Each industry profile on this site opens with one question: is China still the default source for this kind of product? The answer comes from trade data, not from reputation, and it is printed as a verdict pill at the top of every page so a reader can see the conclusion before the evidence.
How to read the verdict pills
The pills carry one of three values:
- China is the default source means China supplies a commanding share of world exports or of US imports in the category, and no alternative is close.
- China leads; alternatives compete means China is still the largest or among the largest sources, but at least one other country has reached comparable scale, or China's share is falling fast.
- Volume has shifted elsewhere means another country now supplies more of the US market than China does, or China was never the main source.
Every pill is backed by a one-sentence note that names the figure, the year and the source. Textiles show the first case: China supplied 42.2% of world textile exports in 2025, according to WTO statistics, more than double the next exporter. Bags and luggage show the third: China's share of US imports under HS heading 4202 fell from 55.9% in 2018 to 16.8% in 2025, and Cambodia passed it, per UN Comtrade data reported by the United States.
A pill carries one value, but some industries do not. Where the research supports a split verdict, the pill shows the value that applies to a US-bound buyer and the first section of the profile explains the split. Solar is the clearest example. Globally, China held about 80% of solar module manufacturing and about 90% of wafer and polysilicon manufacturing in 2024, according to the International Energy Agency. For the US market, Chinese cells and modules face stacked Section 301 duties and the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, so the US-bound verdict differs. Jewelry splits by product: China supplied 57.4% of the value of US imitation-jewelry imports in 2025, but only about 3.0% of precious-metal jewelry imports by value in 2024. Cosmetics split the same way: China supplied 8.1% of US imports of makeup and skincare preparations in 2025, yet 55.6% of brush imports and 68.7% of sprayer and powder-puff imports.
Why the numbers need careful reading
Trade statistics are classified by HS code (the Harmonized System, the international product nomenclature whose first six digits are shared by more than 200 customs administrations), and industries do not map neatly onto codes. "Pet products" has no heading of its own; "machined parts" are scattered across headings by function; prototypes enter under the code of the finished part. Where a profile relies on a proxy heading, it says so, and its verdict is hedged accordingly. Three other cautions apply throughout:
- World share and US share differ. China can lead world exports in a category while losing the US market, as furniture shows: about 40% of reported world exports of HS chapter 94 in 2023, but 21.8% of US imports in 2025, behind Vietnam.
- Value and quantity differ. In jewelry, China's share of US precious-metal jewelry imports was about 3.0% by value but 30.0% by weight in 2024.
- Import share is not origin of content. A product assembled in Vietnam from Chinese fabric counts as a Vietnamese import. China supplied almost two-thirds of Vietnam's fabric imports in 2023, according to the US International Trade Commission.
How industries differ in tariff exposure
The duty on a Chinese product depends on its HTS line, so tariff exposure varies sharply by industry. As of October 2026, most goods outside Section 232 carry their ordinary rate plus a 2018 Section 301 list duty and the 12.5% forced-labor Section 301 duty in force since 24 July 2026. The list duty itself varies: most apparel subheadings in HTS chapters 61 and 62 sit on List 4A at 7.5%, while every subheading of heading 4202 (luggage and handbags) is on List 3 at 25%, according to a count of the Chapter 99 notes in the HTSUS.
Some industries carry product-specific increases from the 2024 four-year review: non-EV lithium-ion batteries rose to 25% from 1 January 2026, solar cells to 50% in 2024, and medical gloves to 100% in 2026. China's share of US medical-glove imports fell from 26.0% in 2024 to 1.6% in 2025, a correlation with the tariff increase rather than proof of causation.
Metal-intensive industries sit under a different regime. Since 6 April 2026, Proclamation 11021 applies Section 232 duties to the full customs value of covered steel, aluminum and copper articles regardless of metal content, at 50% for most of them and for every origin. That changes the comparison for CNC machining, die casting and sheet metal fabrication, because the 232 duty applies whether the part comes from China or Mexico, and Section 232 goods are exempt from the forced-labor 301 duty. Furniture faces its own Section 232 duty of 25% on certain upholstered wooden products, kitchen cabinets and vanities, with scheduled increases deferred to 1 January 2027, and a long-standing antidumping order on Chinese wooden bedroom furniture.
How industries differ in compliance exposure
Product rules matter as much as tariffs, and they fall on the importer of record. Toys must meet ASTM F963-23, the mandatory US toy safety standard since 20 April 2024, and from 8 July 2026 importers of CPSC-regulated products that require certification must file certificate data electronically with CBP. Medical devices fall under FDA's Quality Management System Regulation, which took effect on 2 February 2026 and incorporates ISO 13485:2016. Electronics depend on FCC equipment authorization; the FCC found that approximately 75% of FCC-certified devices are tested in recognized labs located in China, a finding in its 2025 order on test labs; press reports say the FCC chair cited 82% for 2025 at an October 2026 vote, a figure measured differently.
Forced-labor law cuts across categories. About 85% of China's cotton comes from Xinjiang, according to the USITC, which puts apparel, textiles and footwear at the center of UFLPA enforcement, alongside polysilicon, aluminum, lithium and steel among the designated priority sectors.
The profiles below follow a common structure: the verdict and its figures, where production clusters, how production is organized, US product rules, tariff exposure by instrument, where production is moving, common mistakes and how to evaluate a supplier in the category. None of them names a recommended supplier, and none is customs advice. A licensed customs broker should confirm the classification and duty for any specific product.