Key Data Snapshot
Effective moment: **:** a.m. ET, ** July **** — the **% Section *** surcharge expires; the new Section *** duty attaches at the same instant.
Scope: ** economies. ** pay a flat **%. ** pay a flat **.*%. Five sit under a cap: the EU and Taiwan at **%, Japan, Korea and Switzerland at **.*%.
Base apparel duty: Free to **%, depending on fibre. Cotton runs about *–**.*%. Man-made fibre runs **–**%. Silk sits under *%. Trade-weighted average ≈**.*%.
Why the cap matters: It sets a ceiling, not a floor. Where base duty already exceeds the cap, the new charge is zero — which covers almost all mainstream apparel.
The corrected verdict: Taiwan, Japan, Korea and Switzerland gain the full ** points. The EU gains far less — its own trade deal had already delivered relief on * July. China and ** others pay *.* points more.
