Analysis
HTS 9405.42.40 covers of base metal: of brass under heading 9405 (luminaires and lighting fittings including searchlights and spotlights and parts thereof…).
Neighbouring lines carry rates from duty-free to 6%, so the exact line matters. The widest gap is with 9405.42.82 (light-emitting diode (LED) backlights modules, the foregoing which…), at duty-free: a product that belongs there but is entered here, or the reverse, changes the duty by 4.7 percentage points.
The general duty rate is 4.7% of the customs value, which is above most the rates in chapter 94 (75th percentile of 110 lines with an ad valorem rate). On a shipment valued at $10,000 that is $470 in duty before any Chapter 99 additions or preference claims.
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 4.7%. 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 column 2 rate, for countries without normal trade relations, is 45%, 9.6 times the general rate.
Neighbouring lines
| Line | Description | General rate |
|---|---|---|
| 9405.42.60 | Of base metal: other | 6% |
| 9405.42.82 | Light-emitting diode (LED) backlights modules, the foregoing which are lighting sources that consist of one or more LEDs and one or more connectors and are mounted on a printed circuit or other similar substrate, and other passive components, whether or not combined with optical components or protective diodes, and used as backlights illumination for liquid crystal displays(LCDs) | Free |
| 9405.42.84 | Other: other | 3.9% |