Germany
USA trade laneGermany's automotive supply base — the carmakers and the suppliers clustered around Stuttgart, Munich, Wolfsburg and the Rhineland — feeds US distributors of European parts, independent BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Volkswagen and Porsche specialists, restoration shops and performance tuners. The parts are well made and well documented. The hard part is the tariff: since 2025 many auto parts carry a Section 232 tariff, and whether each line is on Commerce's list decides what you pay.
AGF moves German auto parts through WCA partner agents in Germany — AGF has no office there — consolidating supplier pickups at Hamburg or Bremerhaven for ocean, or flying urgent parts from Frankfurt. Our licensed customs brokers classify your catalog line by line and files the entry, so the Section 232 parts and the rest are declared correctly from the first shipment.
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Shipping Auto Parts from Germany to USA
Most German parts programs ship as LCL or full containers of mixed SKUs: cartons on pallets, crated engines and gearboxes, body panels in bulky packaging. Steel and cast parts reach the container's weight limit before they fill the space, while trim and panels do the opposite, so the load plan mixes the two where it can. Hamburg or Bremerhaven to the US East Coast takes roughly 10–14 days on the water, and 20–25 days to the West Coast.
Air freight from Frankfurt (FRA) reaches major US cities in 1–3 days and is the usual answer for vehicle-off-road orders, high-value electronic modules and restocking fast-moving SKUs. Several part types are dangerous goods in transport — airbag modules and seatbelt pretensioners, wet batteries, some gas struts and shock absorbers, and fluids — and must be declared at booking, which also narrows the airline and consolidation options.
- Mixed-SKU LCL or FCL from Hamburg or Bremerhaven, with supplier pickups consolidated by our partner agents
- Air from Frankfurt for vehicle-off-road orders and high-value modules (1–3 days)
- Airbags, pretensioners, batteries and fluids declared as dangerous goods from booking
- Engines and gearboxes drained, crated and bolted down in ISPM-15 wood packaging
What Drives the Cost
- Section 232 coverage of each HTS line — listed parts of EU origin pay 15% all-in; parts off the list pay their normal duty topped up to 10% in total under the Section 301 measure on EU goods
- Country of origin of each part — a part shipped from a German warehouse but made outside the EU pays the tariffs of the country where it was made
- Weight versus volume across the SKU mix
- The air-versus-ocean split for urgent and high-value parts
- Dangerous-goods surcharges and carrier acceptance for airbags, batteries and fluids
- Pickups from several German suppliers versus one consolidated warehouse
HS Codes and Duty Notes
Classification guidance only — duty rates change and depend on your exact product. Our licensed customs brokers verify every code before you commit to an order.
| HS Code | Products | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 8708 | Parts and accessories of motor vehicles — brakes, gearboxes, axles, suspension, steering, body parts, radiators | Many 8708 lines are on the Section 232 auto-parts list and pay 15% all-in from the EU. Lines off the list pay their normal duty topped up to 10% under the Section 301 measure. Coverage is checked line by line. |
| 8407 / 8408 / 8409 | Engines and engine parts | Engines and many engine parts are covered by Section 232. Used and remanufactured engines classify the same way and must have their fluids drained before shipping. |
| 8511 / 8512 / 8544.30 | Ignition and starting equipment; lighting and signaling equipment; wiring harnesses | Electrical parts sit outside 8708 and are a frequent source of misclassification. Several of these lines are also on the Section 232 list. |
| 4011 / 8507 | Tires; batteries | Some tire and battery lines are on the Section 232 list. Tires need DOT markings, and batteries are dangerous goods in transport. |
Regulations and Compliance
Section 232 auto-parts tariff — EU capped at 15%
Since May 2025 a 25% Section 232 tariff has applied to listed auto parts — engines, transmissions, powertrain, electrical and other components — from every origin. Under the US–EU framework, listed parts of EU origin pay 15% all-in instead: the cap absorbs the normal duty rather than stacking on top of it. Commerce can add parts to the list through periodic inclusion requests, so a line that is off the list today may not stay off. We check every line at quoting.
Parts outside Section 232: the EU 10% measure, steel and aluminum, trucks
Parts that are not on the auto-parts list pay their normal duty topped up to 10% in total under the Section 301 measure on EU goods in force since 24 July 2026; goods already at 10% or more pay nothing extra. Steel and aluminum products and derivatives fall under their own Section 232 measure, which has no EU cap, and parts for medium- and heavy-duty trucks fall under a separate Section 232 action with its own terms. Which regime applies to a part number is a classification question we settle before you order.
Country of origin is where the part was made
A German parts wholesaler's stock is not all German. OE and aftermarket parts are made across the EU and beyond, and US duty follows the country where each part was manufactured, not the country it ships from — a part made in China pays China's tariff stack even when it is invoiced and shipped from Germany. Each part must also be marked with its actual country of origin; 'Made in EU' is not an acceptable marking. The commercial invoice therefore needs the origin of every line.
DOT and FMVSS — European lighting is not US-legal
Lighting, glazing, brake hoses, seat belts and tires sold for road use must meet the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and carry DOT markings, and regulated equipment is declared on the HS-7 form at entry. European E-marked headlamps and lamps are certified to UN ECE rules, not to FMVSS 108, however good they are. For safety equipment, source US-specification part numbers.
EPA, CARB and emissions-related parts
Catalytic converters, exhaust and engine-management parts that affect emissions are subject to the Clean Air Act's tampering prohibition, and in California aftermarket parts of this kind need a CARB Executive Order before they can be sold or installed on road vehicles. German performance parts are a frequent problem here — check the certification before importing for US sale.
Counterfeit and gray-market parts
CBP seizes parts bearing counterfeit trademarks, and brand owners that have recorded gray-market protection with CBP can restrict genuine parts made for other markets. Buy through channels the brand authorizes and keep the supplier's documentation with your entry records.
Door-to-Door Import Service
We start with the parts list: part numbers, descriptions, country of manufacture and weights. Our licensed customs brokers map each line to its HTS code and to Section 232 or the EU 10% measure, so the landed cost is known before the order is placed. Our partner agents in Germany then collect from your suppliers, consolidate at Hamburg or Bremerhaven, and book the dangerous-goods lines correctly.
On arrival the entry is filed with the origin of every line and the HS-7 declarations where they apply, duty is paid, and the cargo is delivered to your warehouse or held at a partner warehouse near the port for pick-and-ship. Urgent parts fly from Frankfurt on the same program and under the same classification.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the tariff on auto parts from Germany?
Can I import genuine BMW or Mercedes parts from Germany?
Are European headlights legal in the US?
How long does it take to ship auto parts from Germany to the USA?
Auto Parts is just one example. AGF ships whatever your business moves — on this lane and beyond. If your commodity isn't covered by one of our guides, tell us what you ship and we'll build the logistics around it.
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Transit, duty exposure and container loads side by side in our auto parts import guide.
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