2939.80.00

Analysis

HTS 2939.80.00 covers alkaloids, natural or reproduced by synthesis, and their salts, ethers, esters and other derivatives: other under heading 2939 (alkaloids, natural or reproduced by synthesis, and their salts, ethers, esters and other…). US Customs collects import statistics for it under 2 ten-digit suffixes, reported in kilograms.

Within this group the rate runs from duty-free to duty-free. Compared with 2939.79.00 (other, of vegetal origin: other), which pays duty-free, a misclassification either way moves 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 13 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.

For statistics it divides in two: 2939.80.00.10 for saxitoxin and 2939.80.00.50 for other. Both pay the same duty; the suffix records which kind was imported.

The column 2 rate, for countries without normal trade relations, is 30.5%, 4.7 times the general rate.