Lenses (except contact and spectacle), prisms, mirrors and other optical elements, unmounted, other than elements of glass not optically worked

US trade by year

US imports were $618.4M in the 12 months to Aug 2026, up 36% on the 12 months to Aug 2017. US exports were $1.16B, up 15%. 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.

• Germany
• China
• Japan
• Singapore
• 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 55.9% 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, Taiwan was cheapest, at $4.11 each: 45.8% below China.

Landed cost from Canada rose 138% on a year earlier, to $55.11 each, mostly on price: $22.11 each then, $53.75 each now.

How the market is shifting

Germany gained the most share: 20.7% of US imports over the last 12 months, up from 18.9% in the 12 months before. Israel lost the most: 1.3%, down from 3.5%. 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.

• Germany
• China
• Japan
• Singapore
• 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. January–February 2026 · Duty paid: China 51.4% → 39.5%, all countries 21.0% → 14.1%.
   • Implementing Certain Tariff-Related Elements of the Framework for a United States-Switzerland-Liechtenstein Agreement on Fair, Balanced, and Reciprocal TradeDec 18, 2025 · International Trade Administration
   • Implementing Certain Tariff-Related Elements of the U.S.-Korea Strategic Trade and Investment DealDec 4, 2025 · International Trade Administration
2. August 2025 · Duty paid: China 68.1% → 54.8%.
   • Imports of Automobiles, Automobile Parts, Civil Aircraft and Civil Aircraft Parts From the United Kingdom Under Executive Order 14309Jun 30, 2025 · International Trade Administration
3. March–May 2025 · Duty paid: Germany 0.0% → 9.9%, China 24.4% → 68.0%, Japan 0.0% → 9.7%, Singapore 0.0% → 10.0%, all countries 5.2% → 19.1%.
4. May 2019 · Duty paid: China 9.6% → 22.6%.
   • Initiation of Investigation; Notice of Hearing and Request for Public Comments: Enforcement of U.S. WTO Rights in Large Civil Aircraft DisputeApr 12, 2019 · Office of the US Trade Representative
5. November 2018 · Duty paid: China 0.0% → 9.5%.

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. Search the Federal Register for 9001.90

• Notice of Action: Brazil's Acts, Policies, and Practices Related to Digital Trade and Electronic Payment Services; Unfair, Preferential Tariffs; Anti-Corruption Enforcement; Intellectual Property Protection; Ethanol Market Access; and Illegal DeforestationJul 20, 2026 · Office of the US Trade Representative
• Notice of Determination and Request for Comments Concerning Action Pursuant to Section 301: Brazil's Acts, Policies, and Practices Related to Digital Trade and Electronic Payment Services; Unfair, Preferential Tariffs; Anti-Corruption Enforcement; Intellectual Property Protection; Ethanol Market Access; and Illegal DeforestationJun 4, 2026 · Office of the US Trade Representative
• Implementing Certain Tariff-Related Elements of the Framework for a United States-Switzerland-Liechtenstein Agreement on Fair, Balanced, and Reciprocal TradeDec 18, 2025 · International Trade Administration
• Implementing Certain Tariff-Related Elements of the U.S.-Korea Strategic Trade and Investment DealDec 4, 2025 · International Trade Administration

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; 119 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.

The biggest market outside the US is China, which imported $2.76B of this product in 2025, 6.9% of that from the US.

The US supplies 35.5% of imports into Singapore, but under 10% into China and Hong Kong.

Of these, imports into Hong Kong grew fastest: up 67% from 2024 to 2025.

Related products

Other products under heading 9001: optical fibers and optical fiber bundles; optical fiber cables not elsewhere specified; sheets and plates of polarizing material; optical elements, unmounted. US trade over the 12 months to August 2026.