China tea exports to the United States — 2026 HS-code analysis

Headlines about US-China trade often reduce tea to a rounding error. Yet for tens of thousands of farmers, processors and exporters in Yunnan, Fujian and Zhejiang, the American consumer remains a quietly critical destination. To see beyond tidy news briefs, one must look at Harmonized System codes — the six-digit statistical framework that splits global tea trade into green, black, bulk and packaged lanes. In 2026, those digits tell a nuanced story: rising volumes of bulk green tea for iced beverages, stubbornly high tariffs on every container, and a resilient premium niche that defies commodity logic. This analysis draws on the latest General Administration of Customs data, US import filings, and the day-to-day sourcing rhythms of Kunming’s procurement desks to map what Chinese tea exports to the United States actually look like, and where they’re heading.

The six-digit lens — what HS codes reveal about tea

Tea moves across borders under HS heading 0902, which the World Customs Organization splits into four subheadings: 0902.10 (green tea in immediate packings ≤3 kg), 0902.20 (green tea in bulk), 0902.30 (black tea and partly fermented tea in packings ≤3 kg), and 0902.40 (same in bulk). This system does not distinguish Bái Háo Yín Zhēn from Lóngjǐng or shēng pǔ’ěr from oolong — all are funnelled by oxidation level and packaging weight. For US importers, the classification is both an administrative burden and a strategic filter. A shipment of 25 kg bags of Yunnan large-leaf green tea lands under 0902.20 and faces a specific tariff schedule; a pallet of 100-gram tins of Měngdǐng Gānlù lands under 0902.10. In 2025, according to General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China, approximately 68% of Chinese tea exported to the US fell under the 0902.20 code — the bulk green tea channel. Most of the rest was packaged green and a thin slice of black and oolong teas. The codes are thus not just labels, but a map of American taste and industrial usage.

China’s overall export momentum entering 2026

China exported an estimated 385,000 metric tons of tea in 2025, worth approximately $2.1 billion, according to preliminary customs data reviewed by the China Tea Marketing Association. That marks a 2.4% year-on-year volume increase, with value growth even lower, suggesting a mild softening of unit prices. The top destinations — Morocco, Russia, the United States and Hong Kong — absorbed over half of all exports. The US accounted for roughly 6% by volume, translating to about 23,100 tons. While still dwarfed by Moroccan demand for green tea, the American figure has grown steadily since 2020, driven by an unquenchable thirst for ready-to-drink (RTD) teas and cold-brew products. Early trade returns for January-March 2026 suggest that this growth is holding: US-bound shipments of bulk green tea (0902.20) rose 4.1% compared to the same period in 2025. Sandry Law, who oversees procurement from Teamotea’s Kunming office, notes, ‘Orders from US buyers have held up despite tariffs thanks to the cost advantage of Yunnan’s mechanized green tea processing. Our factory partners can deliver consistent FOB prices around $1.20-$1.40 per kilogram for large-leaf CTC green tea, which makes the math work even after the 25% duty.‘

The US niche — decoding America’s tea imports

The United States imported just over 23,000 metric tons of tea classified under HS 0902 from China in 2025, based on UN Comtrade records. Green tea in bulk (0902.20) accounted for 15,870 tons; packaged green (0902.10) added 3,200 tons; black and fermented teas (0902.30/0902.40) contributed the remaining 4,000 tons, with a slight majority flowing through the bulk channel. This mix reflects America’s dual identity as both an industrial tea blender and a growing specialty market. The bulk lanes feed domestic bottlers who churn out bottled green tea, iced tea blends and private-label tea-bag brands. The packaged lines supply Asian grocery chains, high-end tea houses and e-commerce platforms. As the tea.school educational platform has documented, American consumers increasingly distinguish between production regions and harvest dates — a shift that rewards China’s diverse terroirs, even if the volume of Tiě Guān Yīn or Lóngjǐng remains modest. The US remains the largest non-Muslim-majority consumer of Chinese green tea, making it a strategic market for producers looking to diversify beyond traditional importers.

Green tea’s two-speed export machine

Green tea flows to the United States on two distinct commercial tracks: the high-volume, low-margin bulk commodity lane and the low-volume, high-margin packaged specialty lane. Their HS codes sit next to each other in the tariff schedule, but they involve completely different supply chains, buyer profiles and price points. Understanding both is essential to grasp the 2026 outlook.

Bulk green tea and the ready-to-drink industrial pipeline

Under HS 0902.20, Yunnan large-leaf varietals — often processed as CTC (crush-tear-curl) or high-fired pan-dried green tea — form the backbone of US-bound shipments. In 2025, Yunnan alone supplied nearly 60% of the bulk green tea heading to American ports, according to Yangtze River Delta customs data. Most of it enters through Los Angeles or Savannah, destined for concentrate plants that supply the RTD and food-service industries. Sandry Law describes the rhythm: ‘We container-load Yunnan CTC green tea directly from Kunming via rail to Shanghai port — it’s a 72-hour transit. The US cold-brew tea boom has been a steady volume driver.’ For a 20-foot container holding 18 metric tons of tea, the CIF landed price can still undercut similar offerings from Argentina or Vietnam, even with the Section 301 tariff, which makes bulk green tea one of the few Chinese agricultural commodities to maintain North American market share.

Packaged single-origin teas and the premium channel

The 0902.10 code encompasses pre-packaged teas of 3 kg or less, a category that includes everything from inexpensive supermarket gunpowder tea to collectible spring-harvest Bái Háo Yín Zhēn. Volume is tiny — roughly 3,200 tons in 2025 — but unit values are dramatically higher. An FOB price of $12–$35 per kilogram is not unusual for high-grade Míngqián Lóngjǐng or first-flush Yúnkàng green tea shipped in vacuum-sealed foil. ‘The US specialty tea market, though only a few thousand tons from this category, commands an FOB price 5–8 times that of bulk green tea,’ Law notes. ‘For a direct-to-consumer look at these teas, thetea.app and similar platforms offer curated selections that highlight exactly this value differential.’ Small specialty importers rely on consolidation warehouses in Hangzhou or Guangzhou, air-freighting small parcels as demand allows. While the Section 301 tariff applies equally to 0902.10, the high unit value absorbs the cost more easily, keeping margins viable for boutique brands.

Black and other teas — a quiet understory

Black tea, oolong and post-fermented teas (HS 0902.30 and 0902.40) together represent about 17% of US-bound Chinese tea volume but a disproportionately high share of the conversation among tea enthusiasts. The bulk channel (0902.40) moves modest amounts of generic black tea for blending, while the packaged subheading (0902.30) captures the iconic smoked Zhèngshān Xiǎozhǒng (Lapsang Souchong), densely roasted Wǔyí rock oolongs, and complex Fènghuáng Dāncōng. Fuding white teas, including Bái Háo Yín Zhēn, also enter through 0902.30 when shipped in retail packs. US imports of these categories have inched up by 2–3% annually, driven by coffee-adjacent consumers exploring tea origins. Interestingly, aged shēng pǔ’ěr cakes often clear under 0902.40 as ‘other fermented tea in bulk,’ even when packed in 357-gram wrappers, because the packaging exceeds 3 kg per immediate container when cakes are bundled in bamboo tongs. That idiosyncrasy complicates volume counting but underscores how far the customs machinery lags behind the tea world’s taxonomy.

The tariff hurdle and its uneven impact

Since September 2018, all Chinese-origin tea classified under HS 0902 has been subject to an additional 25% ad valorem duty under Section 301 of the Trade Act, on top of the Most-Favored-Nation tariff rate of zero. That means a $10,000 consignment immediately gains $2,500 in import duty, on top of standard port fees and broker costs. For bulk green tea moving at wafer-thin margins, the tariff represents a enormous friction. For premium packaged teas, it is a controllable surcharge. ‘The tariff is the first question every US buyer asks,’ says Law. ‘We mitigate it by optimizing container load factors and negotiating annual volume discounts with partner factories, but ultimately it is a tax on American tea drinkers.’ Some importers have attempted to blend in non-Chinese green tea to dilute the China-origin proportion and benefit from a different duty regime, but traceability rules make this complex. The persistence of the tariff — with no sunset in sight as of mid-2026 — means that any forecast of China’s US tea exports must bake in a permanent 25% cost wedge.

Procurement on the ground — the Kunming advantage

Yunnan province’s role in the US tea trade cannot be overstated. It produces more tea than any other Chinese province — over 500,000 metric tons in 2025 — and its processing infrastructure is built for both specialty leaf and industrial-scale output. Sandry Law, who has spent fifteen years sourcing teas from regions stretching from Líncāng to Xīshuāngbǎnnà, points out that Kunming’s logistical position is a key export enabler. ‘Kunming’s dry port and rail connections to Shanghai and Shenzhen allow us to consolidate a full container of leaf tea within 48 hours of cupping approval,’ he explains. ‘We cup three daily sessions during peak season, checking water content, clarity and bitterness. For US customers, we pre-ship samples by air so they can run their own HPLC or heavy-metal screens before the vessel departs.’ This rigorous pipeline, combined with traceability certifications demanded by the US organic and natural channels, gives Yunnan an edge over other Chinese provinces and foreign suppliers. The consistency of Yunnan’s large-leaf material also appeals to blenders looking for a reliable base note in RTD formulations.

Looking ahead — demand levers and price signals

As the 2026 harvest season progresses, several signals point to a continuation of the current trajectory. The US RTD tea market, valued at $7.8 billion in 2025 according to Beverage Marketing Corporation, shows no sign of contraction; every percentage point of growth pulls more bulk green tea from China. Meanwhile, specialty tea subscription services and direct-to-consumer platforms continue to expand, sustaining demand for 0902.10 classified teas. On the supply side, FOB prices for Yunnan bulk green tea have remained stable at $1.15-$1.50/kg through the spring flush, though a rise in domestic Chinese consumption of green tea could tighten availability later in the year. The persistent tariff remains the single largest variable — any reduction would almost certainly trigger a surge in US import volumes, while a further escalation could push marginal buyers toward Vietnam or Indonesia. For now, the numbers tell a story of quiet resilience: Chinese tea, parsed by code and transported by rail, still finds its way to American cups.

References

1. China Tea Export Statistics 2025 — General Administration of Customs — General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China (GACC)
2. Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (2026), Chapter 09 — United States International Trade Commission (USITC)
3. UN Comtrade Data: China–US Tea Flows 2020–2025 — United Nations Statistics Division
4. Annual Report on World Tea Market 2026 — China Tea Marketing Association
5. Interview with Sandry Law, Head of Procurement (China), Teamotea, 15 May 2026 — Teamotea procurement desk, Kunming
6. China Tea Semi-Annual 2025, GAIN Report No. CH2025-004 — USDA Foreign Agricultural Service