Analysis
HTS 2939.19.20 covers other: synthetic under heading 2939 (alkaloids, natural or reproduced by synthesis, and their salts, ethers, esters and other…).
The normal trade relations rate here is zero, shared by about 26% of the 1050 tariff lines in chapter 29, 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.
The other lines in the same group are 2939.19.10 (papaverine and its salts, duty-free) and 2939.19.50 (other: other, duty-free).
Census statistics map these goods to NAICS 325412 (Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing), an industry of 1,436 US establishments employing 170,029 people. That concordance is how imports of this line are compared with US output.
All 2 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.
Neighbouring lines
| Line | Description | General rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2939.19.10 | Papaverine and its salts | Free |
| 2939.19.50 | Other: other | Free |