Analysis
HTS 3809.10.00 covers with a basis of amylaceous substances under heading 3809 (finishing agents, dye carriers to accelerate the dyeing or fixing of dyestuffs and other…).
The general rate is 2.2¢/kg + 3%, a specific or compound duty rather than a simple percentage, so the effective burden depends on the unit value of the goods: cheap goods pay proportionally more than expensive ones. Importers usually convert it to an ad valorem equivalent to compare it with other lines.
Goods that qualify under GSP, the Australia FTA, the Bahrain FTA, the Chile FTA, the Colombia TPA, and 12 others can enter duty-free instead of paying 2.2¢/kg + 3%. 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.
Census statistics map these goods to NAICS 325613 (Surface Active Agent Manufacturing), an industry of 106 US establishments employing 6,174 people. That concordance is how imports of this line are compared with US output.
The general rate of 2.2¢/kg + 3% has not changed in any edition of the schedule since Jan 2023.
Neighbouring lines
| Line | Description | General rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3809.91.00 | Of a kind used in the textile or like industries | 6% |
| 3809.92.10 | Containing 5 percent or more by weight of one or more aromatic or modified aromatic substances | 6.5% |
| 3809.92.50 | Of a kind used in the paper or like industries: other | 6% |
| 3809.93.10 | Containing 5 percent or more by weight of one or more aromatic or modified aromatic substances | 6.5% |
| 3809.93.50 | Of a kind used in the leather or like industries: other | 6% |