Importing Water Bottles Into the U.S.

If you are looking to manufacture and import water bottles into the U.S., you should be aware that you will need to make a declaration to the FDA in addition to Customs, because water bottles come into contact with food.  This declaration is simple and is usually done online, but it does represent an extra task.

First, water bottles are classified under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule depending on what they are made of: plastic, stainless steel, aluminum, etc.  The material will help you determine the Customs duties that are required for importation.

After you’ve found the HS code that fits with the size and material of the bottles you’re importing, you still have two small fees to pay to customs, mandatory for every shipment imported by ocean into the US: Harbor Maintenance Fee (HMF) and Merchandise Processing Fee (MPF).  

The next step is to declare your product to the FDA. The declaration requires:

• A product code to identify and advise the FDA what the product is and made of.  This can be done here: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/SCRIPTS/ORA/PCB/PCB.HTM.
• FDA Manufacturer Code (use Customs’ MID)

If you have questions about importing water bottles (or any other product), please don't hesitate to ask your Flexport team!

Read about Flexport helping Klean Kanteen import water bottles in our blog post!