Analysis
HTS 3815.90.50 covers other: other under heading 3815 (reaction initiators, reaction accelerators and catalytic preparations, not elsewhere…).
Neighbouring lines carry rates from duty-free to 6.5%, so the exact line matters. The widest gap is with 3815.90.30 (consisting wholly of inorganic substances: other), at duty-free: a product that belongs there but is entered here, or the reverse, changes the duty by 5 percentage points.
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 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.
The general duty rate is 5% of the customs value, which is in the middle of the rates in chapter 38 (60th percentile of 179 lines with an ad valorem rate). On a shipment valued at $10,000 that is $500 in duty before any Chapter 99 additions or preference claims.
The column 2 rate, for countries without normal trade relations, is 25%, 5.0 times the general rate.
Neighbouring lines
| Line | Description | General rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3815.90.10 | Of bismuth, of tungsten or of vanadium | 6.5% |
| 3815.90.20 | Of mercury or of molybdenum | 2.8% |
| 3815.90.30 | Consisting wholly of inorganic substances: other | Free |