Filter Bags Made in Korea: US Import Duty vs. China (2026)
Felt filter bags cut and sewn in Korea enter the United States as products of Korea at a combined 12.5% duty, while the same bags made in China pay about 41.3%. The difference is decided by the US rules of origin: a filter bag takes the origin of the country where it is wholly assembled, while filter media in rolls takes the origin of the country where the fabric was formed. This page explains which Micro-one products qualify, with a landed-cost calculator for buyers and bag fabricators.
Rates checked November 1, 2026 · For orientation only, not legal or customs advice
about 45.5%MFN 8% + 25% + 12.5% (classification of roll goods varies)
China
5911
Felt filter bags sewn in Korea by Micro-onefelt made in Korea or imported
12.5%forced-labor Section 301 sets a 12.5% combined rate including MFN
Korea
5911.90.0080
Membrane-laminated rolls on felt made in Korea
12.5%combined rate for Korean-origin goods
Korea
5911
Membrane-laminated rolls on felt imported from Chinalaminated in Korea
China rateslamination does not change the origin of the felt
China
5911
Woven fiberglass bags or rolls on Chinese glass fabric
China ratesfiberglass follows the origin of the woven glass fabric
China (glass fabric)
7019
Combined rate = MFN + additional duties, on entered value. Freight, fees and Section 232 measures are not included. Exemption lists are code-specific; check your exact HTS code with your customs broker.
Landed-cost calculator
Enter numbers of 0 or more.
Duty you avoid each year
$28,800/ year
71% less duty than China-made bags
Estimate only. Excludes freight, brokerage and price differences. Confirm classification, origin and current rates with your customs broker.
Why does a bag sewn in Korea count as Korean origin?
US origin rules for textile products are set in 19 CFR 102.21. For a made-up article classified in subheading 5911.90, such as a felt filter bag, the rule is a change to 5911.90 from any heading, “provided that the change is the result of the good being wholly assembled in a single country.” When Micro-one cuts the laminated felt and sews the complete bag in its plant in Cheonan, Korea, the bag is a product of Korea, even if the felt itself was imported.
Why don't rolls laminated in Korea always qualify?
For fabric in heading 5911, the same rule requires a change “from any other heading, except from heading … 5602 through 5603 …, and provided that the change is the result of a fabric-making process.” Felt is heading 5602, and laminating a membrane onto it is not a fabric-making process. So membrane-laminated rolls take the origin of the felt: rolls on felt made in Korea are Korean origin, while rolls on felt imported from China remain Chinese origin.
What about fiberglass filter bags?
Woven fiberglass is classified with glass fabric in heading 7019, outside the textile origin rules. Fiberglass bags and rolls generally keep the origin of the woven glass fabric, so bags sewn in Korea from Chinese glass fabric are treated as Chinese origin. If fiberglass is your main need, ask your broker about a binding ruling before ordering.
What Micro-one supplies to US buyers
Finished felt filter bags, sewn in Korea – cut and sewn to your bag drawing or OEM specification, with or without an ePTFE membrane (DuraFill™ ePTFE membrane filter bags). Korean origin whether the felt is made in Korea or imported.
Membrane-laminated media on felt made in Korea – PTFE needle felt developed and produced in-house since 2013, laminated with our own ePTFE membrane. Korean-origin roll goods for fabricators who sew their own bags.
Membrane-laminated media on imported felt – our ePTFE membrane laminated in Korea onto imported felt. Competitive in price; note that these rolls keep the felt's origin.
Woven fiberglass + ePTFE membrane – rolls or bags for cement kilns, carbon black, lime and other high-temperature baghouses.
Media
Continuous temperature
Peak temperature
Surface
PTFE needle felt + ePTFE membrane
232–260°C (450–500°F)
260–280°C (500–536°F)
ePTFE membrane, pore size 1 µm or less
Woven fiberglass + ePTFE membrane
260°C (500°F)
288°C (550°F)
ePTFE membrane, pore size 1 µm or less
Temperatures are for dry gas and vary with the felt specification. Data sheets, other felts (PPS, P84, Meta Aramid, polyester) and samples on request.
Why buy from Micro-one?
Every layer in one plant – nonwoven felt, ePTFE membrane, lamination and bag sewing under one roof in Cheonan, Korea, with one lead time from media to bag.
A uniform membrane – even pores spread gas flow evenly across the bag surface for stable, low pressure drop.
Track record – filter bags supplied to more than 700 customers in Korea and overseas since 2006; membrane-laminated media already supplied to a filter bag manufacturer in North America.
Certified – ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001; 44 registered patents in Korea and Japan (October 2026).
Frequently Asked Questions
Do filter bags made in Korea pay Section 301 tariffs?
Not the China Section 301 tariffs. Since July 24, 2026, Korean-origin goods are subject to the forced-labor Section 301 action, which sets a combined rate of 12.5% including the regular (MFN) duty. Felt filter bags of Korean origin therefore pay 12.5% in total.
What is the US import duty on filter bags made in China?
For felt filter bags under HTS 5911.90.0080, the total is about 41.3%: 3.8% MFN duty, 25% China Section 301 duty and 12.5% forced-labor Section 301 duty, all on entered value.
If Chinese felt is laminated in Korea, is it Korean origin?
Not as roll goods. Lamination is not a fabric-making process, so the rolls keep the origin of the felt. Once the same media is cut and sewn into a complete filter bag in Korea, the bag becomes a product of Korea.
Are fiberglass filter bags sewn in Korea Korean origin?
Generally no. Woven fiberglass is classified in heading 7019 and usually keeps the origin of the glass fabric. Fiberglass bags sewn in Korea from Chinese glass fabric are treated as Chinese origin.
What HTS code applies to baghouse filter bags?
Felt filter bags for baghouses are commonly entered under 5911.90.0080 (textile articles for technical uses, other). Membrane-laminated roll goods and fiberglass products may fall under other codes, so confirm the classification with your customs broker.
How do I get a quote or samples?
Send your bag drawing (diameter, length, top and bottom design), felt type and weight, whether you need a membrane, the application and gas temperature, and your annual volume. We quote per drawing and can ship sample bags or rolls with a data sheet.
Your results or checked items are added to the inquiry note automatically. Add your company and email, and our engineer will reply with a filter proposal.
Data collected: company name and email (plus any contact details you add) · Purpose: to review and respond to your inquiry · Retention: 5 years as an inquiry record, then deleted
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Head Office
Micro-one Co., Ltd. (head office and factory)
368 Yeongok-gil, Ipjang-myeon, Seobuk-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do 31026, Republic of Korea Tel: +82-41-587-6911Fax: +82-41-587-6922Email: info@micro-one.kr
Dangjin Plant 2
1307 Tongjeong-ri, Seongmun-myeon, Dangjin-si, Chungcheongnam-do, Korea
Seoul Office
165 Gasan Digital 1-ro, Geumcheon-gu, Seoul (371-6, Gasan-dong)
