Jewelry Import Duty from India to the US (October 2026): Rates, Codes and Landed Cost

As of October 2026, jewelry import duty from India to the US is 15.5% on gold jewelry and 15% on silver and gold vermeil. That is the normal tariff rate (5.5% or 5%) plus a 10% Section 301 duty on goods made in India. There is no de minimis threshold, so duty is due from the first dollar. State sales tax is separate.

Duties are one of the first things US brands ask us about, usually right after minimum orders. I run my own fine-jewelry brands as well as Grandior, so I price every collection with these numbers. Here is how they work.

What is the jewelry import duty from India to the US in October 2026?

The duty is the base rate for the jewelry's tariff code plus 10%. The base rates come from the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, heading 7113 (jewelry of precious metal). The extra 10% comes from heading 9903.05.44, which applies to "articles the product of India."

Most finished fine jewelry lands in the first or second row. The 13.5% line is for very low-value silver pieces and rarely applies to fine jewelry. Gold chains have their own lines (7113.19.10 to 7113.19.29), with base rates from 5% to 7% depending on how the chain is made. Gold vermeil counts as silver, because heading 7113.11 covers silver "whether or not plated or clad with other precious metal."

Where does the extra 10% come from?

The extra 10% is a Section 301 duty that applies to Indian goods entered on or after 12:01 a.m. Eastern on 24 July 2026. US Customs confirmed it in CSMS message 69326983. It sits on top of the normal rate. Jewelry under heading 7113 is not on the exclusion list CBP published with that guidance.

It replaced an earlier regime. The 2025 tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) stopped being collected on 24 February 2026, after the Supreme Court ruled that IEEPA does not authorize tariffs. If you read an older guide quoting 25%, 50% or 18% on Indian jewelry, it describes that earlier period.

Is there still a de minimis exemption?

No. Duty-free de minimis treatment, which used to let parcels of $800 or less in without duty, is suspended for all countries. Executive Order 14388 keeps that suspension in place regardless of value, origin or how the goods are shipped.

CBP has since suspended the exemption for mail shipments indefinitely too. Its rule notes that a 2025 law ends the de minimis exemption altogether from 1 July 2027. For a jewelry brand the practical answer is simple: every parcel from India owes duty, including a single sample.

Does lab-grown or natural change the duty?

No. A finished piece is classified as jewelry of precious metal, and the stones do not move it to another heading. CBP placed gold bracelets, pendants and a ring set with lab-grown diamonds in 7113.19.50 at 5.5% in ruling N355351 (November 2025). It placed a gold ring set with diamonds and a gemstone in the same subheading in ruling N346349 (March 2025).

What does change is the metal. Gold goes under 7113.19 and silver or vermeil under 7113.11. Loose stones are a different heading and are outside this guide.

How do you estimate landed cost on a jewelry order?

Start with the customs value, apply both duty rates, then add everything else. Customs value is usually the price paid for the goods. International freight and insurance are generally left out when they are shown separately on the invoice. Your broker confirms the final figure.

Here is a worked example. It is math only, on a hypothetical $1,000 invoice of finished 14K gold jewelry made in India.

Then add freight and insurance, any broker or courier clearance fee, and your packaging. That total is your landed cost, the number to price from. Our guide to starting a jewelry business covers pricing from landed cost.

Who pays the duty: DDP or DAP?

Whoever the shipping terms say. Under DDP (delivered duty paid) the seller clears customs and pays duties before the parcel arrives. Under DAP (delivered at place) the buyer handles import clearance and pays on arrival, as the ICC's guide to these Incoterms explains.

DAP looks cheaper on the invoice. In practice your courier or broker bills you the duty plus a clearance fee, and the parcel can sit until you pay. DDP puts one number in front of you before you order.

At Grandior, the sample checkout shows "Import duties and taxes" as its own line for each of the 10 countries we ship samples to. It is prepaid (DDP), so there is nothing more to pay when the parcel arrives. For US orders, state sales tax is added where it applies. Production terms, including who pays duties, are agreed with each brand before the first order.

Do you need a customs broker or a customs bond?

For small parcels, usually not your own. Express couriers normally clear parcels for you and act as your broker. Shipments over $2,500 generally need a formal entry, which needs a customs bond (single-transaction or continuous) and is usually filed by a licensed customs broker.

As a brand grows, this matters more. Production orders shipped in bulk to a US warehouse often cross $2,500, so ask a broker about a continuous bond before your first large shipment. If your partner ships each order straight to your customer instead, as in jewelry dropshipping, each parcel is a small, separate entry.

What about sales tax?

Sales tax is separate from import duty. The US has no national VAT or GST on imports. States charge sales tax on retail sales, so you collect it from your customers in the states where you are required to. If you buy stock to resell, ask your accountant whether a resale certificate applies to your purchases.

How can you keep duty costs under control?

You cannot negotiate the rate, but you can control what it applies to and when you pay it.

• Order samples before production. Duty on one sample is small next to a wrong production run. Our samples start from $259 per piece before duties.
• Choose the metal with duty in mind. Silver and vermeil pay 15%, gold 15.5%. The bigger saving is the lower base price of the piece.
• Order made to order. Holding stock means paying duty on pieces that may never sell. Made-to-order pieces are dispatched within 7 days of confirmation, and you pay duty only on what customers bought. Custom work can take longer; timelines are confirmed per order.
• Keep paperwork clean. Accurate invoices, metal, karat and origin speed up clearance.

Selling outside the US too? Duty works very differently in other markets. Read how to import jewellery from India to Australia, where Indian-made jewellery can enter at 0%. For the full cost picture, see what it costs to start a lab-grown diamond jewelry brand.

This guide is general information as of October 2026, not legal or tax advice. Confirm your own entries with a licensed customs broker.

Next step

Order a sample in the metal you plan to sell. You will see the duty line before you pay and hold the finished piece before you commit to production. If you want to talk through landed cost for a full collection, book a call.