Analysis
HTS 7228.20.10 covers bars and rods, of silico-manganese steel: not cold-formed under heading 7228 (other bars and rods of other alloy steel; angles, shapes and sections, of other alloy…).
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 28% instead of nothing, so origin decides between free entry and a 28% 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 15 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 7228.10.00 | Bars and rods, of high-speed steel | Free |
| 7228.20.50 | Bars and rods, of silico-manganese steel: cold-formed | Free |
| 7228.30.20 | Of ball-bearing steel | Free |
| 7228.30.40 | Of chipper knife steel, not cold-formed | Free |
| 7228.30.60 | Of tool steel (other than high-speed steel): other | Free |
| 7228.30.80 | Other bars and rods, not further worked than hot-rolled, hot-drawn or extruded: other | Free |
| 7228.40.00 | Other bars and rods of other alloy steel; angles, shapes and sections, of other alloy steel; hollow drill bars and rods, of alloy or nonalloy steel: other bars and rods, not further worked than forged | Free |
| 7228.50.10 | Of tool steel (other than high-speed steel) | Free |
| 7228.50.50 | Other bars and rods, not further worked than cold-formed or cold-finished: other | Free |
| 7228.60.10 | Of tool steel (other than high-speed steel) | Free |
| 7228.60.60 | Other: not cold-formed | Free |
| 7228.60.80 | Other: cold-formed | Free |
| 7228.70.30 | Hot-rolled, not drilled, not punched and not otherwise advanced | Free |
| 7228.70.60 | Angles, shapes and sections: other | Free |
| 7228.80.00 | Hollow drill bars and rods | Free |