Analysis
HTS 8208.90.30 covers for shoe machinery under heading 8208 (knives and cutting blades, for machines or for mechanical appliances, and base metal…).
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.
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.
All 6 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 8208.10.00 | For metal working, and parts thereof | Free |
| 8208.20.00 | For wood working, and parts thereof | Free |
| 8208.30.00 | For kitchen appliances or for machines used by the food industry, and parts thereof | Free |
| 8208.40.30 | For agricultural, horticultural or forestry machines, and parts thereof: lawnmower blades | Free |
| 8208.40.60 | For agricultural, horticultural or forestry machines, and parts thereof: other (including parts) | Free |
| 8208.90.60 | Other: other (including parts) | Free |