Analysis
HTS 8201.90.40 covers forks, and parts thereof under heading 8201 (handtools of the following kinds and base metal parts thereof: spades, shovels, mattocks…).
The normal trade relations rate here is zero, shared by about 41% of the 95 tariff lines in chapter 82, a useful check when a neighbouring dutiable line is a candidate. Free here means free of the base duty only: origin-specific Chapter 99 duties such as Section 301 can still be owed.
The other lines in the same group are 8201.90.30 (grass shears, and parts thereof, 2¢ each + 5.1%) and 8201.90.60 (other handtools of a kind used in agriculture, horticulture…, duty-free).
Census statistics map these goods to NAICS 332216 (Saw Blade and Handtool Manufacturing), an industry of 775 US establishments employing 25,058 people. That concordance is how imports of this line are compared with US output.
Goods from countries without normal trade relations pay the column 2 rate of 15% instead of nothing, so origin decides between free entry and a 15% duty.
All 2 neighbouring lines carry the same duty-free rate, so a borderline choice between them changes the statistics reported, not the duty paid.
Neighbouring lines
| Line | Description | General rate |
|---|---|---|
| 8201.90.30 | Grass shears, and parts thereof | 2¢ each + 5.1% |
| 8201.90.60 | Other handtools of a kind used in agriculture, horticulture or forestry, and parts thereof: other | Free |