Analysis
HTS 0403.90.20 covers fluid: buttermilk under heading 0403 (yogurt; buttermilk, curdled milk and cream, kephir and other fermented or acidified milk…).
The general rate is 0.34¢/liter, a specific or compound duty rather than a simple percentage, so the effective burden depends on the unit value of the goods: cheap goods pay proportionally more than expensive ones. Importers usually convert it to an ad valorem equivalent to compare it with other lines.
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 0.34¢/liter. 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.
Census statistics map these goods to NAICS 311511 (Fluid Milk Manufacturing), an industry of 440 US establishments employing 57,985 people. That concordance is how imports of this line are compared with US output.
Every edition we compared, from Jan 2023 to Oct 2026 (Rev. 22), shows the same general rate of 0.34¢/liter.
Neighbouring lines
| Line | Description | General rate |
|---|---|---|
| 0403.90.02 | Described in general note 15 of the tariff schedule and entered pursuant to its provisions | 3.2¢/liter |
| 0403.90.04 | Described in additional U.S. note 5 to this chapter and entered pursuant to its provisions | 3.2¢/liter |
| 0403.90.16 | Sour cream: other | 77.2¢/liter |
| 0403.90.37 | Described in general note 15 of the tariff schedule and entered pursuant to its provisions | 3.3¢/kg |
| 0403.90.41 | Described in additional U.S. note 12 to this chapter and entered pursuant to its provisions | 3.3¢/kg |
| 0403.90.45 | Containing not over 6 percent by weight of butterfat: other | 87.6¢/kg |
| 0403.90.47 | Described in general note 15 of the tariff schedule and entered pursuant to its provisions | 6.8¢/kg |
| 0403.90.51 | Described in additional U.S. note 8 to this chapter and entered pursuant to its provisions | 6.8¢/kg |
| 0403.90.55 | Containing over 6 percent but not over 35 percent by weight of butterfat: other | $1.092/kg |
| 0403.90.57 | Described in general note 15 of the tariff schedule and entered pursuant to its provisions | 13.7¢/kg |
| 0403.90.61 | Described in additional U.S. note 9 to this chapter and entered pursuant to its provisions | 13.7¢/kg |
| 0403.90.65 | Other: other | $1.556/kg |
| 0403.90.72 | Described in general note 15 of the tariff schedule and entered pursuant to its provisions | 12.3¢/kg |
| 0403.90.74 | Described in additional U.S. note 6 to this chapter and entered pursuant to its provisions | 12.3¢/kg |
| 0403.90.78 | Sour cream containing over 45 percent by weight of butterfat: other | $1.646/kg |
| 0403.90.85 | Fermented milk other than dried fermented milk or other than dried milk with added lactic ferments | 17% |
| 0403.90.87 | Described in general note 15 of the tariff schedule and entered pursuant to its provisions | 20% |
| 0403.90.90 | Described in additional U.S. note 10 to this chapter and entered pursuant to its provisions | 20% |
| 0403.90.95 | Other: other | $1.034/kg + 17% |