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Harmonized Tariff Schedule

The Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) provide classification provisions and duty rates for almost every item that exists. It is a system of classifying and taxing all goods imported into the United States. The HTS is based on the international Harmonized System, which is a global standard for naming and describing trade products, and consists of a hierarchical structure that assigns a specific code and rate to each type of merchandise for duty, quota, and statistical purposes. The HTS was made effective on January 1, 1989, replacing the former Tariff Schedules of the United States. It is maintained by the U.S. International Trade Commission, but CBP is responsible for interpreting and enforcing the HTS. 

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Importer Says CIT Committed 3 Legal Errors in Finding the Comfy Is a Pullover
August 27, 2025 by Jacob Kopnick|Penalties and Courts

Importer Cozy Comfort filed its opening brief at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on Aug. 25, arguing that the Court of International Trade was wrong to find that the company's product, The Comfy, is a pullover and not a blanket (Cozy Comfort v. United States, Fed. Cir. # 25-1889).

Topics:Harmonized Tariff Schedule, U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), Entry Type 86 , Customs duty, Court of International Trade, CBP CROSS Rulings, World Trade Organization (WTO), Section 201 Safeguards
Importer Says Plastic Lips With Lollipop Part Are Toys, Not Candy
August 26, 2025 by Jacob Kopnick|Penalties and Courts

CBP improperly classified certain toy lips as candy under Harmonized Tariff Schedule Chapter 17 instead of "other toys" under Chapter 95, said importer Imaginings, doing business as Flix Candy, in a complaint last week at the Court of International Trade. Flix said that while the lips consist of two components, the plastic lips and a candy lollipop, the lips give the item its "essential character" and thus qualify the goods for Chapter 95 classification (Imaginings 3, d/b/a Flix Candy v. United States, CIT # 21-00403).

Topics:Section 301 tariff exclusions, Harmonized Tariff Schedule, Customs duty, Court of International Trade