Safe & sure
US tariffs on Pakistani goods: where things actually stand in September 2026
The 19% trade-deal rate no longer exists. Pakistan now sits in the 10% Section 301 forced-labour tier — level with India and Bangladesh, and 2.5 points below China, Vietnam and Turkey.
Pakistan's tariff position has changed four times in fourteen months. If you are working from a 2025 briefing, it is out of date.
In April 2025 the US announced a 29% reciprocal tariff on Pakistani goods under IEEPA. On 31 July 2025 that was reduced to 19% by executive order following the US–Pakistan trade deal — at the time a better rate than India (25%), Bangladesh (20%) and Vietnam (20%).
On 20 February 2026 the Supreme Court held 6–3 that IEEPA does not authorise the President to impose tariffs, invalidating both the reciprocal tariffs and the trafficking/immigration tariffs. The 19% rate ceased to exist.
A 10% global tariff under Section 122 of the Trade Act 1974 ran from 24 February 2026 for 150 days. It expired on 24 July 2026 and was replaced the following day by Section 301 forced-labour tariffs applying to 60 economies.
Under that action Pakistan sits in Tier 1 at 10% ad valorem, additive to MFN duty. So do India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia and Sri Lanka. Vietnam, China and Turkey sit at 12.5%. Roughly 863 tariff codes are fully exempt.
What this means in practice: on a product with 16.5% MFN duty, Pakistani goods land at about 26.5% and Vietnamese goods at about 29%. Pakistan holds a 2.5-point advantage over China, Vietnam and Turkey — and no advantage over India or Bangladesh.
One important asymmetry: USTR directed textile and apparel tariff-rate quotas for Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia and Malaysia, tied to their purchases of US cotton. Pakistan was not included. In textiles specifically, Pakistan is therefore at a disadvantage to those four despite the same headline rate.
The Section 301 action is being litigated — 25 states filed suit in August 2026 — and CBP continues to collect while the case proceeds. Any landed-cost model you build should treat the duty layers separately so that a change is visible rather than buried in a single number.
This article is general information and does not constitute legal, customs or regulatory advice. Confirm your specific position with qualified counsel and a licensed customs broker.