Analysis
HTS 6404.11.90 covers valued over $12/pair under heading 6404 (footwear with outer soles of rubber, plastics, leather or composition leather and uppers…). US Customs collects import statistics for it under 6 ten-digit suffixes, reported in pairs.
Neighbouring lines carry rates from 7.5% to 48%, so the exact line matters. The widest gap is with 6404.11.59 (other: other), at 48%: a product that belongs there but is entered here, or the reverse, changes the duty by 28 percentage points.
Goods that qualify under the Australia FTA, the Bahrain FTA, the Chile FTA, the Colombia TPA, AGOA, and 11 others can enter duty-free instead of paying 20%. 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 general duty rate is 20% of the customs value, which is above most the rates in chapter 64 (78th percentile of 131 lines with an ad valorem rate). On a shipment valued at $10,000 that is $2,000 in duty before any Chapter 99 additions or preference claims.
The column 2 rate, for countries without normal trade relations, is 35%, 1.8 times the general rate.
The ten-digit suffixes separate ski boots, cross country ski footwear…, ski boots, cross country ski footwear… and ski boots, cross country ski footwear…. The duty is the same across them; the suffix matters for statistics, licensing and some quotas, and an entry needs all ten digits.
Statistical suffixes
| Code | Description | Units | NAICS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6404.11.90.10 | Ski boots, cross country ski footwear and snowboard boots | prs. | 316210 |
| 6404.11.90.20 | Other | prs. | 316210 |
| 6404.11.90.40 | Ski boots, cross country ski footwear and snowboard boots | prs. | 316210 |
| 6404.11.90.50 | Other | prs. | 316210 |
| 6404.11.90.70 | Ski boots, cross country ski footwear and snowboard boots | prs. | 316210 |
| 6404.11.90.80 | Other | prs. | 316210 |
Neighbouring lines
| Line | Description | General rate |
|---|---|---|
| 6404.11.20 | Having uppers of which over 50 percent of the external surface area (including any leather accessories or reinforcements such as those mentioned in note 4(a) to this chapter) is leather | 10.5% |
| 6404.11.41 | With uppers of vegetable fibers and having outer soles with textile materials having the greatest surface area in contact with the ground, but not taken into account under the terms of additional U.S. note 5 to this chapter | 7.5% |
| 6404.11.49 | Having soles (or mid-soles, if any) of rubber or plastics which are affixed to the upper exclusively with an adhesive (any mid-soles also being affixed exclusively to one another and to the sole with an adhesive); the foregoing except footwear having a foxing or a foxing-like band applied or molded at the sole and overlapping the upper and except footwear with soles which overlap the upper other than at the toe or heel: other | 37.5% |
| 6404.11.51 | With uppers of vegetable fibers and having outer soles with textile materials having the greatest surface area in contact with the ground, but not taken into account under the terms of additional U.S. note 5 to this chapter | 7.5% |
| 6404.11.59 | Other: other | 48% |
| 6404.11.61 | With uppers of vegetable fibers and having outer soles with textile materials having the greatest surface area in contact with the ground, but not taken into account under the terms of additional U.S. note 5 to this chapter | 7.5% |
| 6404.11.69 | Having soles (or mid-soles, if any) of rubber or plastics which are affixed to the upper exclusively with an adhesive (any mid-soles also being affixed exclusively to one another and to the sole with an adhesive); the foregoing except footwear having a foxing or a foxing-like band applied or molded at the sole and overlapping the upper and except footwear with soles which overlap the upper other than at the toe or heel: other | 37.5% |
| 6404.11.71 | With uppers of vegetable fibers and having outer soles with textile materials having the greatest surface area in contact with the ground, but not taken into account under the terms of additional U.S. note 5 to this chapter | 7.5% |
| 6404.11.75 | With uppers of textile materials other than vegetable fibers and having outer soles with textile materials having the greatest surface area in contact with the ground, but not taken into account under the terms of additional U.S. note 5 to this chapter | 12.5% |
| 6404.11.79 | Other: other | 90¢/pr. + 37.5% |
| 6404.11.81 | With uppers of vegetable fibers and having outer soles with textile materials having the greatest surface area in contact with the ground, but not taken into account under the terms of additional U.S. note 5 to this chapter | 7.5% |
| 6404.11.85 | With uppers of textile material other than vegetable fibers and having outer soles with textile materials having the greatest surface area in contact with the ground, but not taken into account under the terms of additional U.S. note 5 to this chapter | 12.5% |
| 6404.11.89 | Valued over $6.50 but not over $12/pair: other | 90¢/pr. + 20% |