The purpose of the marking requirement is to inform the ultimate US purchaser of the country in which the imported article was made. As stated in 19 CFR 134, every imported foreign article shall be conspicuously, legibly, indelibly and permanently marked to indicate the country of origin to the ultimate US purchaser. The few allowable exceptions to this requirement can be found under 19 CFR 134.32.
Failure to import legally marked products, may result re-exportation, destruction, 10% marking duties, or liquidated damages equaling the shipment’s value.