232 (50 percent), Section 301 (25 percent for Chinese origin), Section 122 (10 percent), plus multiple active ADCVD orders frequently puts the landed cost above 150 percent of FOB value on Chinese-origin pipe.

This guide covers the 7306 vs 7304 split (welded vs seamless), the active ADCVD orders by country, the anti-circumvention landscape, and worked tariff math for the major lanes.

Welded vs seamless

HTS 7306.40 (welded stainless circular): Made by rolling stainless steel coil into a tube shape and welding the seam. Lower cost, lower pressure rating. Used for low-pressure piping, sanitary tubes, architectural railings, automotive exhaust, structural applications.

HTS 7304.41 / 7304.49 (seamless stainless circular): Made by piercing a heated stainless steel billet and rolling over a mandrel. Higher cost, higher pressure rating, no weld seam. Used for high-pressure process piping, hydraulic lines, boiler tubes, oil and gas applications, chemical and pharma equipment.

The classification difference matters because:

• Different ADCVD orders cover welded vs seamless.
• MFN rates differ (welded 4.3 percent, seamless 0 to 5 percent depending on grade).
• The Section 232 applies to both at the same 50 percent.

Worked example: Chinese welded stainless pipe

200,000 USD of HTS 7306.40.50 welded stainless pipe (304 grade) from a Chinese mill. Subject to AD A-570-029 country-wide rate 76.64 percent.

Effective rate 156 percent. Chinese welded stainless pipe is non-economic for almost any US application.

Worked example: Korean welded stainless pipe

200,000 USD of HTS 7306.40.50 from a Korean mill. Producer-specific AD rate (assume 0 percent for a clean Korean producer).

Effective rate 50.4 percent. Korean stainless pipe pays only Section 232 if the producer has cleared AD. Section 122 is suppressed by Section 232 on the same value layer. The 50 percent 232 layer is the binding constraint regardless of origin.

Worked example: Indian seamless stainless pipe

300,000 USD of HTS 7304.41 seamless stainless pipe from JINDAL India.

Effective rate 54.3 percent. Indian seamless stainless is competitive with Korean and slightly below Vietnamese on duty stack basis.

Worked example: Mexican USMCA-qualifying stainless pipe

100,000 USD of HTS 7306.40.50 from Mexichem Mexico, USMCA-qualifying with Mexican-melt 304 stainless coil.

Effective rate 0.47 percent. The cheapest landed cost path for US stainless pipe in 2026.

Active ADCVD orders by origin

Producer-specific rates within each order range from 0 percent (clean producers) to country-wide ceiling. Always check producer specifically.

Anti-circumvention findings

The Vietnam circumvention finding on Chinese-substrate stainless pipe has been active since 2019. The CIT December 2025 partial vacatur leaves cash deposit obligations in place pending remand. Importers using Vietnamese suppliers must document the substrate origin (heat number, mill certificate identifying the country where the stainless coil was rolled and melted).

Without substrate documentation, CBP applies the Chinese AD rate to the Vietnamese-processed pipe by default.

Documentation that supports the classification and origin

• Material specification (304, 316, 304L, 316L grade, etc).
• Mill test report (MTR) with heat number, chemistry, mechanical properties.
• Melt-and-pour certificate identifying:
  • Country of melt (steel melting facility, EAF or BOF route).
  • Country of pour (where the heat was poured into ingot or slab).
• For welded pipe, the coil source (mill, country of melt for the coil).
• Producer ADCVD declaration if importing from a country with an active order.

Run your stainless pipe entry now

The LandedFees calculator handles 7306.40 and 7304.41 with the full duty stack: Section 232 50 percent, Section 301 lists, Section 122 by country, the active ADCVD orders by producer, the anti-circumvention findings against Vietnam-processed Chinese-substrate pipe, and the USMCA / TRQ logic.

Calculate a stainless pipe entry

Section 122 status as of June 20 2026

The May 7 2026 Court of International Trade ruling in Oregon v. United States (consolidated with Burlap and Barrel v. United States) struck down the Section 122 proclamation. The Federal Circuit issued an administrative stay on May 12 2026, so CBP is still collecting the duty pending appeal. Importers paying now should preserve protest rights and refund claims in case the government loses on the merits. The underlying Section 122 authority sunsets July 24 2026 under the statutory 150-day ceiling, regardless of the appeal outcome, unless Congress extends or a fresh proclamation restarts the clock.

Citations

• USITC Harmonized Tariff Schedule heading 7306: https://hts.usitc.gov/?query=7306
• USITC Harmonized Tariff Schedule heading 7304: https://hts.usitc.gov/?query=7304
• Commerce ADCVD orders: https://access.trade.gov
• Section 232 steel proclamation June 2025: Federal Register
• USMCA Annex 4-B chapter 73 rule of origin
• CIT December 2025 ruling on Vietnam stainless anti-circumvention (pending docket reference)