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Market Watch

Fitness Equipment Tariffs: Set Quote Validity and Escalation Terms Before Ordering

Market Signal — SFIA’s 2026 survey names tariffs the industry’s top concern while a majority of manufacturers report no shift in sourcing. What that means for quote validity, duty basis and escalation terms, and the records to check.

FEX Editorial Team
By FEX Editorial Team
19 Min Read
Market Signal

For: Dealers and distributors quoting imported equipment, and commercial buyers placing orders while duty costs are uncertain.

The decision: How to set quote validity, escalation terms and order timing when the industry names tariffs as its top concern.

60-second answer: SFIA’s 2026 State of the Industry release says manufacturers cite tariffs as the defining issue facing the industry, that tariffs ranked as the top concern across companies, and that a majority of respondents indicated no shift in sourcing. FEX reads that as a sign that tariff costs will show up in price and terms more than in new supply routes. The survey cannot tell you the duty on any product. Get the classification, origin and duty basis for each line from the importer of record, date every quote, and agree in writing who absorbs a duty change before delivery.

What SFIA published, and what it did not

The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) released its 2026 State of the Industry Report on May 19, 2026. According to the release, the report is based on a survey of sports and fitness manufacturers fielded in January 2026. The release says:

Contents
  • Manufacturers cite tariffs as “the defining issue facing the industry.”
  • Tariffs ranked as the top concern across companies, whether their business performance improved, declined or held steady.
  • A majority of respondents indicated no shift in sourcing, which the release attributes to the complexity and long life of global supply networks.
  • Companies face rising costs tied to materials, logistics and tariffs. In the release’s words, “These pressures are forcing businesses to make difficult decisions around pricing, sourcing, and operations.”

The public release gives no sample size, fitness-equipment breakout or pass-through rate. Trade coverage of the full report has cited percentages for sourcing, U.S. manufacturing plans and profitability; FEX has not reviewed the full report and does not use them.

SFIA’s March 31, 2026 release put 2025 US wholesale sales of sporting goods at $130 billion, up 3.7%, “as cost pressures and evolving trade and tariff policies continue to impact the industry.” That total covers far more than fitness equipment and includes price effects, so it does not measure commercial unit demand.

The duty is a line-level fact

A ranking of concerns does not set the duty on a treadmill or a rack. Duty depends on classification, country of origin, customs value and the trade measures in force at entry. For most exercise equipment, four points frame the questions:

  • Classification. Harmonized Tariff Schedule subheading 9506.91.00 covers “articles and equipment for general physical exercise, gymnastics or athletics; parts and accessories thereof,” with a general rate of 4.6% and a special-rate column listing free entry under certain trade programs. Classification is product-specific and is the importer’s responsibility, usually handled with its customs broker, subject to CBP review and confirmable by a CBP binding ruling. A product category label does not decide it.
  • Section 232 steel content. The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security added subheading 9506.91.00 to the Section 232 steel derivative products list for goods entered on or after August 18, 2025. Under that notice, the duty on listed derivatives was assessed on the value of the steel content, with the non-steel content subject to other applicable tariffs. Proclamation 11021 of April 2, 2026 then removed 9506.91.00 from Section 232 steel-derivative coverage (Annex II) for goods entered on or after April 6, 2026, and the revised Annex II issued with Proclamation 11032 in June 2026 still lists it among the removals. Have the broker confirm current treatment before accepting a Section 232 charge on this subheading.
  • Section 301 for Chinese origin. USTR’s August 2019 Section 301 action covered all products of China classified in subheading 9506.91.00, effective September 1, 2019. In the current tariff schedule, the heading for that list, 9903.88.15, provides for the base duty plus an additional 7.5%, unless an exception listed in the heading applies. A separate Section 301 action, following USTR’s forced-labor investigations of 60 economies, applies to goods entered on or after July 24, 2026 at 10% or 12.5% by economy (for some, as a combined rate with the base duty); for products of China, heading 9903.05.31 adds 12.5% to the base duty, with exceptions that include listed products and articles subject to Section 232. Ask the broker whether a line is exempt and how the two actions apply to it.
  • IEEPA ruling. On February 20, 2026, the Supreme Court held in Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump, decided together with Trump v. V.O.S. Selections, Inc., that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) does not authorize the President to impose tariffs. The case concerned the tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico and China and the “reciprocal” tariffs on imports from all trading partners. It addressed only IEEPA tariffs; Section 232 and Section 301 duties were not part of the case. The majority opinion does not address refunds of duties already paid or decide whether other statutes could support similar tariffs. CBP separately announced a refund tool for IEEPA duties, CAPE, with a first phase opening April 20, 2026 for certain entries.
  • Section 122 surcharge. The same day as the ruling, the President proclaimed a separate 10% surcharge under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 for goods entered from February 24, 2026. It did not apply in addition to Section 232 duties, but where Section 232 covered only part of an import, such as the steel content of a listed derivative, the surcharge applied to the rest. The proclamation set it to run through 12:01 a.m. on July 24, 2026, unless extended by Congress; FEX found no extension. On May 7, 2026, the Court of International Trade held the proclamation invalid in Oregon v. United States (Slip Op. 26-47), with relief limited to the plaintiffs, and the Oregon Department of Justice reports that the Federal Circuit stayed that judgment pending appeal on June 11, 2026. Ask the broker how any surcharge paid on your entries is being treated.

The 4.6% general rate is therefore often not the whole duty. Recheck any duty assumption carried over from a 2025 price list with your customs broker against what applies at entry now, and have the broker confirm the landed duty on each line before it goes into a quote.

If you are the importer of record, your broker’s entry documents show what was paid and under which provisions. If you buy domestically, ask the supplier to identify the duty component in its price and the basis for any surcharge. Importer-of-record duties for product certificates are covered in CPSC certificate eFiling.

Tariff signal check

Fitness equipment tariffs: what the published signals suggest and what to check
Signal What it suggests What it cannot show Record to check
Tariffs the top concern among manufacturers surveyed (SFIA, May 2026) Suppliers expect cost pressure and may revise prices or terms The duty on any product, or when a price will change Supplier price notices; validity dates on your open quotes
Majority indicated no shift in sourcing Supply routes and origins largely unchanged for now Which of your suppliers changed origin or plan to Country of origin and final assembly per SKU, in writing
Section 232 steel derivative listing for 9506.91.00 (goods entered August 18, 2025 through April 5, 2026; removed from coverage from April 6, 2026 by Proclamation 11021) Entries in that window may carry duty on steel content on top of the general rate; a Section 232 charge on later entries needs a stated basis The steel content value or the duty on a given product Supplier’s declared steel content; broker’s duty lines by entry
Supreme Court IEEPA ruling (February 20, 2026) IEEPA-based duties assumed in 2025 may no longer apply; Section 232 and Section 301 duties were not part of the case, and duties imposed afterward under Section 122 (goods entered before July 24, 2026; held invalid by the Court of International Trade, a ruling stayed on appeal) and Section 301 rest on separate authority The duty that applies to your next entry Broker entry summaries; duty lines in landed cost
Section 301 forced-labor action on 60 economies (goods entered from July 24, 2026) An added 10% or 12.5% may apply by origin, including 12.5% on products of China; for goods of the EU, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and Switzerland the figure is a combined rate that includes the base duty Whether your product is exempt, or how the duty combines with others on the line Country of origin per SKU; broker’s Chapter 99 lines by entry

Quote and order terms to settle

Validity window. State on every quote how long the price holds and what triggers a revision; an undated quote is an open position for both sides. Protecting open quotes is covered in fitness equipment price increases.

Duty basis. Ask the supplier to state country of origin and final assembly for each line, and whether the price includes duty or adds it as a separate surcharge.

Escalation clause. Agree in advance which event allows a price change between order and delivery, such as a change in duty on the entered goods; how it is documented; whether it is capped; and whether it works in both directions if a duty falls or is refunded.

Deposits and timing. Tie deposits and price protection to milestones; see equipment order deposits. Neither SFIA release predicts the direction of tariffs, so compare the quote’s escalation exposure with the cost of delaying the project rather than forecasting policy.

Red flags: a surcharge with no stated basis; a “domestic” claim without origin documents for major components; a supplier that cannot name the importer of record; an escalation clause that only moves up; expired quotes still setting budgets.

Records to pull and triggers to set

  • Open quotes with their dates, validity windows and surcharge lines.
  • Purchase orders with price terms and escalation clauses.
  • Supplier price and surcharge notices received in 2025 and 2026.
  • If you import: entry summaries or broker statements for recent shipments, by tariff line and origin.

Triggers you set. Review quote terms when a supplier issues a price notice, when trade measures on your lines change, when a quote nears the end of its validity, or when a customer’s approval date falls after expiry.

What to do this week

  1. List every open quote with its validity date and mark any without one.
  2. Ask each main supplier, in writing, for country of origin, final assembly and duty treatment by line.
  3. Add a two-way escalation clause to your quote and purchase order templates.
  4. If you import, ask your broker for the classification and duty lines on your most recent entries.
  5. Reconcile any tariff surcharges you passed to customers with the duty actually paid.

Continue with FEX

FEX editorial guidance: the signal table, quote terms and triggers are FEX analysis. This is not legal or customs advice; confirm tariff classification, origin and duty rates with a licensed customs broker, and contract terms with counsel.

Source notes

Editorial update, October 8, 2026: Removed the 69%, 15.5% and 42.1% survey figures and the “first time” claim, which do not appear in SFIA’s public release, and kept only findings stated in SFIA’s May 19 and March 31, 2026 releases. Removed participation statistics, a 2016 budgeting reference, an arbitrary two-year replacement rule and a shared stock image; added the tariff classification, the Section 232 steel-content and Section 301 China duties listed for it, and the February 2026 Supreme Court ruling on IEEPA tariffs. October 9, 2026: added Proclamation 11021’s April 2026 removal of 9506.91.00 from Section 232 coverage, the separate Section 122 surcharge with its end date and the Court of International Trade ruling against it, and the July 2026 Section 301 measures, each with its legal authority.

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