Analysis
HTS 1209.23.00 covers seeds of forage plants: fescue seeds under heading 1209 (seeds, fruits and spores of a kind used for sowing). US Customs collects import statistics for it under 5 ten-digit suffixes, reported in kilograms.
The normal trade relations rate here is zero, shared by about 77% of the 44 tariff lines in chapter 12, a useful check when a neighbouring dutiable line is a candidate. Chapter 99 measures such as Section 301 or 232 can still apply on top, depending on where the goods come from.
The ten-digit suffixes separate tall, certified and meadow. The duty is the same across them; the suffix matters for statistics, licensing and some quotas, and an entry needs all ten digits.
Census statistics map these goods to NAICS 111998 (All Other Miscellaneous Crop Farming). That concordance is how imports of this line are compared with US output.
All 17 neighbouring lines carry the same duty-free rate, so a borderline choice between them changes the statistics reported, not the duty paid.
The general rate of Free has not changed in any edition of the schedule since Jan 2023.
Statistical suffixes
Neighbouring lines
| Line | Description | General rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1209.10.00 | Seeds, fruits and spores of a kind used for sowing: sugar beet seeds | Free |
| 1209.21.00 | Alfalfa (lucerne) seeds | 1.5¢/kg |
| 1209.22.20 | Clover (Trifolium spp.) seeds: white and ladino | 1.6¢/kg |
| 1209.22.40 | Clover (Trifolium spp.) seeds: other | Free |
| 1209.24.00 | Kentucky blue grass (Poa pratensis L.) seeds | 1.2¢/kg |
| 1209.25.00 | Rye grass (Lolium multiflorium Lam., Lolium perenne L.) seeds | 1.4¢/kg |
| 1209.29.10 | Other: beet | Free |
| 1209.29.91 | Other: other | Free |
| 1209.30.00 | Seeds of herbaceous plants cultivated principally for their flowers | 1¢/kg |
| 1209.91.10 | Vegetable seeds: cauliflower | 5.9¢/kg |
| 1209.91.20 | Vegetable seeds: celery | Free |
| 1209.91.40 | Vegetable seeds: onion | Free |
| 1209.91.50 | Vegetable seeds: parsley | 0.68¢/kg |
| 1209.91.60 | Vegetable seeds: pepper | Free |
| 1209.91.80 | Vegetable seeds: other | 1.5¢/kg |
| 1209.99.20 | Other: tree and shrub | Free |
| 1209.99.41 | Other: other | 0.83¢/kg |