Analysis
HTS 3809.93.50 covers of a kind used in the leather or like industries: other under heading 3809 (finishing agents, dye carriers to accelerate the dyeing or fixing of dyestuffs and other…).
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 6%. 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.
The general duty rate is 6% of the customs value, which is above most the rates in chapter 38 (70th percentile of 179 lines with an ad valorem rate). On a shipment valued at $10,000 that is $600 in duty before any Chapter 99 additions or preference claims.
Neighbouring lines carry rates from 6% to 6.5%, so the exact line matters. The widest gap is with 3809.93.10 (containing 5 percent or more by weight of one or more aromatic or…), at 6.5%: a product that belongs there but is entered here, or the reverse, changes the duty by 0.5 percentage points.
The column 2 rate, for countries without normal trade relations, is 25%, 4.2 times the general rate.
Neighbouring lines
| Line | Description | General rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3809.10.00 | With a basis of amylaceous substances | 2.2¢/kg + 3% |
| 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% |