The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a Federal Register notice exempting Section 301 import tariffs for certain List 3 products from China (imports from China with an annual trade value of $200 billion). The exemptions cover 17 ten-digit Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) subheadings and 61 specially prepared product descriptions, which cover 103 separately submitted exclusion requests.

The excluded HTS subheadings are:

0713.33.1040

0713.50.1000

1207.70.0020

1207.70.0040

1209.30.0090

1209.91.6010

1209.91.8010

1209.91.8020

1209.91.8040

 

1209.91.8050

1209.91.8060

1209.91.8070

2916.19.1000

 

5603.14.9090

5603.92.0090

5603.93.0090

9403.70.4002

 

The exclusions with specially-prepared product descriptions include but are not limited to: freeze-dried frozen bloodworms, tubifex worms and brine shrimp; certain dried seaweed; certain children’s paint sets; certain organic surface-active liquid for washing the skin; certain toilet seal rings; certain forms of artificial graphite; a variant of refrigerant gas R-421B; various chemical compounds (CAS numbers are provided); certain handbags, coin purses, and garment travel bags; certain flooring planks and other wood products; polypropylene roofing underlayment; certain diaries and albums for collecting; certain rugs of hand-knotted pile, of nylon and polypropylene; certain equipment for scaffolding; certain drums, barrels and containers of stainless steel; certain portable grills of iron or steel designed for use with both charcoal and propane as fuels; certain stainless steel cover assemblies and parts for stoves and ranges; certain types of tailor welded blanks of hot-formed steel sheets; certain types of pet identification tags; certain gun safes with digital keypads; wind turbine hubs; certain fuel filters for internal combustion engines; certain portal cranes, each with a jib or operating arm; certain self-regulating valves to control fuel pressure for automotive and marine applications; certain headlamp assemblies for passenger cars and trucks; certain countertop ovens of stainless steel and plastic; certain unassembled non-upholstered chairs with metal frames; and certain floor-standing jewelry armoires.

These exclusions will apply from September 24, 2018, through August 7, 2020. Each exclusion is governed by the scope of the HTS heading and the product description appearing in the annex of the exclusion notice; it is not governed by the product description set out in any particular exclusion request. U.S. Customs and Border Protection will soon issue instructions on entry guidance and implementation. The USTR will continue to issue determinations on pending requests on a periodic basis.

An exclusion can apply to any product that fits within the description in the annex of the Federal Register notice, regardless of which company submitted the original request. Please contact us to discuss whether we can assist in determining if your product might fit within one of these exclusions.