Analysis
HTS 5105.21.00 covers combed wool in fragments (400) under heading 5105 (wool and fine or coarse animal hair, carded or combed (including combed wool in fragments)).
The general rate is 3.7¢/kg + 3%, a specific or compound duty rather than a simple percentage, so the effective burden depends on the unit value of the goods: cheap goods pay proportionally more than expensive ones. Importers usually convert it to an ad valorem equivalent to compare it with other lines.
Goods that qualify under the Australia FTA, the Bahrain FTA, the Chile FTA, the Colombia TPA, the Israel FTA, and 9 others can enter duty-free instead of paying 3.7¢/kg + 3%. 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 313110 (Fiber, Yarn, and Thread Mills), an industry of 250 US establishments employing 18,290 people. That is the industry code a US manufacturer of the same product would normally use.
Neighbouring lines
| Line | Description | General rate |
|---|---|---|
| 5105.10.00 | Wool and fine or coarse animal hair, carded or combed (including combed wool in fragments): carded wool (400) | 6.5¢/kg + 5.3% |
| 5105.29.00 | Wool tops and other combed wool: other (400) | 3.9¢/kg + 3.1% |
| 5105.31.00 | Of Kashmir (cashmere) goats (400) | 6.8¢/kg + 5.5% |
| 5105.39.00 | Fine animal hair, carded or combed: other (400) | 6.8¢/kg + 5.5% |
| 5105.40.00 | Coarse animal hair, carded or combed | Free |