Analysis
Subheading 8536.50 covers other switches, within heading 8536. The first six digits are shared by every country that uses the Harmonized System, so this part of the code is the same in the US, UK and EU schedules; the 3 US tariff lines below it are national.
Every one of its 3 tariff lines is duty-free at the general rate, so classification within the subheading affects statistics and Chapter 99 measures rather than the base duty.
The US splits it as follows: 8536.50.40 for other switches: motor starters (duty-free), 8536.50.70 for electronic AC switches consisting of optically coupled input and… (duty-free) and 8536.50.90 for other: other (duty-free).
By Census's concordance, most of its statistical lines are made by Current-Carrying Wiring Device Manufacturing (335931) and Relay and Industrial Control Manufacturing (335314). Those are the NAICS industries a US producer of these goods would report under.
Goods only reach 8536.50 once they fall within heading 8536 (electrical apparatus for switching or protecting electrical circuits, or for making…). Under General Rule 6, subheadings are then compared only with others at the same level, so a product is matched against its siblings, not against lines elsewhere in the chapter.
Tariff lines
| Line | Description | General rate |
|---|---|---|
| 8536.50.40 | Other switches: motor starters | Free |
| 8536.50.70 | Electronic AC switches consisting of optically coupled input and output circuits (insulated thyristor AC switches); electronic switches, including temperature protected switches, consisting of a transistor and a logic chip (chip-on-chip technology); electromechanical snap-action switches for a current not exceeding 11 amps | Free |
| 8536.50.90 | Other: other | Free |