Analysis
HTS 0908.12.00 covers nutmeg: crushed or ground under heading 0908 (nutmeg, mace and cardamoms).
There is no general-rate duty on this line, which puts it with roughly 85% of the 48 tariff lines in chapter 09 that are also free. Free here means free of the base duty only: origin-specific Chapter 99 duties such as Section 301 can still be owed.
Census statistics map these goods to NAICS 311942 (Spice and Extract Manufacturing), an industry of 473 US establishments employing 25,339 people, the industry a domestic producer of these goods reports under.
All 6 neighbouring lines carry the same duty-free rate, so a borderline choice between them changes the statistics reported, not the duty paid.
Every edition we compared, from Jan 2023 to Oct 2026 (Rev. 22), shows the same general rate of Free.
Neighbouring lines
| Line | Description | General rate |
|---|---|---|
| 0908.11.00 | Neither crushed nor ground | Free |
| 0908.21.00 | Neither crushed nor ground | Free |
| 0908.22.20 | Bombay or wild mace, ground | 7.4¢/kg |
| 0908.22.40 | Crushed or ground: other | Free |
| 0908.31.00 | Neither crushed nor ground | Free |
| 0908.32.00 | Cardamoms: crushed or ground | Free |