What's the Tariff on Refrigerator?
Refrigerators from Mexico, South Korea, China.
Current Tariff Rate
30%
Pre-2025 Rate
0%
Rate Increase
+30pp
Price Impact
+30%
+$540
Real-World Price Impact
Before Tariffs
$1,799
French door fridge
After Tariffs
$2,339
French door fridge
That's $540 more per unit — a 30% price increase paid by the American buyer.
Note: Price estimates assume full tariff pass-through to consumers. Actual retail prices may vary — manufacturers may absorb some costs, shift production, or adjust margins.
The Story Behind This Tariff
Refrigerators represent a uniquely North American supply chain story. Mexico is the dominant source of imported refrigerators, with LG, Samsung, Whirlpool, and Electrolux all operating major assembly plants in Nuevo León and Querétaro. The 30% IEEPA tariff disrupts a deeply integrated cross-border production network where compressors from China, steel from the US, and electronics from South Korea converge in Mexican factories for final assembly. Unlike washing machines, refrigerators never received safeguard protection, so the IEEPA rate hits an industry that had optimized around duty-free NAFTA/USMCA access. Domestic US production has shrunk to roughly 35% of the market, concentrated in Whirlpool's Ohio and Iowa plants. The tariff creates an awkward dynamic where a Samsung fridge made in Mexico costs 30% more while an identical model from Samsung's Newberry, SC plant doesn't — assuming you can get one.
📦 Supply Chain
Primary Origin
MX
Made in USA
35%
Import Volume
$5.2B
Alternatives
Domestic Whirlpool plants (Ohio, Iowa)
📅 Tariff Timeline
2006
NAFTA zero-duty access for Mexican fridges
0%2020
USMCA maintains free trade for qualifying appliances
0%2025
IEEPA tariff overrides USMCA preferences
30%👥 Consumer Impact
Households Affected
40M
Annual Cost Per Household
$110
💡 Did You Know?
- •Mexico assembles more refrigerators for the US market than any other country, including the US itself
- •A modern French-door refrigerator contains over 2,000 individual parts sourced from 15+ countries
- •Compressor manufacturing — the heart of any fridge — is 80% concentrated in China and Brazil
Tariff Details
- HTS Code
- 8418.10
- Current Rate
- 30%
- Pre-2025 Rate
- 0%
- Tariff Type
- IEEPA
Legal Authority
IEEPA Executive Order (April 2, 2025)
Effective: April 2, 2025
"Liberation Day" — broad tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act
The tariff on Refrigerator is paid by the American importer at the port of entry and passed through to consumers as higher retail prices. The foreign manufacturer does not pay the tariff.
Who Actually Pays This Tariff?
Despite claims that tariffs are paid by foreign countries, the 30% tariff on Refrigerator is paid by American importers — US companies that purchase these goods from abroad. The cost is then passed to American consumers through higher retail prices.
- ✓ The foreign seller receives the same price as before
- ✓ The US importer pays 30% of the customs value to CBP
- ✓ The retailer marks up the higher landed cost
- ✓ You pay more at the register: $1,799 → $2,339
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