Analysis
HTS 3903.90.10 covers methyl methacrylate-butadiene-styrene (MBS) copolymers under heading 3903 (polymers of styrene, in primary forms).
The general duty rate is 6.5% of the customs value, which is above most the rates in chapter 39 (86th percentile of 236 lines with an ad valorem rate). On a shipment valued at $10,000 that is $650 in duty before any Chapter 99 additions or preference claims.
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 6.5%. 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.
Census statistics map these goods to NAICS 325211 (Plastics Material and Resin Manufacturing), an industry of 1,285 US establishments employing 88,827 people. That concordance is how imports of this line are compared with US output.
All 5 neighbouring lines carry the same 6.5% rate, so a borderline choice between them changes the statistics reported, not the duty paid.
Neighbouring lines
| Line | Description | General rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3903.11.00 | Polystyrene: expandable | 6.5% |
| 3903.19.00 | Polystyrene: other | 6.5% |
| 3903.20.00 | Styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN) copolymers | 6.5% |
| 3903.30.00 | Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) copolymers | 6.5% |
| 3903.90.50 | Other: other | 6.5% |