Analysis
HTS 2530.10.00 covers vermiculite, perlite and chlorites, unexpanded under heading 2530 (mineral substances not elsewhere specified or included).
Within this group the rate runs from duty-free to 2.9%. Compared with 2530.90.20 (natural micaceous iron oxides), which pays 2.9%, a misclassification either way moves the duty by 2.9 percentage points.
The normal trade relations rate here is zero, shared by about 91% of the 78 tariff lines in chapter 25, a useful check when a neighbouring dutiable line is a candidate. 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 21239 (Other Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying), an industry of 236 US establishments employing 10,238 people. That concordance is how imports of this line are compared with US output.
The general rate of Free has not changed in any edition of the schedule since Jan 2023.
Neighbouring lines
| Line | Description | General rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2530.20.10 | Kieserite, epsom salts (natural magnesium sulfates): kieserite | Free |
| 2530.20.20 | Kieserite, epsom salts (natural magnesium sulfates): epsom salts | Free |
| 2530.90.10 | Natural cryolite; natural chiolite | Free |
| 2530.90.20 | Natural micaceous iron oxides | 2.9% |
| 2530.90.80 | Other: other | Free |