Analysis
HTS 0305.69.60 covers other: other under heading 0305 (fish, dried, salted or in brine; smoked fish, whether or not cooked before or during the…).
Within this group the rate runs from duty-free to 5%. Compared with 0305.69.20 (in immediate containers weighing with their contents 6.8 kg or less…), which pays 5%, a misclassification either way moves the duty by 4.5 percentage points.
The general duty rate is 0.5% of the customs value, which is above most the rates in chapter 03 (86th percentile of 272 lines with an ad valorem rate). On a shipment valued at $10,000 that is $50 in duty before any Chapter 99 additions or preference claims.
Census statistics map these goods to NAICS 311710 (Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging), an industry of 516 US establishments employing 29,132 people. That concordance is how imports of this line are compared with US output.
Goods that qualify under GSP, the Australia FTA, the Bahrain FTA, the Chile FTA, the Colombia TPA, and 12 others can enter duty-free instead of paying 0.5%. It is also eligible under GSP, the developing-country programme, which Congress has to renew; check whether GSP is in force on the entry date.
Neighbouring lines
| Line | Description | General rate |
|---|---|---|
| 0305.69.10 | Cusk, haddock, hake (Urophycis spp.) and pollock | Free |
| 0305.69.20 | In immediate containers weighing with their contents 6.8 kg or less each | 5% |
| 0305.69.30 | Mackerel: other | Free |
| 0305.69.40 | Other: salmon | 3% |
| 0305.69.50 | In immediate containers weighing with their contents 6.8 kg or less each | Free |