5609.00.40

Analysis

HTS 5609.00.40 covers articles of yarn, strip or the like of heading 5404 or 5405, twine, cordage, rope or cables, not elsewhere specified or included: other under heading 5609 (articles of yarn, strip or the like of heading 5404 or 5405, twine, cordage, rope or…).

Neighbouring lines carry rates from duty-free to 4.5%, so the exact line matters. The widest gap is with 5609.00.20 (of vegetable fibers, except cotton), at duty-free: a product that belongs there but is entered here, or the reverse, changes the duty by 3.9 percentage points.

Goods that qualify under the Australia FTA, the Bahrain FTA, the Chile FTA, the Colombia TPA, the Caribbean Basin Initiative, and 10 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 90%, 23.1 times the general rate.

The general duty rate is 3.9% of the customs value, which is in the middle of the rates in chapter 56 (52nd percentile of 51 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.