Analysis
HTS 2939.30.00 covers caffeine and its salts under heading 2939 (alkaloids, natural or reproduced by synthesis, and their salts, ethers, esters and other…).
Within this group the rate runs from duty-free to 6.5%. Compared with 2939.80.00 (alkaloids, natural or reproduced by synthesis, and their salts…), which pays 6.5%, a misclassification either way moves the duty by 6.5 percentage points.
Goods from countries without normal trade relations pay the column 2 rate of 59% instead of nothing, so origin decides between free entry and a 59% duty.
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.
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.
Neighbouring lines
| Line | Description | General rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2939.11.00 | Concentrates of poppy straw; buprenorphine (INN); codeine, dihydrocodeine (INN), ethylmorphine, etorphine (INN), heroin, hydrocodone (INN), hydromorphone (INN), morphine, nicomorphine (INN), oxycodone (INN), oxymorphone (INN), pholcodine (INN), thebacon (INN) and thebaine; salts thereof | Free |
| 2939.19.10 | Papaverine and its salts | Free |
| 2939.19.20 | Other: synthetic | Free |
| 2939.19.50 | Other: other | Free |
| 2939.20.00 | Alkaloids of cinchona and their derivatives; salts thereof | Free |
| 2939.41.00 | Ephedrine and its salts | Free |
| 2939.42.00 | Pseudoephedrine (INN) and its salts | Free |
| 2939.43.00 | Cathine (INN) and its salts | Free |
| 2939.44.00 | Norephedrine and its salts | Free |
| 2939.45.00 | Levometamfetamine, metamfetamine (INN), metamfetamine racemate and their salts | Free |
| 2939.49.03 | Alkaloids of ephedra and their derivatives; salts thereof: other | Free |
| 2939.51.00 | Fenetylline (INN) and its salts | Free |
| 2939.59.00 | Theophylline and aminophylline (theophylline- ethylenediamine) and their derivatives; salts thereof: other | Free |
| 2939.61.00 | Ergometrine and its salts | Free |
| 2939.62.00 | Ergotamine and its salts | Free |
| 2939.63.00 | Lysergic acid and its salts | Free |
| 2939.69.00 | Alkaloids of rye ergot and their derivatives; salts thereof: other | Free |
| 2939.72.00 | Cocaine, ecgonine; salts, esters and other derivatives thereof | Free |
| 2939.79.00 | Other, of vegetal origin: other | Free |
| 2939.80.00 | Alkaloids, natural or reproduced by synthesis, and their salts, ethers, esters and other derivatives: other | 6.5% |