US Tariffs on Russian Imports: Column 2 Rates, Bans, and Penalties

US tariffs on Russian imports sit at some of the highest levels applied to any country in the world: baseline duty rates roughly ten times what most trading partners pay, a 200 percent tariff on aluminum still in force in 2026, and outright bans on several categories of goods including oil, gas, coal, seafood, alcohol, and non-industrial diamonds. The combined effect is that very little commercial trade with Russia remains economically viable, and the transactions that are still legal come with heavy compliance obligations.

Russia Sits in Column 2 of the Tariff Schedule

Every duty calculation for a Russian-origin good starts from the same place. The Suspending Normal Trade Relations with Russia and Belarus Act, Public Law 117-110, stripped Russia of Normal Trade Relations status in 2022.¹ That moved Russian goods out of Column 1 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (where most countries sit) and into Column 2, a penalty category shared only with Cuba, North Korea, and Belarus.²

Column 1 rates for most products range from zero to a few percent. Column 2 rates commonly land at 20, 35, or 50 percent depending on the product classification.³ Averaged across all product categories, Russian goods now face roughly 32 percent duty, against about 3.3 percent under normal trade relations. Chemicals, minerals, plywood and wood products, and metals all fall inside this elevated band. The exact rate depends on the specific classification code, so any importer needs to look up their product’s HTS number rather than assume. Because these rates are set by statute, there is no administrative negotiation available.

Products That Cannot Be Imported at All

Several categories of Russian goods are not a tariff question at all. They cannot legally enter the country.

Executive Order 14066 banned imports of Russian-origin crude oil, petroleum and petroleum products, liquefied natural gas, coal, and coal products, and prohibited new US investment in Russia’s energy sector.⁴ A second order, EO 14068, extended the ban to fish, seafood, and seafood preparations; alcoholic beverages; and non-industrial diamonds.⁵ A tariff makes a legal import expensive. A ban makes the import itself illegal. Bringing banned Russian goods in can result in seizure of the merchandise and criminal prosecution under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which carries fines of up to $250,000 per violation and possible imprisonment.

The bans reach further than “Made in Russia” labels suggest. The seafood ban covers salmon, cod, pollock, and crab harvested in Russian waters or by Russian-flagged vessels even when those products are shipped to a third country, processed or substantially transformed there, and then exported to the United States.⁶ The prior workaround of routing Russian seafood through processors in countries like China no longer works.

Non-industrial diamonds face a similar third-country rule under a coordinated G7 effort. Direct Russian diamonds have been banned since 2022, and starting in March 2024 the restrictions extended to diamonds of one carat or more processed abroad, dropping to half a carat in September 2024.⁷ Diamond jewelry of Russian origin or previously exported from Russia is also covered.

The 200 Percent Aluminum Tariff

Russian aluminum carries its own rate. Proclamation 10522, issued under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, imposed a 200 percent tariff on aluminum articles and derivative aluminum articles that are products of Russia.⁸ Section 232 authorizes the President to adjust trade when imports threaten national security.⁹ When the general Section 232 aluminum tariff was raised to 50 percent for most countries in April 2026, the 200 percent Russian rate was explicitly preserved.¹⁰

The trap is the smelted-and-cast rule. If any amount of primary aluminum in a product was smelted in Russia, or the product was cast in Russia, the full 200 percent duty applies to the finished item regardless of where it was manufactured.⁸ A manufacturer in Germany or Vietnam using even a small share of Russian-smelted aluminum in a component destined for the US triggers the entire 200 percent charge on that product. Supply chains have to be traced back to the smelter.

Tariffs Stack on the Same Shipment

These layers are not alternatives. They combine. A Russian steel product owes Column 2 rates because Russia lost Normal Trade Relations, plus additional Section 232 duties on top. CBP’s April 2026 guidance confirmed that Column 2 countries face a 25 percent additional duty on derivative aluminum and steel articles under Section 232, and Russian aluminum specifically retains the 200 percent rate.¹⁰ Combined burdens can push total duty well past 100 percent of the goods’ value. That is the design. These rates are not built to raise revenue; they are built to prevent the trade from happening.

Penalties for Getting It Wrong

Because the underlying duty amounts are so large, the penalty exposure is unusually severe. Under 19 U.S.C. § 1592, civil penalties scale with culpability:

Negligence: up to two times the duties the government lost, or 20 percent of the dutiable value if no duty loss occurred.
Gross negligence: up to four times the lost duties, or 40 percent of the dutiable value.
Fraud: up to the full domestic value of the merchandise.

When the underlying duty is a 200 percent aluminum tariff or a 35 percent Column 2 rate, “four times the lost duties” becomes a very large number very quickly.¹¹

There is one meaningful escape valve. Prior disclosure, meaning you find the violation and report it to Customs before a formal investigation begins, cuts penalties sharply. For negligence or gross negligence with prior disclosure, the penalty is limited to the interest on the unpaid duties, provided you pay the underlying duties within 30 days of notification. For fraud with prior disclosure, the ceiling drops to 100 percent of the lost duties rather than the full domestic value.¹¹ Self-reporting matters more here than in ordinary customs work because the duty numbers are so large.

Documentation and Customs Bonds

Every import shipment moves through the Automated Commercial Environment, CBP’s electronic filing system.¹² The importer enters data codes identifying country of origin and the nature of the materials. For Russian aluminum, the relevant HTS headings are 9903.85.67 for aluminum articles and 9903.85.68 for derivative aluminum articles.¹⁰ A wrong or missing code can trigger detention, delays, and the penalty structure above.

The burden of proof sits with the importer. Certificates of origin, milling certificates for metal products, and supply chain documentation back to raw material source are all expected in the filing package. The aluminum smelted-and-cast rule is especially demanding: you need documentation showing that no Russian-smelted aluminum entered the chain at any stage. For complex products with components from multiple countries, that means collecting certifications from every supplier upstream.

Customs bonds add another cost. Importers must maintain either a single-entry or continuous bond to guarantee payment of duties, and the bond amount ties to the duties owed. When tariffs run to 200 percent, bond requirements grow accordingly. If CBP finds a continuous bond insufficient at current duty levels, the importer has 15 days to replace it with a larger one, and in severe cases CBP can terminate the bond immediately. Goods sit at the port until an adequate bond is in place.

Exports Going the Other Way

Sending American goods to Russia is regulated separately and just as tightly. The Bureau of Industry and Security requires licenses for a broad set of exports, reexports, and in-country transfers, including any item classified under an Export Control Classification Number on the Commerce Control List, oil and gas equipment, industrial goods, luxury goods, and enterprise software such as ERP, supply chain, CAD, and CNC systems even when otherwise classified at the lowest control level.¹³ A foreign direct product rule pulls in items made outside the United States using American technology or software. EO 14068 separately prohibits export of luxury goods and US dollar-denominated banknotes to Russia.⁵ If your question is about shipping American products to Russia rather than the reverse direction, assume a license requirement until confirmed otherwise.

1
GovInfo. Suspending Normal Trade Relations with Russia and Belarus Act
2
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Column 1 / Column 2 / MFN / NTR – Countries That Do Business With the United States
3
United States International Trade Commission. About Harmonized Tariff Schedule
4
Federal Register. Prohibiting Certain Imports and New Investments With Respect to Continued Russian Federation Efforts To Undermine the Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity of Ukraine
5
Federal Register. Prohibiting Certain Imports, Exports, and New Investment With Respect to Continued Russian Federation Aggression
6
Office of Foreign Assets Control. FAQ 1156
7
Office of Foreign Assets Control. FAQ 1164
8
Federal Register. Adjusting Imports of Aluminum Into the United States
9
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 19 U.S. Code 1862 – Safeguarding National Security
10
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. GUIDANCE: Section 232 Duties on Imports of Aluminum, Steel, and Copper
11
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 19 USC 1592 – Penalties for Fraud, Gross Negligence, and Negligence
12
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. ACE: The Import and Export Processing System
13
eCFR. 15 CFR 746.8 – Sanctions Against Russia and Belarus