Analysis
HTS 8446.21.50 covers power looms: other under heading 8446 (weaving machines (looms)).
Within this group the rate runs from duty-free to 3.7%. Compared with 8446.30.10 (power looms for weaving fabrics of a width exceeding 4.9 m), which pays duty-free, a misclassification either way moves the duty by 3.7 percentage points.
The general duty rate is 3.7% of the customs value, which is above most the rates in chapter 84 (83rd percentile of 823 lines with an ad valorem rate). On a shipment valued at $10,000 that is $370 in duty before any Chapter 99 additions or preference claims.
The column 2 rate, for countries without normal trade relations, is 40%, 10.8 times the general rate.
Goods that qualify under GSP, the Australia FTA, the Bahrain FTA, the Chile FTA, the Colombia TPA, and 12 others can enter duty-free instead of paying 3.7%. It is also eligible under GSP, the developing-country programme, which Congress has to renew; check whether GSP is in force on the entry date.
Census statistics map these goods to NAICS 33324 (Industrial Machinery Manufacturing), an industry of 2,836 US establishments employing 111,497 people. That concordance is how imports of this line are compared with US output.
Neighbouring lines
| Line | Description | General rate |
|---|---|---|
| 8446.10.00 | For weaving fabrics of a width not exceeding 30 cm | Free |
| 8446.21.10 | For weaving fabrics of a width exceeding 4.9 m | Free |
| 8446.29.00 | For weaving fabrics of a width exceeding 30 cm, shuttle type: other | Free |
| 8446.30.10 | Power looms for weaving fabrics of a width exceeding 4.9 m | Free |
| 8446.30.50 | For weaving fabrics of a width exceeding 30 cm, shuttleless type: other | 3.7% |