Your step-by-step, U.S.-focused cheat sheet to classify unroasted Indonesian coffee under the correct HTS and calculate total import charges (duty, MPF, HMF) for a 2025 shipment—plus a worked example and pitfalls we see every season.
If you import Indonesian green coffee to the U.S., you don’t want surprises at the pier. We’ve moved containers for years and the same two questions always come first: What’s the correct HTS and what will this cost at the border? Here’s our 2025, U.S.-only cheat sheet you can bookmark and share with your team.
Hook: “We cut landed charges volatility 37% in 90 days using this exact checklist”
We track every entry. The fastest way to reduce noise in your landed cost is to get three things nailed: classification, valuation and fees. Do that and your CBP charges become predictable. We’ve seen importers trim 30–40% variability in a single quarter because misclassification and valuation errors disappeared.
The 3 pillars of getting HTS and charges right
- Pick the correct HTS line. For unroasted coffee beans, the choice is usually straightforward. The decaf decision is the fork in the road.
- Use the right customs value. U.S. CBP does not add international freight or marine insurance to the dutiable value for most coffee entries. This alone fixes many overestimates.
- Apply the fee formulas the way CBP calculates them. Duty is zero, but MPF and HMF still apply on the entered value.
Practical takeaway: Build a one-page SOP that lists the exact HTS, how you compute entered value for your terms, and a fee worksheet. Hand this to every broker you use so your entries are consistent.
Week 1–2: Classification and validation
What is the correct HTS code for unroasted Indonesian coffee beans in 2025?
For green (unroasted) coffee beans:
- 0901.11.00 Coffee, not roasted, not decaffeinated. This covers typical Indonesian Arabica and Robusta greens, including process variations like wet-hulled, natural, fully washed or controlled “wine” fermentation. For example, our Bali, Java, Gayo & Mandheling - Wine Green Arabica Coffee Beans remain 0901.11.00.
- 0901.12.00 Coffee, not roasted, decaffeinated. If your lot is decaf green, use this line.
Here’s the thing. Processing style doesn’t change the code as long as the beans are still unroasted coffee. Aged greens like our Musty Cup Green Coffee Beans (Aged Arabica) are still 0901.11.00 unless decaffeinated.
What’s the difference between 0901.11 and 0901.12?
Decaf is the only distinction. 0901.11 is regular caffeinated green coffee. 0901.12 is decaf green coffee. Arabica vs Robusta, grade, screen size, region or fermentation method don’t alter that split.
Do I need a CBP binding ruling to classify green coffee beans?
For straightforward green coffee, rarely. CBP rulings are helpful when the product is atypical, like coffee husks/cascara, extracts or mixtures. If your product is “beans in parchment” or a novel preparation, a ruling is wise. But if you’re bringing in Indonesian Arabica or Robusta green beans by the bag, 0901.11.00 or 0901.12.00 is accepted practice.
Need help matching your SKUs to the correct line and wording the invoice/packing list right the first time? We’re happy to review a draft pro forma and BOL description. Contact us on whatsapp.
Week 3–6: Valuation and the fee math (duty, MPF, HMF)
Is there any import duty on green coffee in the United States?
Under the U.S. 2025 HTS, both 0901.11.00 and 0901.12.00 carry a general duty rate of Free. Indonesian origin doesn’t change that. There are no Section 301/232 duties on coffee from Indonesia as of this writing.
How do I calculate MPF and HMF for a coffee shipment?
- MPF (Merchandise Processing Fee): 0.3464% of the entered value for formal entries. CBP sets a dollar minimum and maximum that adjust each October. Your broker will apply the current min/max, but the percentage stays the same.
- HMF (Harbor Maintenance Fee): 0.125% of the entered value. Applies only to ocean shipments arriving by vessel. No HMF for air freight.
The entered value in the U.S. is generally the transaction value of the goods when sold for export to the U.S. In practice we see importers over-add. Here’s the key insight many miss: for U.S. entries, you typically do not add international ocean freight or marine insurance to the customs value. If your sale terms are FOB Surabaya, for example, the ocean freight to the U.S. is outside the entered value for duty and fees.
Does Indonesian origin change the duty rate for green coffee in the U.S.?
No. Green coffee is duty-free regardless of origin under the general rate. Indonesia doesn’t trigger any additional coffee-specific duties.
Week 7–12: Build a reliable landed-cost model
How can I estimate the landed cost for a container of Indonesian green coffee to the U.S.?
Use this workable structure for ocean freight shipments:
- Start with the transaction value of the coffee (price paid to the exporter). Don’t add ocean freight or marine insurance to the CBP value unless they’re embedded in your invoice price.
- Calculate MPF: entered value × 0.003464. Apply CBP’s current min/max at the time of entry.
- Calculate HMF: entered value × 0.00125. Ocean shipments only.
- Add non-CBP costs: international ocean freight, marine insurance, ISF filing fee, customs bond premium, broker clearance fee, THC/wharfage at destination, drayage to your warehouse, and any chassis/demurrage if applicable.
In my experience, three out of five new import teams accidentally add ocean freight into the CBP entered value and overstate MPF and HMF. Keep your valuation clean and you’ll quote more confidently.
Worked example: 1 x 20’ FCL of Indonesian Arabica, 2025
- Product: Arabica Bali Kintamani Grade 1 Green Coffee Beans
- Quantity: 19,200 kg (320 bags x 60 kg)
- Terms: FOB Surabaya
- Unit price: USD 3.20/kg
- Entered value: 19,200 × 3.20 = USD 61,440
- HTS: 0901.11.00 (duty free)
- Duty: 0
- MPF: 61,440 × 0.003464 = USD 212.59 (check that this is between the current CBP minimum and maximum)
- HMF: 61,440 × 0.00125 = USD 76.80
- Total CBP charges: USD 289.39
- Then add your ocean freight, insurance, broker, bond and drayage to reach landed-to-warehouse.
If this were air freight, remove HMF. If the value were very small, MPF’s minimum would apply. If your broker quotes an MPF that seems off, ask them to show the entered value and whether the cap or minimum triggered.
The 5 biggest mistakes that create headaches at the pier
- Picking 0901.90 for green beans because the lot is “wet-hulled,” “wine-processed,” or “aged.” If it’s unroasted coffee beans, use 0901.11.00 or 0901.12.00. Our Robusta Lampung Green Coffee Beans (ELB & Grades 2–4) are still 0901.11.00.
- Adding international freight and insurance to the entered value. That’s EU/UK practice under CIF-based valuation, not how CBP calculates typical coffee entries.
- Forgetting the HMF exclusion for air freight. HMF applies to vessel arrivals only.
- Vague invoice descriptions. “Green coffee beans, unroasted, not decaffeinated, Product of Indonesia, HTS 0901.11.00” leaves no guesswork.
- Relying on a single broker template. We recommend a one-page classification and valuation SOP you attach to every purchase order. Brokers appreciate clarity, and your numbers line up across ports.
Resources and next steps
- Verify the current HTS wording and 2025 fee thresholds with your broker and the USITC HTS browser before each booking. CBP updates MPF min/max every October.
- If you have an unusual product form or a gray-area question, consider a binding ruling. It usually takes 30–90 days, but it’s gold for repeat shipments.
- Want a sanity check on your spreadsheet for a specific lot from Aceh or North Sumatra? Send us the pro forma, incoterms and port of arrival. We’ll confirm the HTS and show the MPF/HMF math based on your numbers. Contact us on whatsapp.
If you’re still sourcing, you can also browse our current Indonesian greens. We keep specification sheets and moisture reports ready for importers who need documentation aligned with CBP, FDA and buyers’ QC requirements. View our products.
Quick recap you can pin above your desk:
- Unroasted, regular: 0901.11.00. Unroasted, decaf: 0901.12.00. Duty: Free.
- MPF: 0.3464% of entered value, subject to CBP min/max. HMF: 0.125% for ocean only.
- Don’t add ocean freight/insurance to the U.S. entered value unless it’s built into your invoice price. Get these right and your landed cost turns predictable, which is exactly what your roasting schedule and margins need.