Analysis
HTS 8607.19.03 covers axles and parts thereof: axles under heading 8607 (parts of railway or tramway locomotives or rolling stock).
Rates on the nearby lines range from duty-free to 3.6%. The costliest confusion would be with 8607.19.30 (parts of truck assemblies of vehicles of heading 8605 or 8606) at 3.6%, a difference of 3.2 points on the customs value.
The general duty rate is 0.4% of the customs value, which is in the middle of the rates in chapter 86 (31st percentile of 32 lines with an ad valorem rate). On a shipment valued at $10,000 that is $40 in duty before any Chapter 99 additions or preference claims.
Census statistics map these goods to NAICS 336510 (Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing), an industry of 220 US establishments employing 27,831 people, the industry a domestic producer of these goods reports under.
Goods that qualify under GSP, the Australia FTA, the Bahrain FTA, the Chile FTA, the Colombia TPA, and 12 others can enter duty-free instead of paying 0.4%. It is also eligible under GSP, the developing-country programme, which Congress has to renew; check whether GSP is in force on the entry date.
Neighbouring lines
| Line | Description | General rate |
|---|---|---|
| 8607.19.06 | Axles and parts thereof: parts of axles | 0.4% |
| 8607.19.12 | Wheels, whether or not fitted with axles | Free |
| 8607.19.15 | Wheels and parts thereof, and any of such wheels or parts imported with axles fitted in them: parts of wheels | Free |
| 8607.19.30 | Parts of truck assemblies of vehicles of heading 8605 or 8606 | 3.6% |
| 8607.19.90 | Other, including parts: other | 2.6% |