Analysis
HTS 7208.26.00 covers of a thickness of 3 mm or more but less than 4.75 mm under heading 7208 (flat-rolled products of iron or nonalloy steel, of a width of 600 mm or more, hot-rolled…). US Customs collects import statistics for it under 2 ten-digit suffixes, reported in kilograms.
For statistics it divides in two: 7208.26.00.30 for high-strength steel and 7208.26.00.60 for other. Both pay the same duty; the suffix records which kind was imported.
The normal trade relations rate here is zero, shared by about 92% of the 262 tariff lines in chapter 72, a useful check when a neighbouring dutiable line is a candidate. Chapter 99 measures such as Section 301 or 232 can still apply on top, depending on where the goods come from.
Census statistics map these goods to NAICS 331110 (Iron and Steel Mills and Ferroalloy Manufacturing), an industry of 359 US establishments employing 78,532 people. That concordance is how imports of this line are compared with US output.
All 17 neighbouring lines carry the same duty-free rate, so a borderline choice between them changes the statistics reported, not the duty paid.
Statistical suffixes
Neighbouring lines
| Line | Description | General rate |
|---|---|---|
| 7208.10.15 | In coils, not further worked than hot-rolled, with patterns in relief: pickled | Free |
| 7208.10.30 | Of a thickness of 4.75 mm or more | Free |
| 7208.10.60 | Of a thickness of less than 4.75 mm | Free |
| 7208.25.30 | Of high-strength steel | Free |
| 7208.25.60 | Of a thickness of 4.75 mm or more: other | Free |
| 7208.27.00 | Of a thickness of less than 3 mm | Free |
| 7208.36.00 | Of a thickness exceeding 10 mm | Free |
| 7208.37.00 | Of a thickness of 4.75 mm or more but not exceeding 10 mm | Free |
| 7208.38.00 | Of a thickness of 3 mm or more but less than 4.75 mm | Free |
| 7208.39.00 | Of a thickness of less than 3 mm | Free |
| 7208.40.30 | Of a thickness of 4.75 mm or more | Free |
| 7208.40.60 | Of a thickness of less than 4.75 mm | Free |
| 7208.51.00 | Of a thickness exceeding 10 mm | Free |
| 7208.52.00 | Of a thickness of 4.75 mm or more but not exceeding 10 mm | Free |
| 7208.53.00 | Of a thickness of 3 mm or more but less than 4.75 mm | Free |
| 7208.54.00 | Of a thickness of less than 3 mm | Free |
| 7208.90.00 | Flat-rolled products of iron or nonalloy steel, of a width of 600 mm or more, hot-rolled, not clad, plated or coated: other | Free |