Analysis
HTS 2918.19.20 covers products described in additional U.S. note 3 to section VI under heading 2918 (carboxylic acids with additional oxygen function and their anhydrides, halides, peroxides…).
Neighbouring lines carry rates from duty-free to 6.5%, so the exact line matters. The widest gap is with 2918.19.12 (phenylglycolic acid (Mandelic acid), its salts and esters: mandelic…), at duty-free: a product that belongs there but is entered here, or the reverse, changes the duty by 6.5 percentage points.
The general duty rate is 6.5% of the customs value, which is above most the rates in chapter 29 (83rd percentile of 1050 lines with an ad valorem rate). On a shipment valued at $10,000 that is $650 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 14 others can enter duty-free instead of paying 6.5%. 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.
Neighbouring lines
| Line | Description | General rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2918.19.11 | Benzilic acid, methyl ester | 5.8% |
| 2918.19.12 | Phenylglycolic acid (Mandelic acid), its salts and esters: mandelic acid | Free |
| 2918.19.15 | Phenylglycolic acid (Mandelic acid), its salts and esters: other | 6.5% |
| 2918.19.31 | Other: other | 6.5% |
| 2918.19.60 | Other: malic acid | 4% |
| 2918.19.90 | Other: other | 4% |