Analysis
HTS 7212.20.00 covers electrolytically plated or coated with zinc under heading 7212 (flat-rolled products of iron or nonalloy steel, of a width of less than 600 mm, clad…).
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.
Goods from countries without normal trade relations pay the column 2 rate of 21.5% instead of nothing, so origin decides between free entry and a 21.5% duty.
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 8 neighbouring lines carry the same duty-free rate, so a borderline choice between them changes the statistics reported, not the duty paid.
Every edition we compared, from Jan 2023 to Oct 2026 (Rev. 22), shows the same general rate of Free.
Neighbouring lines
| Line | Description | General rate |
|---|---|---|
| 7212.10.00 | Plated or coated with tin | Free |
| 7212.30.10 | Of a thickness exceeding 0.25 mm or more | Free |
| 7212.30.30 | Of a width of less than 300 mm: other | Free |
| 7212.30.50 | Otherwise plated or coated with zinc: other | Free |
| 7212.40.10 | Of a width of less than 300 mm | Free |
| 7212.40.50 | Painted, varnished or coated with plastics: other | Free |
| 7212.50.00 | Flat-rolled products of iron or nonalloy steel, of a width of less than 600 mm, clad, plated or coated: otherwise plated or coated | Free |
| 7212.60.00 | Flat-rolled products of iron or nonalloy steel, of a width of less than 600 mm, clad, plated or coated: clad | Free |