Importing cotton towels from India into the US — what the importer of record handles

On an FOB order, the supplier's job ends when the container is loaded at the Indian port. Everything after that — the ocean leg, US customs entry, duty, delivery — sits with the buyer, who in most cases is also the importer of record. Most of it is routine once a customs broker is involved, but a few parts need information from the supplier before the goods leave India, and those are the ones that cause delays when nobody asked for them early.

Labelling has to be right before the towels are woven

US textile labelling is set by the Textile Fiber Products Identification Act and the FTC's rules under it. For towels, the label has to show three things: fibre content by generic name and percentage ("100% Cotton"), the country of origin ("Made in India"), and the identity of the manufacturer or a US company responsible for the product — either the company name or its RN number, the registration number the FTC issues to US textile businesses.

Bathrobes are treated as wearing apparel, so they also need a permanent care label under the FTC's Care Labeling Rule. Towels fall outside that rule, but most retailers ask for a care label anyway, and it costs nothing extra to include one while labels are being made.

The practical point is timing. Labels are sewn in during production, so the label text — including your RN number if you want it on the label rather than ours — needs to be agreed with the specification, not after the sample is approved.

Classification: towels and bathrobes are not the same line

Cotton terry towels are classified under HTS heading 6302.60 — toilet and kitchen linen of cotton terry fabric. Bathrobes are apparel and sit in a different chapter of the tariff schedule entirely, so a mixed order of towels and robes is two classifications, not one. Your customs broker confirms the full ten-digit codes for each item; what helps them is an invoice that describes each product plainly — construction, fibre, size — rather than as a style name.

The ISF has to be filed before the container is loaded

For ocean shipments, US Customs requires an Importer Security Filing — often called "10+2" — at least 24 hours before the cargo is loaded onto the vessel at the foreign port. It is filed by the importer or their broker, but several of the required details come from the supplier's side: the manufacturer's name and address, the seller, the container stuffing location and the country of origin. Ask your broker to request those as soon as the order is confirmed, rather than when the container is already at the port.

Entry, bond and duty

A commercial container needs a formal customs entry, and a formal entry needs a customs bond — your broker arranges both, along with the entry filing itself. Duty is calculated on the classification and the declared value.

The rate is the one part worth checking at the time you cost the order, not from an old quotation or an article like this one. Tariff measures on goods from India have changed several times over the last two years, and the rate that applies is the one in force when the goods enter the US. Ask your broker for the current total rate on 6302.60 from India before you compare an Indian FOB price against any other origin.

What comes from the supplier

From our side, a US order ships with the commercial invoice, packing list and certificate of origin, labelling prepared to FTC requirements with your artwork, and the manufacturer details your broker needs for the ISF. What we do not handle is anything after loading — freight, entry, bond and duty sit with you and your broker under FOB, which is also what lets you use your own forwarder's rates. Our guide on what FOB actually means covers where that line falls in more detail.

What to settle before the first US order

• A customs broker and a freight forwarder, before the order is confirmed
• The current duty rate on your products from India, from your broker
• Label text, including whose identity or RN number goes on it
• Who sends the ISF details to whom, and by when

Tell us your products, your destination port and whether you have an RN number, and our export team will confirm the labelling and the shipping documents for your first US order before anything goes into production.