Mercosur TradeFlow
The EU–Mercosur Interim Trade Agreement has been provisionally applied since 1 May 2026. Poland's action for annulment before the EU Court of Justice (Case C-460/26) is pending. Savings shown are estimates. Official Journal notice

HS 8544 · Electrical machinery and electronics

Insulated wire and cable

Data last updated 18 October 2026 · schedule data 2026.10.2

In short

The EU already charges no duty on Mercosur insulated wire and cable; Brazil's duty on EU insulated wire and cable is up to 14.5% today and reaches zero by 2041 (on most lines by 2036, 1 of 12 lines is excluded).

Rates at a glance

Into the EU from Mercosur

15 tariff lines

Preferential duty 2026

0%

Duty-free on all phased lines by

No phase-out

Agreement base rate

0–3.7%

Applied MFN rate today

0–3.7%

Into Brazil from the EU

12 tariff lines

Preferential duty 2026

0–14.5%

Duty-free on all phased lines by

2041

Agreement base rate

0–16%

Applied MFN rate today

0–20%

Work out the duty on your shipment

Opens the calculator with heading 8544 and the corridor filled in.

Calculate Mercosur → EUCalculate EU → Mercosur

About this product

Insulated cables, wiring harnesses and optical fibre cables enter the EU duty-free from Mercosur from the start. Mercosur phases out its duties on European cable, mostly over a long schedule, with one line excluded. Wiring harnesses are a large part of car-parts trade.

How the duty falls, year by year

Highest and lowest ad valorem duty each year over the lines on a path to zero. Excluded and quota-only lines keep their duty and aren't included.

Highest preferential ad valorem duty by year, 8544EU → Mercosur: 14.5% in 2026 to 0% in 2041. The table below has the same figures.0%7.5%15%20262028203020322034203620382040
EU → Mercosur

Into the EU from Mercosur

Nothing to phase out in this direction: every line is already duty-free, excluded or only covered by a quota.

Into Brazil from the EU

Into Brazil from the EU
YearAd valorem dutyLines duty-free
20260–14.5%1 / 12
20270–13%1 / 12
20280–11.6%1 / 12
20290–10.8%1 / 12
20300–9.8%1 / 12
20310–9%1 / 12
20320–8%1 / 12
20330–7.2%1 / 12
20340–6.2%1 / 12
20350–5.4%1 / 12
20360–4.4%10 / 12
20370–3.6%10 / 12
20380–2.6%10 / 12
20390–1.8%10 / 12
20400–0.8%10 / 12
20410%11 / 12

Lines by staging category

The staging category sets the speed of the cut: 0 is duty-free from entry into force, 4 to 15 are the years to zero, E is excluded and letter codes are quotas or special treatments.

Mercosur → EU

  • 0× 15

EU → Mercosur

  • 10× 9
  • 4× 1
  • 15× 1
  • E× 1

Tariff-rate quotas

No tariff-rate quota applies to this heading.

Rates in each Mercosur country

Each member has its own base rate and applied MFN rate. The preference is cut from the base rate, or from the applied rate where that's lower (Art. 2.4(7) of the agreement), so the current rate can differ by country.

Rates in each Mercosur country
CountryBase rateApplied MFNPreferential 2026Zero byApplied-rate source
Brazil0–16%0–20%1 line has no single published rate0–14.5%2041Brazil applied import duty, Res. Gecex 272/2021 Annexes II, V, VI, IX (MDIC), as of 5 October 2026
Argentina2–35%0–35%2 lines have no single published rate0–31.8%2041Argentina applied import duty (DIE), ARCA Arancel Integrado, as of 18 October 2026
Uruguay2–16%0–16%1 line has no single published rate0–14.5%2041Uruguay applied import duty (Arancel Nacional, MEF), as of 10 February 2025Manual snapshotOlder than 180 days
Paraguay2–22%0–22%3 lines have no single published rate0–19.9%2041Paraguay applied import duty (Arancel Nacional Vigente, MEF), as of 4 November 2025Manual snapshotOlder than 180 days

All tariff lines

Line descriptions are the English text of the schedules (CN 2013 for the EU, NCM 2012 for Mercosur).

Into the EU from Mercosur: 15 lines
Into the EU from Mercosur
CodeDescriptionStagingBaseApplied MFN2026Final
8544 11 10Winding wire for electrical purposes, of copper, lacquered or enamelled03.7%3.7%FreeFree
8544 11 90Winding wire for electrical purposes, of copper, insulated (excl. lacquered or enamelled)03.7%3.7%FreeFree
8544 19 00Winding wire for electrical purposes, of material other than copper, insulated03.7%3.7%FreeFree
8544 20 00Coaxial cable and other coaxial electric conductors, insulated03.7%3.7%FreeFree
8544 30 00Ignition wiring sets and other wiring sets for vehicles, aircraft or ships03.7%3.7%FreeFree
8544 42 10Electric conductors of a kind used for telecommunications, for a voltage ≤ 1 000 V, insulated, fitted with connectors, n.e.s.0FreeFreeFreeFree
8544 42 90Electric conductors, for a voltage ≤ 1 000 V, insulated, fitted with connectors, n.e.s. (other than of a kind used for telecommunications)03.3%3.3%FreeFree
8544 49 20Conductors, electric, for a voltage ≤ 80 V, insulated, not fitted with connectors, of a kind used for telecommunications, n.e.s.0FreeFreeFreeFree
8544 49 91Electric wire and cables, for a voltage ≤ 1 000 V, insulated, not fitted with connectors, with individual conductor wires of a diameter > 0,51 mm, n.e.s.03.7%3.7%FreeFree
8544 49 93Conductors, electric, for a voltage ≤ 80 V, insulated, not fitted with connectors, n.e.s. (excl. winding wire, coaxial conductors, wiring sets for vehicles, aircraft or ships, and wire and cables with individual conductor wires of a diameter > 0,51 mm)03.7%3.7%FreeFree
8544 49 95Electric conductors for a voltage > 80 V but < 1 000 V, insulated, not fitted with connectors, n.e.s. (excl. winding wire, coaxial conductors, wiring sets for vehicles, aircraft or ships, and wire and cables with individual conductor wires of a diameter > 0,51 mm)03.7%3.7%FreeFree
8544 49 99Electric conductors for a voltage 1 000 V, insulated, not fitted with connectors, n.e.s. (excl. winding wire, coaxial conductors, wiring sets for vehicles, aircraft or ships, and wire and cables with individual conductor wires of a diameter > 0,51 mm)03.7%3.7%FreeFree
8544 60 10Electric conductors for a voltage > 1 000 V, insulated, with copper conductors, n.e.s.03.7%3.7%FreeFree
8544 60 90Electric conductors for a voltage > 1 000 V, insulated, not with copper conductors, n.e.s.03.7%3.7%FreeFree
8544 70 00Optical fibre cables made up of individually sheathed fibres, whether or not containing electric conductors or fitted with connectors0FreeFreeFreeFree
Into Brazil from the EU: 12 lines
Into Brazil from the EU
CodeDescriptionStagingBaseApplied MFN2026Final
8544 11 00Insulated copper wire for winding, for electric use1014%12.6%11.4%Freefrom 2036
8544 19 10Insulated aluminium wire for winding, for electric use1014%–12.7%Freefrom 2036
8544 19 90Other insulated wires for winding, for electric useE14%12.6%12.6%12.6%
8544 20 00Co-axial cables and other co-axial electric conductors1016%16%14.5%Freefrom 2036
8544 30 00Ignition wiring sets and other wiring sets used in vehicles1016%16%14.5%Freefrom 2036
8544 42 00Other electrical conductors for tension ≤ 100 V, with connecting parts1016%8%7.2%Freefrom 2036
8544 49 00Other electrical conductors for tension ≤ 80 V1016%16%14.5%Freefrom 2036
8544 60 00Other electrical conductors for tension > 1 000 V1516%14.4%13.4%Freefrom 2041
8544 70 10Optical fibre cables externally coated, dielectric material1014%20%12.7%Freefrom 2036
8544 70 20Optical fibre cables externally coated, steel, for underwater installation4FreeFreeFreeFreefrom 2030
8544 70 30Optical fibre cables externally coated with aluminium1014%20%12.7%Freefrom 2036
8544 70 90Other optical fibre cables1014%20%12.7%Freefrom 2036

Related products

All headings in chapter 85: Electrical machinery and electronics

Data and method

Worked out with the calculator's engine from the agreement schedules (Annex 2-A) and the applied-rate files, for agreement year 2026. Mercosur → EU figures assume Brazilian origin, which only matters for the few origin-specific quotas; EU → Mercosur figures are for Brazil unless the country table says otherwise.

Methodology and data sources

Estimates only, not legal or customs advice. Check the official schedules before relying on a rate.