Buying guide

How to Import Knives from Pakistan to the United States

As of November 2026, most steel knives imported from Pakistan into the United States pay their normal duty plus a 25% Section 232 steel tariff: a folding knife pays 3 cents plus 30.4% of its value. Butterfly and automatic knives cannot be imported at all, every knife needs a permanent "Pakistan" origin mark or a marked sealed box, and low-value parcels no longer enter duty-free.

Updated 5 November 2026. Written by Pakistan Knives Factory, a knife manufacturer in Sialkot since 1982: we ship worldwide and the buyer pays the import duties.

What duty you pay in 2026

Up to three layers can apply to a knife from Pakistan. The totals below are our own addition of the rates published in the US tariff schedule in force on 30 October 2026.

Normal duty: depends on the knife, see the list below.
Section 232 steel tariff, +25% of the full customs value: knives of heading 8211 are treated as steel derivatives when steel is at least 15% of the article's weight, as it is for most knives with a steel blade.
Section 301 tariff on Pakistan, +10% since 24 July 2026: not charged on goods already under Section 232, so it matters for an article with less than 15% steel by weight.

Total for a knife with at least 15% steel:

Folding knives, including folding pruning and grafting knives (8211.93): normal duty 3 cents each + 5.4%, total 3 cents + 30.4%.
Fixed blade hunting knives with wood handles (8211.92): normal duty 4.4%, total 29.4%.
Other fixed blade knives (8211.92): normal duty 0.4 cents each + 6.1%, total 0.4 cents + 31.1%.
Kitchen knives with plastic handles (8211.92): normal duty 0.8 cents each + 4.6%, total 0.8 cents + 29.6%.
Table knives with fixed blades (8211.91): normal duty from free to 0.9 cents each + 10.6% depending on the model, plus the 25%.
Knife sets (8211.10): the rate of the highest-rated knife in the set. A set with at least as many forks or spoons as knives is classified under heading 8215 instead: ask your broker.
A leather sheath imported alone: classified under 4202.91.90 at 4.5% in a 2013 ruling.

Two tariffs you may read about no longer apply: the IEEPA reciprocal tariffs were struck down on 20 February 2026 and ended by executive order, and the 10% Section 122 surcharge expired on 23 July 2026. The GSP preference that once exempted many goods from Pakistan lapsed at the end of 2020, and we found no renewal.

A worked example

100 folding knives at US$5.00 each have a customs value of US$500 (customs value normally excludes international freight: your broker confirms).

Specific duty: 100 x 3 cents = US$3.00
Percentage duty: 30.4% of US$500 = US$152.00
Total duty: US$155.00, or about US$1.55 a knife, before shipping, customs fees and your broker's fee.

The price of the knife is only part of your cost, so compare suppliers on the landed cost, not the unit price. See Pakistan or China for the same comparison between countries.

Knives you cannot import

The Federal Switchblade Act bans the import of knives that open automatically, by a button or device in the handle, or by inertia or gravity. The customs regulations (19 CFR 12.95) go further and name balisong or butterfly knives, gravity and ballistic knives, knives easily converted to open automatically, and kits and handles for them. Customs refused balisong knives in rulings of 2004 and 2007. Prohibited knives are forfeited.

Butterfly knives: our catalogue includes them for other markets. Do not order them for the United States.
Assisted-opening knives: the law exempts a knife with a spring, detent or other mechanism that biases the blade toward closure, where hand, wrist or arm effort on the blade must overcome that bias. Rulings have gone both ways: one model was admitted in 2010, and a stud-operated sample was held to be a switchblade in 2016. Before a large order of an assisted model, your broker can ask US Customs for a ruling on that model.
Fixed blade knives, daggers and throwing knives: we found no federal import ban. The regulations (19 CFR 12.96) admit fixed-blade items such as sheath knives, though they do not name daggers or throwing knives, and they warn that state and city laws may restrict possession. Check the law where you will sell.

How each knife must be marked

Every import must show the English name of its country of origin. For knives, 19 CFR 134.43 requires a permanent method: die stamping, cast-in-mold lettering, etching, engraving or an attached metal plate. A paper sticker was refused in a 2007 ruling on a Pakistani dagger. Laser marking is not named in the rule, so have your broker confirm it for your model.

Where: customs recommended the handle when it can be marked, and otherwise at least the base of the cutting blade.
On the box instead: marking the box can be enough when the knife reaches its final buyer inside it, as a 2014 ruling on Pakistani hunting knives accepted. Knives displayed loose on a counter need the mark on the knife.
Words that could mislead: if a knife or its box carries a place name or word suggesting another origin, "Made in Pakistan" must appear close to it in comparable size.
Penalty: unmarked goods pay an additional 10% duty.

Tell us the marking your broker wants when you ask for a quote, so that it is settled before production starts.

Customs entry: what you need

Importer of record: the owner, the purchaser, or a licensed broker they appoint. A foreign company acting as importer needs a resident agent in the US.
Formal entry above US$2,500, with a customs bond, single or continuous. A continuous bond is commonly US$50,000 or 10% of the duties paid over the past 12 months. A separate US$250 limit written in the regulations for goods under some additional tariffs has been suspended, and US Customs proposed removing it in October 2026: ask your broker which limit applies on the day.
No more duty-free small parcels: the de minimis exemption has been suspended since 29 August 2025, and the law ends it on 1 July 2027 in any case.
Documents: entry form CBP 3461, proof of the right to make entry, commercial invoice and packing list. For ocean freight, an Importer Security Filing is due 24 hours before loading.

Step by step

Choose your references and leave out anything prohibited.
Ask a licensed customs broker for the classification, duty and marking of those references. Give the blade length, handle material and how the knife opens.
Ask us for a quote including shipping, and state the marking you need.
Work out your landed cost, then confirm the order. Payment is by bank transfer, 100% before production starts.
Your broker files the entry when the goods ship. As importer of record, you pay the duties.

Questions buyers ask

What is the US duty on knives from Pakistan?

In November 2026, a folding knife with at least 15% steel by weight pays 3 cents plus 30.4% of its value, a wood-handled fixed blade hunting knife pays 29.4%, and other fixed blades pay 0.4 cents plus 31.1%. These totals add the normal duty and the 25% Section 232 steel tariff.

Can I import butterfly knives from Pakistan to the US?

No. US customs regulations name balisong and butterfly knives among the prohibited switchblades, and prohibited knives are forfeited.

Are small parcels of knives duty-free in the US?

No. The de minimis exemption has been suspended since 29 August 2025, so duty is due whatever the value.

Who pays the US import duty on a Pakistan Knives Factory order?

The buyer, as importer of record. Our quote covers the goods and shipping; import duties and taxes are paid by the buyer.

Buying knives in quantity? Send us your references and quantities: wholesale price from 50 pieces, no minimum order, your logo laser-engraved on the blade, about one month lead time on average.

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Sources

General information from a manufacturer, not legal or customs advice. US tariffs changed several times in 2026, and the Section 232 lists twice: check the current rates with a licensed customs broker before you order.