Analysis
HTS 6909.11.40 covers of porcelain or china: other under heading 6909 (ceramic wares for laboratory, chemical or other technical uses; ceramic troughs, tubs and…).
Neighbouring lines carry rates from duty-free to 4%, so the exact line matters. The widest gap is with 6909.19.10 (ferrite core memories), at duty-free: a product that belongs there but is entered here, or the reverse, changes the duty by 4.5 percentage points.
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 4.5%. 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.
The general duty rate is 4.5% of the customs value, which is in the middle of the rates in chapter 69 (37th percentile of 82 lines with an ad valorem rate). On a shipment valued at $10,000 that is $450 in duty before any Chapter 99 additions or preference claims.
The column 2 rate, for countries without normal trade relations, is 60%, 13.3 times the general rate.
Neighbouring lines
| Line | Description | General rate |
|---|---|---|
| 6909.11.20 | Of porcelain or china: machinery parts | Free |
| 6909.12.00 | Articles having a hardness equivalent to 9 or more on the Mohs scale | 4% |
| 6909.19.10 | Ferrite core memories | Free |
| 6909.19.50 | Other: other | 4% |
| 6909.90.00 | Ceramic wares for laboratory, chemical or other technical uses; ceramic troughs, tubs and similar receptacles of a kind used in agriculture; ceramic pots, jars and similar articles of a kind used for the conveyance or packing of goods: other | 4% |