Optical media for the recording of sound or of other phenomena, unrecorded

US trade by year

US imports were $14.9M in the 12 months to Aug 2026, down 89% on the 12 months to Aug 2017. US exports were $15.2M, down 57%. In January 2022 the HS 2022 revision moved some goods between this code and 8549.21, 8549.29, 8549.31 and 3 more, so part of a change across the dashed line can be the revision. Dotted lines mark lasting changes in duty paid, labelled with the supplier, or "Duty" when several moved; the tariff timeline lists each one with its notices.

• Taiwan
• Japan
• Vietnam
• Germany
• All countries

Who supplies the US

August 2026. Small figures under each value are the change from August 2025. Landed cost by origin, below, adds freight and duty to the price.

The 3 largest suppliers had 92.8% of US imports over the last 12 months.

Landed cost by origin

What importers paid to land this product at a US port from each main supplier, June–August 2026: the price, freight and insurance to the first US port, and duty, per unit. Suppliers with 3% or more of these imports, cheapest landed first. Small figures under landed cost are the change from the same months a year earlier.

• Price
• Freight and insurance
• Duty

Landed at a US port, Vietnam was cheapest, at $30.58 each: 19.2% below Japan.

Landed cost from Germany rose 993% on a year earlier, to $64.58 each, mostly on price: $4.13 each then, $59.45 each now.

How the market is shifting

Taiwan gained the most share: 51.5% of US imports over the last 12 months, up from 41.1% in the 12 months before. United Arab Emirates lost the most: 0.0%, down from 9.2%. The charts show September 2024 to August 2026 for the 4 largest suppliers over the last 12 months. Dotted lines mark lasting changes in duty paid, labelled with the supplier, or "Duty" when several moved; the tariff timeline lists each one with its notices.

• Taiwan
• Japan
• Vietnam
• Germany
• All countries

Tariff actions touching this product

When the duty paid on this product changed and stayed changed, for its main suppliers and all countries, newest first, with the Federal Register notices that named the product in the 3 months before. Rates are medians of the 4 months either side, less any usual seasonal swing. A change shows what happened to duty paid, not why; read each notice for what it did.

1. February–March 2026 · Duty paid: Taiwan 19.9% → 9.9%, Japan 15.0% → 9.0%, all countries 17.0% → 9.3%.
2. May–October 2025 · Duty paid: Taiwan 9.6% → 19.8%, Japan 0.0% → 15.0%, United Arab Emirates 0.0% → 10.0%, all countries 0.0% → 9.6%.
3. January 2020 · Duty paid: China 15.0% → 0.0%.
4. August 2019 · Duty paid: China 0.0% → 15.0%.
   • Request for Comments Concerning Proposed Modification of Action Pursuant to Section 301: China's Acts, Policies, and Practices Related to Technology Transfer, Intellectual Property, and InnovationMay 17, 2019 · Office of the US Trade Representative

Markets abroad

Each country's own import figures for this product, from UN Comtrade: the 8 biggest importers outside the US in the latest year each has reported, what they bought from the US, and the change from the year before. Values usually include freight and insurance to the importer's border, so they run a little above US export figures. Countries report a year or more late; 117 have reported 2025 so far.

The biggest market outside the US is Thailand, which imported $1.10B of this product in 2025, under 0.1% of it from the US.

Of these, imports into Slovakia grew fastest: up 39% from 2024 to 2025.

Related products

Other products under heading 8523: prepared unrecorded media (other than motion-picture film) for sound recording or similar recording of other phenomena. US trade over the 12 months to August 2026.