Analysis
HTS 3701.99.30 covers other: dry plates under heading 3701 (photographic plates and film in the flat, sensitized, unexposed, of any material other…).
Within this group the rate runs from duty-free to 3.7%. Compared with 3701.91.00 (for color photography (polychrome)), which pays 3.7%, a misclassification either way moves the duty by 3.7 percentage points.
The normal trade relations rate here is zero, shared by about 35% of the 37 tariff lines in chapter 37, a useful check when a neighbouring dutiable line is a candidate. Chapter 99 measures such as Section 301 or 232 can still apply on top, depending on where the goods come from.
Goods from countries without normal trade relations pay the column 2 rate of 20% instead of nothing, so origin decides between free entry and a 20% duty.
Census statistics map these goods to NAICS 325992 (Photographic Film, Paper, Plate, Chemical, and Copy Toner Manufacturing), an industry of 132 US establishments employing 6,258 people. That concordance is how imports of this line are compared with US output.
Neighbouring lines
| Line | Description | General rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3701.10.00 | Photographic plates and film in the flat, sensitized, unexposed, of any material other than paper, paperboard or textiles; instant print film in the flat, sensitized, unexposed, whether or not in packs: for X-ray | 3.7% |
| 3701.20.00 | Instant print film | 3.7% |
| 3701.30.00 | Photographic plates and film in the flat, sensitized, unexposed, of any material other than paper, paperboard or textiles; instant print film in the flat, sensitized, unexposed, whether or not in packs: other plates and film, with any side exceeding 255 mm | Free |
| 3701.91.00 | For color photography (polychrome) | 3.7% |
| 3701.99.60 | Other: other | Free |