Analysis
HTS 8541.49.95 covers other: other under heading 8541 (semiconductor devices (for example, diodes, transistors, semiconductor-based…).
Goods from countries without normal trade relations pay the column 2 rate of 35% instead of nothing, so origin decides between free entry and a 35% duty.
Goods classified here enter the United States duty-free at the general (normal trade relations) rate, as do about 58% of the 624 tariff lines in chapter 85. 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 8541.49.10 (other: other diodes, duty-free), 8541.49.70 (other: transistors, duty-free) and 8541.49.80 (optical coupled isolators, duty-free).
Census statistics map these goods to NAICS 334413 (Semiconductor and Related Device Manufacturing), an industry of 822 US establishments employing 116,831 people. That is the industry code a US manufacturer of the same product would normally use.
All 3 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 8541.49.10 | Other: other diodes | Free |
| 8541.49.70 | Other: transistors | Free |
| 8541.49.80 | Optical coupled isolators | Free |