Made in Taiwan (ROC)
The item was made in Taiwan. R.O.C. stands for the Republic of China, the government that moved to Taiwan in 1949.
Easily confused with
How to read it
The State Department’s Office of the Historian records that the government of the Republic of China moved to Taipei, on Formosa (Taiwan), in December 1949, as Communist forces advanced on the mainland, and that the United States recognised it as the government of China until 1 January 1979, when it recognised the People’s Republic of China instead. In October 1980 US Customs ruled (T.D. 80-253) that the words Republic of China or the initials ROC on their own do not name a government or state the US recognises. Goods made in Taiwan must carry the official marking “Taiwan” or “Made in Taiwan”.
Also searched as: made in roc, made in taiwan, made in taiwan roc, republic of china mark, r.o.c..
This page says what a mark means under the rules that required it and when it was used. A mark helps date a piece; it doesn’t prove when or where any one piece was made.
Why Taiwan comes first
US Customs does not accept R.O.C. or Republic of China as the country of origin, but they don’t make goods inadmissible as long as “Taiwan” or “Made in Taiwan” comes before them. A 1990 ruling on a ceramic cheese grater, whose box said “MADE IN R.O.C.” on the bottom panel, turned the marking down: the word Taiwan was there, but on a later line and not before R.O.C. The ruling says that where R.O.C. or Republic of China appears, Taiwan or Made in Taiwan must sit right next to it. That is the order of the mark “MADE IN TAIWAN R.O.C.”
ROC or PRC?
They name different places. PRC is the People’s Republic of China on the mainland, and US Customs doesn’t accept “PRC” as a country of origin either; it asks for China. R.O.C. on its own is the Republic of China, Taiwan’s government.
Read next
- Next in Country of origin marks and label numbersMade in Hong KongThe item was made in Hong Kong. US Customs accepted “Hong Kong” as the country of origin until 2020; since then goods made there must be marked “China” for the US.
- The same shape in AI labels and iconsContent Credentials (CR) iconContent Credentials. The small CR pin on an image or video means the file carries Content Credentials: signed information about how it was made and edited, which can include whether AI tools were used. Selecting the pin shows the details.
More country of origin marks and label numbers
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with letters and numbers or squares and rectangles.
Sources
- CBP ruling HQ 732917 (11 May 1990), U.S. Customs and Border Protection, HQ 732917, 11 May 1990, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CROSS rulings database), Facts; law and analysis; holding
- Office of the Historian: China (guide to US recognition and relations), U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian, “A Guide to the United States’ History of Recognition, Diplomatic, and Consular Relations, by Country, since 1776: China”, U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian, Embassy Moved to Taipei, 1949; Termination of Diplomatic Relations with the Republic of China, 1979
Last reviewed October 8, 2026 by Rory Hansen. How we research
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