Murata is the world's largest MLCC manufacturer, headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. Higher-spec MLCCs are manufactured in Japan; commodity MLCCs are increasingly produced in China. Japan-origin Murata parts face 10% (Section 122). China-origin Murata parts face ~33% (Section 301 + Section 122).
Murata is headquartered in Japan, but most components are manufactured in China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam. For US customs purposes, the COO is where the component is manufactured — not where the company is based. Declaring Japan as COO when parts ship from Japan is a customs violation.
| Country | Sec 122 | Sec 301 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 10% | 50% | 60% |
| Japan | 10% | — | 10% |
| Thailand | 10% | — | 10% |
| Vietnam | 10% | — | 10% |
* Section 301 rates shown for electronics HTS chapters (8541–8542). Rates vary by product.
| HTS Code | Description |
|---|---|
| 8532.22.0020 | MLCCs (GRM series) |
| 8532.24.0020 | Tantalum capacitors |
| 8504.50.4000 | Inductors and chokes (LQH series) |
| 8529.10.9040 | RF filters and resonators |
Murata Manufacturing operates a tiered production model where high-precision, high-reliability components — high-voltage MLCCs, advanced RF filters, and precision inductors — are manufactured in Japan at facilities in Kyoto, Fukui, and Okayama. These Japan sites employ Murata's proprietary ceramic material synthesis and multilayer processing technology, which is not fully replicated at overseas locations. Commodity MLCCs (standard X5R/X7R in 0402/0603 case sizes), high-volume inductors, and EMI filters are increasingly produced at Murata's Tianjin, Suzhou, and Guangzhou facilities in China. The Vietnam (Hanoi area) and Thailand (Ayutthaya) sites handle overflow assembly. For US importers, Japan COO (10% Section 122) versus China COO (approximately 35%) is the critical distinction.
Murata's primary products classify as follows: MLCCs (GRM, GCM series) under HTS 8532.22.0020 (multilayer ceramic capacitors); power inductors (LQH, DFE, MLF series) under HTS 8504.50.4000; common mode chokes and EMI filters (BLM, NFM series) under HTS 8504.50.8000 or 8529.10.9040; SAW and BAW RF filters under HTS 8529.10.9040; crystal resonators under HTS 8541.60.0000. Japan-origin Murata components: 10% Section 122. China-origin Murata MLCCs and inductors: 10% Section 122 + 25% Section 301 List 3 = approximately 35% effective rate. Vietnam-origin: 10%. The specific Section 301 rate for passive components varies by HTS subheading; buyers should verify against the USTR HTS Annex lists.
Murata does not always segregate Japan-origin and China-origin MLCCs clearly in distributor catalog listings. The same GRM part number may be manufactured in Japan or China depending on production allocation, and the COO can differ between reels purchased from different distributors or at different times. Given the tariff differential (10% versus 35%), buyers running cost-sensitive designs should require Certificate of Origin or manufacturer's country of origin statement with each purchase order. Murata's standard reel labels include a country of origin code, and this should be confirmed prior to customs filing. Distributors like Mouser, Digi-Key, and Arrow do not always populate COO in their systems at the lot level.
Murata's SAW (surface acoustic wave) and BAW (bulk acoustic wave) RF filters, used in smartphone front-end modules and WiFi/5G devices, are manufactured exclusively in Japan (Fukui and Kyoto sites). These are technology-proprietary components with no direct second source available from most design databases. Japan-origin RF filters face the 10% Section 122 rate. At typical filter prices of $0.30–$2.00 per unit, duty cost is manageable but adds up at high smartphone-scale volumes. Lead times for Murata BAW filters for sub-6GHz 5G applications have run 20–40 weeks, driven by the smartphone and IoT device ramp. MLCC lead times have normalized to 8–16 weeks for most case sizes as of early 2026.
The most effective tariff mitigation strategy for Murata buyers is to explicitly specify Japan COO in purchase agreements for technically critical MLCCs (high-capacitance X5R, high-voltage, AEC-Q200 automotive) while accepting China COO for cost-down commodity values where the tariff delta is factored into landed cost calculations. For designs using large quantities of commodity 0402 and 0603 MLCCs, the 25% tariff differential between Japan and China COO can justify qualifying a second supplier such as TDK (Japan site for high-spec) or Yageo (Taiwan site, also 10%) for the same EIA values. Murata's own MLCC demand forecast tools are available to registered design customers and can help allocate Japan-site versus China-site production across programs.
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