Official data Source: US Census Bureau international trade data
Track this productPhotovoltaic cells not assembled in modules or made up into panels
In short
- The US imported $2.62B of this product over the 12 months to August 2026, up 5.9% on the year before.
- Kenya is the largest supplier, with 16.1% of US imports; Korea, South is next, with 13.9%.
- Philippines is the cheapest main supplier before and after freight and duty, landing at $0.75 each.
- Duty paid averaged 6.7% of the value of imports in August 2026, down 13.0 points on a year earlier.
- Ethiopia is gaining share: 9.4% over the last 12 months, up from 0.0%.
- 16 Federal Register notices named this product's tariff codes in the last 12 months.
US imports, Aug 2026
$282.7M
↑ +177% vs Aug 2025
Last 12 months
$2.62B
↑ +5.9% vs the 12 months before
Average duty paid
6.7%
↓ −13.0 pts vs Aug 2025
Top supplier
Kenya
16.1% of US imports
US imports by month
The last 13 months, so the same month a year ago is on the left. August 2026 is highlighted. 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.
Show the numbers
| Month | US imports |
|---|---|
| August 2025 | $102.1M |
| September 2025 | $100.8M |
| October 2025 | $98.8M |
| November 2025 | $373.6M |
| December 2025 | $141.0M |
| January 2026 | $159.5M |
| February 2026 | $251.6M |
| March 2026 | $150.4M |
| April 2026 | $167.5M |
| May 2026 | $196.9M |
| June 2026 | $335.3M |
| July 2026 | $360.7M |
| August 2026 | $282.7M |
What changed
- US imports were $282.7M in August 2026, down 22% from July 2026 and up 177% from August 2025.
- Over the 12 months to August 2026 they totalled $2.62B, up 5.9% on the 12 months before.
- Biggest moves in market share since July 2026: Kenya up from 8.4% to 16.1%, Korea, South down from 39.6% to 13.9%.
- Average price from Malaysia rose 7.3% since July 2026, to $1.52 each.
- Duty paid on imports from Germany fell from 10.0% to 0.0% of their value since July 2026.
- Duty paid on imports from Ethiopia fell from 7.7% to 0.0% of their value since July 2026.
US trade by year
US imports were $2.62B in the 12 months to Aug 2026, up 276% on the 12 months to Aug 2023. US exports were $42.5M, up 106%. This code began with the HS 2022 revision in January 2022, taking goods from 8541.40, so its history starts there. 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.
Show the numbers
| Period | US imports |
|---|---|
| 12 months to Aug 2023 | $696.2M |
| 12 months to Aug 2024 | $1.33B |
| 12 months to Aug 2025 | $2.47B |
| 12 months to Aug 2026 | $2.62B |
- Korea, South
- Indonesia
- Malaysia
- Ethiopia
- All countries
Show the numbers
| Period | Korea, South | Indonesia | Malaysia | Ethiopia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 months to Aug 2023 | 5.0% | 5.3% | 61.3% | 0.0% |
| 12 months to Aug 2024 | 34.6% | 1.4% | 30.4% | 0.0% |
| 12 months to Aug 2025 | 18.8% | 13.9% | 21.9% | 0.0% |
| 12 months to Aug 2026 | 26.9% | 19.5% | 10.2% | 9.4% |
Show the numbers
| Period | Korea, South | Indonesia | Malaysia | Ethiopia | All countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 months to Aug 2023 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% | n/a | 0.1% |
| 12 months to Aug 2024 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2.0% | n/a | 0.9% |
| 12 months to Aug 2025 | 2.4% | 7.5% | 4.9% | n/a | 5.6% |
| 12 months to Aug 2026 | 14.0% | 12.3% | 13.9% | 7.6% | 11.3% |
| Period | US imports | Duty paid | US exports |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 months to Aug 2026 | $2.62B+5.9% | 11.3%+5.7 pts | $42.5M−5.2% |
| 12 months to Aug 2025 | $2.47B+85% | 5.6%+4.7 pts | $44.8M−2.5% |
| 12 months to Aug 2024 | $1.33B+92% | 0.9%+0.8 pts | $46.0M+123% |
| 12 months to Aug 2023 | $696.2M | 0.1% | $20.7M |
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.
| Country | US imports | Share | Average price | Duty paid | Last 13 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya | $45.6M | 16.1%new | $0.68 each | 0.0% | |
| Korea, South | $39.2M | 13.9%new | $1.37 each | 12.5% | |
| Malaysia | $34.8M | 12.3%new | $1.52 each | 10.0% | |
| Philippines | $32.0M | 11.3%+11.3 pts | $0.66 each−97% | 12.5%+2.5 pts | |
| Tanzania | $29.0M | 10.3%new | $1.48 each | 0.0% | |
| Ethiopia | $16.8M | 5.9%new | $1.51 each | 0.0% | |
| Vietnam | $14.8M | 5.2%new | $68.68 each | 12.5% | |
| Thailand | $14.0M | 5.0%−3.8 pts | $0.59 each−20% | 12.5%−12.6 pts | |
| Other countries (18) | $56.5M | 20.0%−30.5 pts | $1.40 each+18% | 4.8%−18.4 pts | |
| All countries | $282.7M | 100.0% | $1.10 each+23% | 6.7%−13.0 pts |
The 3 largest suppliers had 56.5% 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
| Country | Price | Freight and insurance | Duty | Landed cost | Make-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philippines | $0.63 each | $0.04 each6.8% of price | $0.07 each11.4% of price | $0.75 each−22% | |
| Thailand | $0.70 each | $0.01 each1.5% of price | $0.07 each10.7% of price | $0.78 each−1.4% | |
| Kenya | $0.76 each | $0.02 each3.1% of price | $0.03 each3.7% of price | $0.81 each | |
| Ethiopia | $1.25 each | $0.03 each2.6% of price | $0.10 each7.7% of price | $1.38 each | |
| Tanzania | $1.42 each | $0.06 each4.5% of price | $0.00 each0.0% of price | $1.49 each | |
| Malaysia | $1.31 each | $0.06 each4.8% of price | $0.13 each10.0% of price | $1.51 each+94% | |
| Korea, South | $1.45 each | $0.03 each1.8% of price | $0.15 each10.4% of price | $1.62 each+50% | |
| All countries | $1.12 each | $0.04 each3.3% of price | $0.09 each8.0% of price | $1.25 each+22% |
Landed at a US port, Philippines was cheapest, at $0.75 each: 3.8% below Thailand.
Landed cost from Malaysia rose 94% on a year earlier, to $1.51 each, mostly on price: $0.70 each then, $1.31 each now.
How the market is shifting
Ethiopia gained the most share: 9.4% of US imports over the last 12 months, up from 0.0% in the 12 months before. Laos lost the most: 2.2%, down from 24.9%. 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.
- Korea, South
- Indonesia
- Malaysia
- Ethiopia
- All countries
Show the numbers
| Month | Korea, South | Indonesia | Malaysia | Ethiopia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2024 | 17.2% | 1.5% | 44.8% | 0.0% |
| October 2024 | 29.6% | 0.0% | 33.9% | 0.0% |
| November 2024 | 27.0% | 2.9% | 24.0% | 0.0% |
| December 2024 | 46.7% | 6.8% | 10.6% | 0.0% |
| January 2025 | 14.7% | 28.0% | 27.0% | 0.0% |
| February 2025 | 31.3% | 5.5% | 40.0% | 0.0% |
| March 2025 | 19.1% | 7.7% | 32.4% | 0.0% |
| April 2025 | 23.1% | 8.6% | 24.3% | 0.0% |
| May 2025 | 18.7% | 19.0% | 12.1% | 0.0% |
| June 2025 | 4.8% | 24.0% | 10.9% | 0.0% |
| July 2025 | 0.5% | 34.4% | 3.1% | 0.0% |
| August 2025 | 0.0% | 40.6% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| September 2025 | 3.7% | 48.9% | 0.3% | 0.5% |
| October 2025 | 0.0% | 86.6% | 0.0% | 0.6% |
| November 2025 | 37.8% | 48.4% | 10.5% | 0.0% |
| December 2025 | 0.4% | 71.2% | 11.5% | 0.2% |
| January 2026 | 20.8% | 41.3% | 0.0% | 2.9% |
| February 2026 | 23.4% | 10.7% | 13.4% | 7.9% |
| March 2026 | 42.4% | 0.2% | 9.9% | 16.8% |
| April 2026 | 44.1% | 0.0% | 18.1% | 13.2% |
| May 2026 | 19.4% | 0.1% | 9.7% | 25.7% |
| June 2026 | 32.3% | 0.0% | 7.0% | 22.7% |
| July 2026 | 39.6% | 0.0% | 15.0% | 8.2% |
| August 2026 | 13.9% | 0.0% | 12.3% | 5.9% |
Show the numbers
| Month | Korea, South | Indonesia | Malaysia | Ethiopia | All countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2024 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 7.3% | n/a | 5.9% |
| October 2024 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 8.4% | n/a | 3.3% |
| November 2024 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 8.3% | n/a | 3.6% |
| December 2024 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 9.0% | n/a | 1.3% |
| January 2025 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | n/a | 0.0% |
| February 2025 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | n/a | 0.0% |
| March 2025 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | n/a | 0.0% |
| April 2025 | 6.0% | 2.4% | 3.0% | n/a | 5.3% |
| May 2025 | 10.0% | 8.3% | 6.0% | n/a | 9.2% |
| June 2025 | 10.0% | 8.5% | 9.8% | n/a | 9.0% |
| July 2025 | 5.4% | 9.6% | 10.0% | n/a | 7.2% |
| August 2025 | n/a | 14.3% | n/a | n/a | 19.7% |
| September 2025 | 3.7% | 13.8% | n/a | 10.0% | 17.2% |
| October 2025 | 5.5% | 16.6% | n/a | 10.0% | 18.0% |
| November 2025 | 26.0% | 13.7% | 29.0% | n/a | 19.6% |
| December 2025 | 28.8% | 9.1% | 18.5% | 0.0% | 11.4% |
| January 2026 | 29.0% | 9.0% | n/a | 10.0% | 15.8% |
| February 2026 | 13.7% | 6.5% | 16.1% | 8.9% | 10.7% |
| March 2026 | 10.0% | 4.6% | 9.1% | 7.0% | 8.2% |
| April 2026 | 10.0% | 10.0% | 8.9% | 3.9% | 8.3% |
| May 2026 | 9.3% | 10.0% | 9.7% | 8.6% | 7.7% |
| June 2026 | 10.0% | n/a | 10.0% | 9.4% | 8.5% |
| July 2026 | 10.0% | 10.0% | 10.0% | 7.7% | 8.6% |
| August 2026 | 12.5% | n/a | 10.0% | 0.0% | 6.7% |
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.
- January–March 2026 · Duty paid: Korea, South 27.4% → 10.0%, Indonesia 13.7% → 6.5%, Malaysia 18.7% → 9.8%, Thailand 31.4% → 11.2%, all countries 16.7% → 9.0%.
- Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Cells, Whether or Not Assembled Into Modules From the Lao People's Democratic Republic: Preliminary Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination, Preliminary Negative Critical Circumstances Determination, and Alignment of Final Determination With Final Antidumping Duty Determination
- Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Cells, Whether or Not Assembled Into Modules From Indonesia: Preliminary Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination, Preliminary Affirmative Critical Circumstances Determination, in Part, and Alignment of Final Determination With Antidumping Duty Determination
- Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Cells, Whether or Not Assembled Into Modules, From India: Preliminary Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination, Preliminary Affirmative Critical Circumstances Determination, in Part, and Alignment of Final Determination With Final Antidumping Duty Determination
- March–October 2025 · Duty paid: Korea, South 0.0% → 28.8%, Indonesia 1.2% → 11.7%, Malaysia 0.4% → 8.5%, Thailand 3.4% → 31.4%, Laos 0.0% → 30.4%, all countries 1.1% → 18.1%.
- Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Cells, Whether or Not Assembled Into Modules From India, Indonesia, and Laos; Determinations
- Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Cells, Whether or Not Assembled Into Modules, From India, Indonesia, and the Lao People's Democratic Republic: Initiation of Countervailing Duty Investigations
- Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Cells, Whether or Not Assembled Into Modules, From India, Indonesia, and the Lao People's Democratic Republic: Initiation of Less-Than-Fair-Value Investigations
- December 2024 · Duty paid: Malaysia 7.8% → 0.4%.
- Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Cells, Whether or Not Assembled Into Modules, From Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam; Institution of Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Investigations and Scheduling of Preliminary Phase Investigations
- Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Cells, Whether or Not Assembled Into Modules, From the People's Republic of China: Notice of Final Results of Changed Circumstances Reviews
- Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Cells, Whether or Not Assembled Into Modules, From Thailand: Preliminary Affirmative Determination of Sales at Less-Than-Fair-Value, Affirmative Determination of Critical Circumstances, Postponement of Final Determination, and Extension of Provisional Measures
- June 2024 · Duty paid: Malaysia 0.4% → 5.9%.
- To Further Facilitate Positive Adjustment to Competition From Imports of Certain Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Cells (Whether or Not Partially or Fully Assembled Into Other Products)
- Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Cells, Whether or Not Assembled Into Modules, From the People's Republic of China: Initiation and Preliminary Results of Changed Circumstances Review
- Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Cells, Whether or Not Assembled Into Modules From the People's Republic of China: Final Results of the Expedited Second Sunset Review of the Countervailing Duty Order
Federal Register notices from the last 12 months that list this product's tariff codes. A notice can add a duty, exclude products from one or only mention them, so read each for what it changes. These are the 5 newest of 16. Search the Federal Register for 8541.42
- Measures To Restrict Stockpiling of Polysilicon and Polysilicon Derivatives Under Proclamation 11052
- Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Cells, Whether or Not Assembled Into Modules, From India: Final Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination and the Final Affirmative Critical Circumstances Determination, in Part
- Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Cells, Whether or Not Assembled Into Modules From India: Final Affirmative Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value, and Final Affirmative Determination of Critical Circumstances, In Part
- Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Cells, Whether or Not Assembled Into Modules From the Lao People's Democratic Republic: Final Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination and Final Affirmative Determination of Critical Circumstances, in Part
- Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Cells, Whether or Not Assembled Into Modules, From the Lao People's Democratic Republic: Final Affirmative Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value and Final Affirmative Determination of Critical Circumstances, in Part
Where it enters the US
Main ports of entry over the 12 months to August 2026: US imports and share.
Where US exports go
US exports were $5.5M in August 2026, down 17% from August 2025, and $42.5M over the last 12 months, down 5.2% on the 12 months before. Fastest-growing market with 3% or more of US exports: Cuba, up 12388%.
| Market | Last 12 months | Share | vs 12 months before |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malaysia | $9.9M | 23.3% | −21% |
| Philippines | $5.2M | 12.2% | new |
| Korea, South | $4.1M | 9.6% | +58% |
| Japan | $3.8M | 8.9% | +93% |
| Cuba | $2.6M | 6.2% | +12388% |
| United Kingdom | $2.2M | 5.3% | −21% |
| Thailand | $1.8M | 4.3% | +143% |
| Germany | $1.3M | 3.1% | −77% |
| Other countries (63) | $11.5M | 27.1% | −35% |
| All countries | $42.5M | 100.0% | −5.2% |
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; 115 have reported 2025 so far. Where a country's figure for imports from the US is under half or over double what the US recorded exporting there that year, the US figure is shown under it.
| Market | Imports | vs year before | From the US | US share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| India | $2.67Bin 2025 | +73% | $194K | 0.0% |
| Singapore | $629.3Min 2025 | +349% | $8.7M | 1.4% |
| Thailand | $484.2Min 2025 | +595% | $3K | 0.0% |
| Turkey | $443.8Min 2025 | −2.6% | $15K | 0.0% |
| China | $426.0Min 2025 | +153% | $48K | 0.0% |
| Indonesia | $119.6Min 2025 | +75% | $996K | 0.8% |
| Malaysia | $101.3Min 2025 | +643% | $161KUS records $22.4M | 0.2% |
| Korea, South | $89.4Min 2025 | −22% | $9.9M | 11.0% |
The biggest market outside the US is India, which imported $2.67B of this product in 2025, under 0.1% of it from the US.
Of these, imports into Thailand grew fastest: up 595% from 2024 to 2025.
Related products
Other products under heading 8541: semiconductor devices; photosensitive semiconductor devices incl photovoltaic cells; light-emitting diodes (led); mounted piezo-elec crystals; parts. US trade over the 12 months to August 2026.
| Product | US imports | US exports |
|---|---|---|
| Semiconductor devices, not elsewhere specifiedHS 8541.59 | $1.32B | $4.76B |
| Photovoltaic cells assembled in modules or made up into panelsHS 8541.43 | $4.77B | $64.2M |
| Transistors, other than photosensitive, not elsewhere specifiedHS 8541.29 | $1.21B | $1.47B |
| Photovoltaic semiconductor devices, not elsewhere specifiedHS 8541.49 | $1.02B | $1.07B |
| Parts for diodes, transistors and similar semiconductor devices; parts for photosensitive semiconductor devices and mounted piezoelectric crystalsHS 8541.90 | $985.7M | $705.7M |
| Light-emitting diodes (led)HS 8541.41 | $608.6M | $924.5M |
| Diodes, other than photosensitive or light-emitting diodesHS 8541.10 | $550.2M | $632.0M |
| Mounted piezoelectric crystalsHS 8541.60 | $252.3M | $309.6M |
About these figures
- Source: US Census Bureau international trade data, not seasonally adjusted, in US dollars. Retrieved November 3, 2026.
- US imports are general imports at customs value, which excludes freight and insurance. Exports are at free-alongside-ship value.
- Average price is customs value divided by quantity (number of items), across all of the product's 10-digit lines.
- Duty paid is the duty Census calculates on each country's imports for consumption, as a share of their value. It moves with tariff changes, exemptions and the mix of goods within the product.
- Landed cost adds Census's import charges (freight, insurance and other costs of bringing the goods to the first US port) and calculated duty to the customs value, per unit, across the product's 10-digit lines. It leaves out antidumping and countervailing duties, customs fees and transport inland. Prices are averages across the goods within the code, so a lower one can mean cheaper goods, not the same goods for less.
- Markets abroad are each country's imports as it reports them to UN Comtrade, in US dollars, usually including freight and insurance. Countries report a year or more late and in their own edition of the HS codes, so one still on an older edition is missing for codes that changed in 2022.
- Tariff notices are from the Federal Register, matched to this product by the HTS numbers in their text.
- Census revises recent months, so figures can change slightly. These are estimates for research and planning, not customs or legal advice.