Analysis
HTS 7302.90.10 covers sleepers (cross-ties) under heading 7302 (railway or tramway track construction material of iron or steel, the following: rails…).
Goods classified here enter the United States duty-free at the general (normal trade relations) rate, as do about 77% of the 250 tariff lines in chapter 73. Duty-free at the general rate does not rule out additional duties under Chapter 99, such as Section 301 or Section 232 measures, which depend on the country of origin.
Census statistics map these goods to NAICS 331511 (Iron Foundries), an industry of 269 US establishments employing 32,020 people. That is the industry code a US manufacturer of the same product would normally use.
All 5 neighbouring lines carry the same duty-free rate, so a borderline choice between them changes the statistics reported, not the duty paid.
Goods from countries without normal trade relations pay the column 2 rate of 2% instead of nothing, so origin decides between free entry and a 2% duty.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 7302.10.10 | Of iron or nonalloy steel | Free |
| 7302.10.50 | Rails: of alloy steel | Free |
| 7302.30.00 | Switch blades, crossing frogs, point rods and other crossing pieces | Free |
| 7302.40.00 | Fish-plates and sole plates | Free |
| 7302.90.90 | Other: other | Free |