China leads; alternatives compete. China still made 46.9% of world collar and leash exports in 2023, but its share of US imports of them fell to 25.9% in 2025 (UN Comtrade).
Is China still the default source for pet products?
China is a leading source of pet products but no longer the default one for the US market, and for pet food it is a minor supplier. Pet products are the goods sold for keeping companion animals: collars, leashes and harnesses, toys, beds, bowls, grooming tools, carriers, aquarium goods, and food and treats.
That breadth is the first problem. No Harmonized System (HS) heading — the international product code used to classify goods at the border — covers "pet products" as a category, so no trade statistic gives China's overall share. Two product lines can be measured, and they serve as proxies (stand-in measures) for the category:
| HS code | Product | China, 2018 | China, 2023 | China, 2025 | Leading suppliers, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4201 | Saddlery and harness for any animal, incl. leashes, collars, muzzles and dog coats | 68.4% | 41.5% | 25.9% | Cambodia 20.0%, Vietnam 18.1%, India 11.1% |
| 2309.10 | Dog or cat food, put up for retail sale | 15.2% | 8.2% | 5.1% | Thailand 42.8%, Canada 16.4% |
Source: UN Comtrade, US-reported imports. Both are proxies only. Heading 4201 also includes equestrian saddlery, and pet toys, beds and bowls cannot be isolated at all. On the export side, China still supplied 46.9% of reported world exports of 4201 goods in 2023 (US$1.18 billion of US$2.5 billion), far ahead of Germany at 7.7% and India at 7.2%. China remains the largest maker of these goods worldwide; it is simply no longer where most US-bound volume in this line comes from.
Why pet products cannot be measured as one category
Pet products are classified by what they are made of, not by the animal that uses them. Heading 9503 (toys) does not cover pet toys, which go to headings for their material — plastics in 3926 or textiles in 6307, for example. Pet beds fall under textile or bedding headings. Bowls are classified by material in 3924 (plastic), 7323 (iron or steel) or 6912 (ceramic).
This has two practical effects. First, any claim that "China makes most of the world's pet products" rests on private market research, not on official trade data, and should be read that way. Second, the duty rate and any Section 301 list placement change with the material, so two pet toys of similar size can carry different tariffs. A licensed customs broker should confirm the HTS code for each item.
Where it is made and how production is organized
Pet hardgoods and softgoods come from general consumer-goods factories — sewing for beds and harnesses, injection molding for toys and bowls, metal wire for crates, and wood and sisal for cat trees. They often sit in the same clusters as toys and housewares. Trade sources commonly name Nanhe in Xingtai, Hebei, for pet supplies; Yantai, Qingdao and Linyi in Shandong for pet food and treats; and Zhejiang and Jiangsu for textile pet beds. None of those clusters was confirmed from an official or academic source for this page, so treat them as commonly reported.
MOQ and lead-time structure
- Softgoods. Minimum order quantities (MOQs) are set by fabric and color runs.
- Molded goods. MOQs are set by tooling.
- Food and treats. Minimums are set by batch size and by the cost of building a compliant US supply chain.
No published benchmark for pet-product MOQs or lead times exists. Hardgoods follow the familiar sequence of sampling, testing, production, inspection and transit. Food adds regulatory steps — facility registration and supplier verification — that must be complete before the first shipment.
US rules for pet hardgoods
Pet products are not "children's products," so the Consumer Product Safety Commission's (CPSC) third-party children's testing and Children's Product Certificates do not apply to a dog toy or a cat bed as such. General consumer product safety duties still apply. Retailers commonly add their own requirements, such as third-party testing and California Proposition 65 warnings; Prop 65 specifics were not re-verified for this page.
The exception is marketing. A pet toy that is labeled, styled or sold in a way that makes it look like a children's toy can draw children's-product rules. That matters more since 8 July 2026, when CPSC began requiring importers to eFile certificates with US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for regulated products that need a certificate (16 CFR part 1110). For goods entered from a foreign trade zone, the date is 8 January 2027.
Cotton pet beds carry a separate risk. Cotton and some textiles are high-priority sectors under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), so importers should hold supply-chain tracing documents before shipment. The current sector list was not re-verified for this page.
US rules for pet food and treats
Pet food and treats are "food" under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and importing them from China is a regulated food import, not a hardgoods purchase. The obligations fall on both the foreign plant and the importer:
- Food facility registration. The Chinese manufacturing plant must be registered with FDA as a food facility under the Bioterrorism Act registration rule (68 FR 58894, 10 October 2003).
- Prior Notice. Each shipment must be notified to FDA before arrival (68 FR 58974).
- Preventive controls and supplier verification. The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) adds preventive controls for animal food and the Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP), which makes the importer responsible for verifying its foreign supplier. The exact CFR sections were not re-checked for this page.
- Animal-origin ingredients. USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) rules may also apply.
China's own export-side requirements for pet food, such as registration of export enterprises with the General Administration of Customs (GACC), were not confirmed for this page.
Tariff exposure, dated
No tariff exemption for pet products was identified, and no antidumping or countervailing duty order specific to pet products from China was found. Steel wire crates and cages could fall within other orders if in scope; that was not checked. As of October 2026, Chinese pet goods carry layered tariffs (duties charged at entry):
- the most-favored-nation (MFN) rate for the HTS line, which depends on the material;
- any legacy Section 301 list duty for that line — list placement for 4201 and 2309.10 was not confirmed;
- a 12.5% Section 301 forced-labor tariff on products of China entered on or after 24 July 2026, which stacks on the legacy lists.
Two earlier layers have ended. IEEPA tariffs ended on 20 February 2026, when the Supreme Court held in Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump that the statute does not authorize tariffs. A 10% Section 122 surcharge ran from 24 February 2026 until the forced-labor tariff replaced it in late July.
Where pet product production is shifting
The collar and leash line shows one of the clearest measurable moves away from China. China's share of US 4201 imports fell from 68.4% in 2018 to 25.9% in 2025, and its value fell from about US$0.37 billion to US$0.13 billion while total US imports were about US$0.51 billion in 2025. Cambodia rose from near zero to 20.0%, with Vietnam at 18.1% and India at 11.1% (UN Comtrade).
Pet food never centered on China. US imports of retail dog and cat food rose from US$0.99 billion in 2018 to US$2.40 billion in 2025, while China's share fell from 15.2% to 5.1%. Thailand supplied 42.8% in 2025 and Canada 16.4%. For toys, beds and bowls, no comparable measurement exists.
Common mistakes and how to evaluate a supplier
- Classifying a pet toy as a toy. It is classified by material, which changes the duty and Section 301 exposure.
- Packaging a pet toy like a children's toy. That can bring CPSC children's-product rules into play.
- Importing treats or chews as hardgoods. FDA registration, Prior Notice and FSVP apply to food.
- Relying on old "China makes most pet products" claims. For the measurable lines, China's US share is 25.9% and 5.1%.
- Shipping cotton beds without tracing documents. UFLPA detentions turn on supply-chain evidence.
What to check in a pet product supplier
For hardgoods, confirm what the factory makes in-house (sewing, molding, wire) and ask for third-party test reports on the exact materials used. For food and treats, ask for the plant's FDA food facility registration number and confirm it before ordering, because the importer carries the FSVP obligation. For textiles, ask where the cotton or fiber originates and what documents trace it.
Frequently asked questions
What share of pet products comes from China?
No single figure exists, because pet products are spread across dozens of tariff headings classified by material. For the lines that can be measured, China supplied 25.9% of US imports of collars, leashes and harness (HS 4201) in 2025 and 5.1% of retail dog and cat food (HS 2309.10), according to UN Comtrade. Private market-research estimates of an overall share are not official statistics.
Where are dog collars and leashes made now?
In 2025 the main suppliers of US imports of collars, leashes and harness (HS 4201) were China at 25.9%, Cambodia at 20.0%, Vietnam at 18.1% and India at 11.1%, per UN Comtrade. China held 68.4% in 2018. It still produced 46.9% of reported world exports of these goods in 2023, so the shift is in US-bound supply rather than in world production.
Where does imported pet food in the US come from?
Mainly Thailand and Canada. In 2025 Thailand supplied 42.8% of US imports of dog and cat food put up for retail sale (HS 2309.10), and Canada supplied 16.4%, according to UN Comtrade. China supplied 5.1%, down from 15.2% in 2018. Total US imports in this line rose from US$0.99 billion in 2018 to US$2.40 billion in 2025.
Do dog treats from China need FDA registration?
Yes. Pet treats are food under US law, so the Chinese plant must be registered with FDA as a food facility under the Bioterrorism Act rule (68 FR 58894), and each shipment needs Prior Notice to FDA before arrival (68 FR 58974). The importer also has obligations under the Foreign Supplier Verification Program, which requires it to verify the foreign supplier's food safety controls.
Do pet toys need CPSC testing?
Not the third-party testing required for children's products, unless the toy is designed or marketed for children. Pet products are not children's products under CPSC rules, but general consumer product safety duties still apply, and retailers often require third-party testing and Proposition 65 compliance. Labeling or styling a pet toy so it looks like a children's toy is the main way importers create a children's-product problem.
Is there a tariff exemption for pet products from China?
No exemption for pet products was identified. As of October 2026, duty depends on each item's HTS line: the MFN rate, any legacy Section 301 list duty, and the 12.5% Section 301 forced-labor tariff on Chinese goods entered from 24 July 2026. Because pet toys, beds and bowls are classified by material, two similar items can carry different rates.
Sources
- United Nations Statistics Division (UN Comtrade) — UN Comtrade database, HS 4201 and 230910
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission — Certificates of Compliance, Final Rule, 90 FR 1800 (16 CFR part 1110); correction 90 FR 45917
- comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/A/HS?period=2023&partnerCode=0&cmdCod…
- federalregister.gov/documents/2003/10/10/03-25849
- federalregister.gov/documents/2003/10/10/03-25877
- hklaw.com/en/insights/publications/2026/02/supreme-court-strikes-down-ieepa-…
- taxnews.ey.com/news/2026-1607-ustr-finalizes-section-301-forced-labor-tariff…