Analysis
HTS 6909.19.50 covers other: other under heading 6909 (ceramic wares for laboratory, chemical or other technical uses; ceramic troughs, tubs and…). US Customs collects import statistics for it under 2 ten-digit suffixes, reported in number of items.
Rates on the nearby lines range from duty-free to 4.5%. The costliest confusion would be with 6909.19.10 (ferrite core memories) at duty-free, a difference of 4 points on the customs value.
The general duty rate is 4% of the customs value, which is in the middle of the rates in chapter 69 (34th percentile of 82 lines with an ad valorem rate). On a shipment valued at $10,000 that is $400 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 13 others can enter duty-free instead of paying 4%. 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 45%, 11.2 times the general rate.
For statistics it divides in two: 6909.19.50.10 for ceramic bearings and 6909.19.50.95 for other. Both pay the same duty; the suffix records which kind was imported.
Statistical suffixes
Neighbouring lines
| Line | Description | General rate |
|---|---|---|
| 6909.11.20 | Of porcelain or china: machinery parts | Free |
| 6909.11.40 | Of porcelain or china: other | 4.5% |
| 6909.12.00 | Articles having a hardness equivalent to 9 or more on the Mohs scale | 4% |
| 6909.19.10 | Ferrite core memories | Free |
| 6909.90.00 | 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% |