Analysis
HTS 9114.40.20 covers watch movement bottom or pillar plates or their equivalent under heading 9114 (other clock or watch parts).
The general rate is 12¢ each, a specific or compound duty rather than a simple percentage, so the effective burden depends on the unit value of the goods: cheap goods pay proportionally more than expensive ones. Importers usually convert it to an ad valorem equivalent to compare it with other lines.
Goods that qualify under GSP, the Australia FTA, the Bahrain FTA, the Chile FTA, the Colombia TPA, and 13 others can enter duty-free instead of paying 12¢ each. 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.
The other lines in the same group are 9114.40.40 (any plate, or set of plates, suitable for assembling…, 10¢ each), 9114.40.60 (other: for watches, 7.3%) and 9114.40.80 (other: other, 4.2%).
Census statistics map these goods to NAICS 334519 (Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing), an industry of 913 US establishments employing 34,818 people. That concordance is how imports of this line are compared with US output.
Neighbouring lines
| Line | Description | General rate |
|---|---|---|
| 9114.40.40 | Any plate, or set of plates, suitable for assembling thereon a clock movement | 10¢ each |
| 9114.40.60 | Other: for watches | 7.3% |
| 9114.40.80 | Other: other | 4.2% |