Analysis
HTS 8544.70.00 covers optical fiber cables under heading 8544 (insulated (including enameled or anodized) wire, cable (including coaxial cable) and…).
Neighbouring lines carry rates from duty-free to 5.3%, so the exact line matters. The widest gap is with 8544.49.30 (other: of copper), at 5.3%: a product that belongs there but is entered here, or the reverse, changes the duty by 5.3 percentage points.
Goods from countries without normal trade relations pay the column 2 rate of 65% instead of nothing, so origin decides between free entry and a 65% 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.
Census statistics map these goods to NAICS 335921 (Fiber Optic Cable Manufacturing), an industry of 130 US establishments employing 8,325 people. That is the industry code a US manufacturer of the same product would normally use.
Neighbouring lines
| Line | Description | General rate |
|---|---|---|
| 8544.11.00 | Winding wire: of copper | 3.5% |
| 8544.19.00 | Winding wire: other | 3.9% |
| 8544.20.00 | Coaxial cable and other coaxial electric conductors | 5.3% |
| 8544.30.00 | Ignition wiring sets and other wiring sets of a kind used in vehicles, aircraft or ships | 5% |
| 8544.42.10 | Fitted with modular telephone connectors | Free |
| 8544.42.20 | Of a kind used for telecommunications | Free |
| 8544.42.90 | Other: other | 2.6% |
| 8544.49.10 | Of a kind used for telecommunications | Free |
| 8544.49.20 | For a voltage not exceeding 80 V: other | 3.5% |
| 8544.49.30 | Other: of copper | 5.3% |
| 8544.49.90 | Other: other | 3.9% |
| 8544.60.20 | Fitted with connectors | 3.7% |
| 8544.60.40 | Other: of copper | 3.5% |
| 8544.60.60 | Other: other | 3.2% |