Analysis
HTS 1604.13.90 covers other: other under heading 1604 (prepared or preserved fish; caviar and caviar substitutes prepared from fish eggs).
Neighbouring lines carry rates from duty-free to 20%, so the exact line matters. The widest gap is with 1604.13.30 (other: skinned or boned), at 20%: a product that belongs there but is entered here, or the reverse, changes the duty by 16.9 percentage points.
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 3.1%. 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 general duty rate is 3.1% of the customs value, which is in the middle of the rates in chapter 16 (53rd percentile of 108 lines with an ad valorem rate). On a shipment valued at $10,000 that is $310 in duty before any Chapter 99 additions or preference claims.
The column 2 rate, for countries without normal trade relations, is 25%, 8.1 times the general rate.
Neighbouring lines
| Line | Description | General rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1604.13.10 | Smoked sardines, neither skinned nor boned, valued $1 or more per kg in tin- plate containers, or $1.10 or more per kg in other containers | Free |
| 1604.13.20 | Neither skinned nor boned | 15% |
| 1604.13.30 | Other: skinned or boned | 20% |
| 1604.13.40 | In immediate containers weighing with their contents under 225 grams each | Free |