Analysis
HTS 7804.20.00 covers powders and flakes under heading 7804 (lead plates, sheets, strip and foil; lead powders and flakes).
Rates on the nearby lines range from 2.2% to 3%. The costliest confusion would be with 7804.19.00 (plates, sheets, strip and foil: other) at 3%, a difference of 3 points on the customs value.
Goods from countries without normal trade relations pay the column 2 rate of 45% instead of nothing, so origin decides between free entry and a 45% duty.
There is no general-rate duty on this line, which puts it with roughly 29% of the 7 tariff lines in chapter 78 that are also free. 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.
The other lines in the same group are 7804.11.00 (sheets, strip and foil of a thickness (excluding any…, 2.2%) and 7804.19.00 (plates, sheets, strip and foil: other, 3%).
Census statistics map these goods to NAICS 331492 (Secondary Smelting, Refining, and Alloying of Nonferrous Metal (except Copper and Aluminum)), an industry of 187 US establishments employing 9,490 people, the industry a domestic producer of these goods reports under.
Neighbouring lines
| Line | Description | General rate |
|---|---|---|
| 7804.11.00 | Sheets, strip and foil of a thickness (excluding any backing) not exceeding 0.2 mm | 2.2% |
| 7804.19.00 | Plates, sheets, strip and foil: other | 3% |