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Textile and Apparel Market Report - Additional Information

Market Reports

Additional Information
Textiles, Apparel, Footwear, and Travel Goods

The following information is provided only as a guide and should be confirmed with the appropriate overseas market authorities before embarking on any export activities.

OFFICE OF TEXTILES AND APPAREL (OTEXA)

Country Commercial Guides:

For country-specific information on market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business customs prepared at U.S. Embassies worldwide by the Commerce Department, State Department, and other U.S. agencies’ professionals, see the Country Commercial Guides (CCG) on the trade.gov website.

U.S. companies may contact the U.S. Commercial Service, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration, for information on how to export and grow internationally.

Tariffs and Documentation:

If your product is primarily made in the U.S. of U.S. originating components it may qualify for duty-free entry into countries with which the U.S. has a free trade agreement (FTA). The U.S. currently has FTAs with the following countries: Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Jordan, Mexico, Morocco, Nicaragua, Oman, Panama, Peru, Singapore and South Korea. See the following tariff tools to determine the duty-free status or reduced duties that apply to products eligible under these free trade agreements:

Tariffs applied in foreign markets on products not subject to FTAs or other preferential trade agreements may be found on the:    

See the trade.gov Import Tariffs & Fees Overview.

U.S. Export Restrictions:

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in the U.S. Department of the Treasury administers and enforces economic and trade sanctions based on U.S. foreign policy and national security goals against targeted foreign countries and regimes, terrorists, international narcotics traffickers, those engaged in activities related to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and other threats to the national security, foreign policy or economy of the United States.

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) in the U.S. Department of Commerce is responsible for advancing U.S. national security, foreign policy, and economic objectives by ensuring an effective export control and treaty compliance system and promoting continued U.S. strategic technology leadership.

Product Standards and Technical Regulations:

Notify U.S. website  - Notify U.S. is a free, web-based e-mail subscription service that offers U.S. entities (citizens, industries, and organizations) an opportunity to review and comment on proposed foreign technical regulations that may affect their access to international markets. The Notify U.S. service and website are managed and operated by the USA WTO TBT Inquiry Point housed within the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Additional resources: 

Intellectual Property Protection:

For information on protecting trademarks, designs, patents and copyrights, see the STOPFAKES.GOV website.  STOPFAKES.GOV is a one-stop shop for U.S. government tools and resources on intellectual property rights (IPR) including various resources to educated and assist businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises. IPR toolkits provide background information on current IPR laws and regulations in specific overseas markets and Country Snapshots offer reference guides for information about available IPR protections. 

Other sources for market information and data:

Foreign Trade Barriers:

Report a foreign trade barrier - The Department of Commerce’s Office of Trade Agreements Negotiations and Compliance (TANC) specializes in working with U.S. businesses to remove unfair foreign government-imposed trade barriers.

See the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative reports:

  • The National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers (NTE) - an annual series that surveys significant foreign barriers to U.S. exports.
  • The “Special 301” Report - an annual review of the global state of IPR protection and enforcement.
  • Trade Policy Agenda and Annual Report