Analysis
HTS 1211.20.15 covers ginseng roots: chilled or frozen under heading 1211 (plants and parts of plants (including seeds and fruits), of a kind used primarily in…).
Neighbouring lines carry rates from duty-free to 6%, so the exact line matters. The widest gap is with 1211.90.89 (other: fresh or dried), at duty-free: a product that belongs there but is entered here, or the reverse, changes the duty by 6 percentage points.
The general duty rate is 6% of the customs value, which is above most the rates in chapter 12 (89th percentile of 44 lines with an ad valorem rate). On a shipment valued at $10,000 that is $600 in duty before any Chapter 99 additions or preference claims.
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 6%. 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.
The column 2 rate, for countries without normal trade relations, is 35%, 5.8 times the general rate.
Neighbouring lines
| Line | Description | General rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1211.20.10 | Ginseng roots: fresh or dried | Free |
| 1211.30.00 | Plants and parts of plants (including seeds and fruits), of a kind used primarily in perfumery, in pharmacy or for insecticidal, fungicidal or similar purposes, fresh, chilled, frozen or dried, whether or not cut, crushed or powdered: coca leaf | Free |
| 1211.40.00 | Plants and parts of plants (including seeds and fruits), of a kind used primarily in perfumery, in pharmacy or for insecticidal, fungicidal or similar purposes, fresh, chilled, frozen or dried, whether or not cut, crushed or powdered: poppy straw | Free |
| 1211.50.00 | Plants and parts of plants (including seeds and fruits), of a kind used primarily in perfumery, in pharmacy or for insecticidal, fungicidal or similar purposes, fresh, chilled, frozen or dried, whether or not cut, crushed or powdered: ephedra | Free |
| 1211.60.00 | Bark of African cherry (Prunus Africana) | Free |
| 1211.90.20 | Crude or not manufactured | Free |
| 1211.90.40 | Mint leaves: other | 4.8% |
| 1211.90.60 | Other: tonka beans | 6.6¢/kg |
| 1211.90.89 | Other: fresh or dried | Free |
| 1211.90.93 | Other: chilled or frozen | 6% |