Analysis
HTS 8544.42.20 covers of a kind used for telecommunications under heading 8544 (insulated (including enameled or anodized) wire, cable (including coaxial cable) and…).
Neighbouring lines carry rates from duty-free to 2.6%, so the exact line matters. The widest gap is with 8544.42.90 (other: other), at 2.6%: a product that belongs there but is entered here, or the reverse, changes the duty by 2.6 percentage points.
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 8544.42.10 (fitted with modular telephone connectors, duty-free) and 8544.42.90 (other: other, 2.6%).
Census statistics map these goods to NAICS 335929 (Other Communication and Energy Wire Manufacturing), an industry of 212 US establishments employing 15,936 people. That is the industry code a US manufacturer of the same product would normally use.
Neighbouring lines
| Line | Description | General rate |
|---|---|---|
| 8544.42.10 | Fitted with modular telephone connectors | Free |
| 8544.42.90 | Other: other | 2.6% |