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HTS tariff line · chapter 38

3824.99.21

Consisting wholly of substances found naturally in coal tar, whether obtained from coal tar or other source

Analysis

HTS 3824.99.21 covers consisting wholly of substances found naturally in coal tar, whether obtained from coal tar or other source under heading 3824 (prepared binders for foundry molds or cores; chemical products and preparations of the…).

Within this group the rate runs from duty-free to 6.5%. Compared with 3824.99.50 (chlorinated but not otherwise halogenated), which pays 6.5%, a misclassification either way moves the duty by 6.5 percentage points.

The normal trade relations rate here is zero, shared by about 25% of the 179 tariff lines in chapter 38, a useful check when a neighbouring dutiable line is a candidate. Free here means free of the base duty only: origin-specific Chapter 99 duties such as Section 301 can still be owed.

Census statistics map these goods to NAICS 325194 (Cyclic Crude, Intermediate, and Gum and Wood Chemical Manufacturing), an industry of 68 US establishments employing 5,542 people. That concordance is how imports of this line are compared with US output.

Every edition we compared, from Jan 2023 to Oct 2026 (Rev. 22), shows the same general rate of Free.

Neighbouring lines

LineDescriptionGeneral rate
3824.99.11In the form of ingotsFree
3824.99.19Cultured crystals (other than optical elements of chapter 90), weighing not less than 2.5 g each: other6.5%
3824.99.25Aqueous mixtures of triphenyl sulfonium chloride, diphenyl (4-phenylthio)phenyl sulfonium chloride and (thiodi-4,1- phenylene)bis(diphenyl sulfonium) dichloride6.5%
3824.99.26Benzene, 2,4-diisocyanate-1,3,5-tris(1- methylethyl) homopolymer; 5-Fluoro-2-methyl-1-[[4-(methylsulfinyl)- phenyl]methylene]-1H-indene;Mixtures of dimethyl phthalate, t-butanol, hydrogen peroxide, and sodium salicylate; andMixtures containing derivatives of N-[4-(2- hydroxy-3-phenoxypropoxy)phenyl]- acetamideFree
3824.99.29Mixtures containing 5 percent or more by weight of one or more aromatic or modified aromatic substances: other6.5%
3824.99.31Mixtures of two or more inorganic compounds: of bismuth6.5%
3824.99.32Of hydrosulfite compounds, of sulfoxylate compounds, or of both6.5%
3824.99.33Mixtures of two or more inorganic compounds: of mercury4.2%
3824.99.34Mixtures of two or more inorganic compounds: of molybdenum2.8%
3824.99.35Mixtures of two or more inorganic compounds: of tungsten6.5%
3824.99.36Mixtures of two or more inorganic compounds: of vanadium6.5%
3824.99.39Mixtures of two or more inorganic compounds: otherFree
3824.99.41Fatty substances of animal or vegetable origin and mixtures thereof4.6%
3824.99.49Mixtures that are in whole or in part of hydrocarbons derived in whole or in part from petroleum, shale oil or natural gas6.5%
3824.99.50Chlorinated but not otherwise halogenated6.5%
3824.99.55Mixtures of halogenated hydrocarbons: other3.7%
3824.99.70Mixtures of dibromo neopentyl glycol; Polydibromophenylene oxide; Tetrabromobisphenol-A-carbonate oligomers; and Electroplating chemical and electroless plating solutions and other materials for printed circuit boards, plastics and metal finishingsFree
3824.99.75Naphthenic acids, their water-insoluble salts and their esters3.7%
3824.99.93Other: other5%