Analysis
HTS 9615.19.20 covers valued not over $4.50 per gross under heading 9615 (combs, hair-slides and the like; hairpins, curling pins, curling grips, hair-curlers and…).
The general rate is 9.7¢/gross + 1.3%, 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 12 others can enter duty-free instead of paying 9.7¢/gross + 1.3%. 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 9615.19.40 (valued over $4.50 per gross, 28.8¢/gross + 4.6%) and 9615.19.60 (other: other, 11%).
Census statistics map these goods to NAICS 332999 (All Other Miscellaneous Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing), an industry of 3,501 US establishments employing 66,282 people, the industry a domestic producer of these goods reports under.
Neighbouring lines
| Line | Description | General rate |
|---|---|---|
| 9615.19.40 | Valued over $4.50 per gross | 28.8¢/gross + 4.6% |
| 9615.19.60 | Other: other | 11% |