Analysis
HTS 4206.00.19 covers of catgut: other under heading 4206 (articles of gut (other than silkworm gut), of goldbeater's skin, of bladders or of tendons). US Customs collects import statistics for it under 2 ten-digit suffixes, reported in metres.
Neighbouring lines carry rates from duty-free to 3.5%, so the exact line matters. The widest gap is with 4206.00.90 (articles of gut (other than silkworm gut), of goldbeater's skin, of…), at duty-free: a product that belongs there but is entered here, or the reverse, changes the duty by 3.9 percentage points.
The general duty rate is 3.9% of the customs value, which is at the low end of the rates in chapter 42 (26th percentile of 88 lines with an ad valorem rate). On a shipment valued at $10,000 that is $390 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 3.9%. 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 column 2 rate, for countries without normal trade relations, is 40%, 10.3 times the general rate.
For statistics it divides in two: 4206.00.19.10 for racquet strings and 4206.00.19.30 for other. Both pay the same duty; the suffix records which kind was imported.
Statistical suffixes
Neighbouring lines
| Line | Description | General rate |
|---|---|---|
| 4206.00.13 | If imported for use in the manufacture of sterile surgical sutures | 3.5% |
| 4206.00.90 | Articles of gut (other than silkworm gut), of goldbeater's skin, of bladders or of tendons: other | Free |