Analysis
HTS 8523.49.30 covers for reproducing sound only under heading 8523 (discs, tapes, solid-state non-volatile storage devices, "smart cards" and other media for…).
The normal trade relations rate here is zero, shared by about 58% of the 624 tariff lines in chapter 85, 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 8523.49.20 (for reproducing phenomena other than sound or image, duty-free), 8523.49.40 (for reproducing representations of instructions, data…, duty-free) and 8523.49.50 (other: other, duty-free).
Census statistics map these goods to NAICS 33461 (Manufacturing and Reproducing Magnetic and Optical Media), an industry of 292 US establishments employing 4,540 people. That concordance is how imports of this line are compared with US output.
All 3 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 8523.49.20 | For reproducing phenomena other than sound or image | Free |
| 8523.49.40 | For reproducing representations of instructions, data, sound, and image, recorded in a machine readable binary form, and capable of being manipulated or providing interactivity to a user, by means of an automatic data processing machine; proprietary format recorded discs | Free |
| 8523.49.50 | Other: other | Free |