Chapter 90 HS Codes: Chapter 90 Commodities
CHAPTER DEFINITION & SCOPE
HS Chapter 90 of the WCO Harmonized System covers chapter 90 commodities. It groups 32 4-digit WCO headings and 143 6-digit subheadings under the official 2026 customs nomenclature [USITC HTS 2026].
Chapter
Ch 90
Headings
32 Headings
Subheadings
143 HS6
US Tariff Status
Active 2026
Chapter 90 4-Digit Headings Directory
| Heading | WCO Heading Description | Subheading Count | Directory Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heading 9001 | Optical fibers and optical fiber bundles; optical fiber cables other than those of heading 8544; sheets and plates of polarizing material; lenses (including contact lenses), prisms, mirrors and other optical elements, of any material, unmounted, other than such elements of glass not optically worked | 6 subheadings | Browse Heading 9001 → |
| Heading 9002 | Lenses, prisms, mirrors and other optical elements, of any material, mounted, being parts of or fittings for instruments or apparatus, other than such elements of glass not optically worked; parts and accessories thereof | 4 subheadings | Browse Heading 9002 → |
| Heading 9003 | Frames and mountings for spectacles, goggles or the like, and parts thereof | 3 subheadings | Browse Heading 9003 → |
| Heading 9004 | Spectacles, goggles and the like, corrective, protective or other | 2 subheadings | Browse Heading 9004 → |
| Heading 9005 | Binoculars, monoculars, other optical telescopes, and mountings therefor; other astronomical instruments and mountings therefor, but not including instruments for radio-astronomy; parts and accessories thereof | 3 subheadings | Browse Heading 9005 → |
| Heading 9006 | Photographic (other than cinematographic) cameras; photographic flashlight apparatus and flashbulbs other than discharge lamps of heading 8539; parts and accessories thereof | 8 subheadings | Browse Heading 9006 → |
| Heading 9007 | Cinematographic cameras and projectors, whether or not incorporating sound recording or reproducing apparatus; parts and accessories thereof | 4 subheadings | Browse Heading 9007 → |
| Heading 9008 | Image projectors, other than cinematographic; photographic (other than cinematographic) enlargers and reducers; parts and accessories thereof | 2 subheadings | Browse Heading 9008 → |
| Heading 9010 | Apparatus and equipment for photographic (including cinematographic) laboratories, not specified or included elsewhere in this chapter; negatoscopes; projection screens; parts and accessories thereof | 4 subheadings | Browse Heading 9010 → |
| Heading 9011 | Compound optical microscopes, including those for photomicrography, cinemicrography or microprojection; parts and accessories thereof | 4 subheadings | Browse Heading 9011 → |
| Heading 9012 | Microscopes other than optical microscopes; diffraction apparatus; parts and accessories thereof | 2 subheadings | Browse Heading 9012 → |
| Heading 9013 | Lasers, other than laser diodes; other optical appliances and instruments, not specified or included elsewhere in this chapter | 4 subheadings | Browse Heading 9013 → |
| Heading 9014 | Direction finding compasses; other navigational instruments and appliances; parts and accessories thereof | 4 subheadings | Browse Heading 9014 → |
| Heading 9015 | Surveying (including photogrammetrical surveying), hydrographic, oceanographic, hydrological, meteorological or geophysical instruments and appliances, excluding compasses; rangefinders; parts and accessories thereof | 6 subheadings | Browse Heading 9015 → |
| Heading 9016 | Balances of a sensitivity of 5 cg or better, with or without weights; parts and accessories thereof | 1 subheadings | Browse Heading 9016 → |
| Heading 9017 | Drawing, marking-out or mathematical calculating instruments (for example, drafting machines, pantographs, protractors, drawing sets, slide rules, disc calculators); instruments for measuring length, for use in the hand (for example, measuring rods and tapes, micrometers, calipers), not specified or included elsewhere in this chapter; parts and accessories thereof | 5 subheadings | Browse Heading 9017 → |
| Heading 9018 | Instruments and appliances used in medical, surgical, dental or veterinary sciences, including scintigraphic apparatus, other electro-medical apparatus and sight-testing instruments; parts and accessories thereof | 13 subheadings | Browse Heading 9018 → |
| Heading 9019 | Mechano-therapy appliances; massage apparatus; psychological aptitude-testing apparatus; ozone therapy, oxygen therapy, aerosol therapy, artificial respiration or other therapeutic respiration apparatus; parts and accessories thereof | 2 subheadings | Browse Heading 9019 → |
| Heading 9020 | Other breathing appliances and gas masks, excluding protective masks having neither mechanical parts nor replaceable filters; parts and accessories thereof | 1 subheadings | Browse Heading 9020 → |
| Heading 9021 | Orthopedic appliances, including crutches, surgical belts and trusses; splints and other fracture appliances; artificial parts of the body; hearing aids and other appliances which are worn or carried, or implanted in the body, to compensate for a defect or disability; parts and accessories thereof | 8 subheadings | Browse Heading 9021 → |
| Heading 9022 | Apparatus based on the use of X-rays or of alpha, beta, gamma or other ionizing radiations, whether or not for medical, surgical, dental or veterinary uses, including radiography or radiotherapy apparatus, X-ray tubes and other X-ray generators, high tension generators, control panels and desks, screens, examination or treatment tables, chairs and the like; parts and accessories thereof | 8 subheadings | Browse Heading 9022 → |
| Heading 9023 | Instruments, apparatus and models, designed for demonstrational purposes (for example, in education or exhibitions), unsuitable for other uses, and parts and accessories thereof | 1 subheadings | Browse Heading 9023 → |
| Heading 9024 | Machines and appliances for testing the hardness, strength, compressibility, elasticity or other mechanical properties of materials (for example, metals, wood, textiles, paper, plastics), and parts and accessories thereof | 3 subheadings | Browse Heading 9024 → |
| Heading 9025 | Hydrometers and similar floating instruments, thermometers, pyrometers, barometers, hygrometers and psychrometers, recording or not, and any combination of these instruments; parts and accessories thereof | 4 subheadings | Browse Heading 9025 → |
| Heading 9026 | Instruments and apparatus for measuring or checking the flow, level, pressure or other variables of liquids or gases (for example, flow meters, level gauges, manometers, heat meters), excluding instruments and apparatus of heading 9014, 9015, 9028 or 9032; parts and accessories thereof | 4 subheadings | Browse Heading 9026 → |
| Heading 9027 | Instruments and apparatus for physical or chemical analysis (for example, polarimeters, refractometers, spectrometers, gas or smoke analysis apparatus); instruments and apparatus for measuring or checking viscosity, porosity, expansion, surface tension or the like; instruments and apparatus for measuring or checking quantities of heat, sound or light (including exposure meters); microtomes; parts and accessories thereof | 7 subheadings | Browse Heading 9027 → |
| Heading 9028 | Gas, liquid or electricity supply or production meters, including calibrating meters thereof; parts and accessories thereof | 4 subheadings | Browse Heading 9028 → |
| Heading 9029 | Revolution counters, production counters, taximeters, odometers, pedometers and the like; speedometers and tachometers, other than those of heading 9014 or 9015; stroboscopes; parts and accessories thereof | 3 subheadings | Browse Heading 9029 → |
| Heading 9030 | Oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers and other instruments and apparatus for measuring or checking electrical quantities, excluding meters of heading 9028; instruments and apparatus for measuring or detecting alpha, beta, gamma, X-ray, cosmic or other ionizing radiations; parts and accessories thereof: | 11 subheadings | Browse Heading 9030 → |
| Heading 9031 | Measuring or checking instruments, appliances and machines, not specified or included elsewhere in this chapter; profile projectors; parts and accessories thereof | 6 subheadings | Browse Heading 9031 → |
| Heading 9032 | Automatic regulating or controlling instruments and apparatus; parts and accessories thereof | 5 subheadings | Browse Heading 9032 → |
| Heading 9033 | Parts and accessories (not specified or included elsewhere in this chapter) for machines, appliances, instruments or apparatus of chapter 90 | 1 subheadings | Browse Heading 9033 → |
Chapter 90 Subheading Sample & MFN Duty Rates
| HS Code | Subheading Description | Heading | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9001.10 | Optical fibers, optical fiber bundles and cables | 9001 | View 9001.10 → |
| 9001.20 | Sheets and plates of polarizing material | 9001 | View 9001.20 → |
| 9001.30 | Contact lenses | 9001 | View 9001.30 → |
| 9001.40 | Spectacle lenses of glass | 9001 | View 9001.40 → |
| 9001.50 | Spectacle lenses of other materials | 9001 | View 9001.50 → |
| 9001.90 | Other | 9001 | View 9001.90 → |
| 9002.11 | Objective lenses and parts and accessories thereof, For cameras, projectors or photographic enlargers or reducers | 9002 | View 9002.11 → |
| 9002.19 | Objective lenses and parts and accessories thereof, Other | 9002 | View 9002.19 → |
| 9002.20 | Filters and parts and accessories thereof | 9002 | View 9002.20 → |
| 9002.90 | Other | 9002 | View 9002.90 → |
| 9003.11 | Frames and mountings, Of plastics | 9003 | View 9003.11 → |
| 9003.19 | Frames and mountings, Of other materials | 9003 | View 9003.19 → |
| 9003.90 | Parts | 9003 | View 9003.90 → |
| 9004.10 | Spectacles, goggles and the like, corrective, protective or other, Sunglasses | 9004 | View 9004.10 → |
| 9004.90 | Other | 9004 | View 9004.90 → |
EXPERT CLASSIFICATION PRO TIPS
Common Pitfalls When Classifying Chapter 90 Goods
- Always review WCO Section and Chapter Legal Notes before assigning 4-digit headings.
- Distinguish carefully between unprocessed raw materials and further prepared or processed articles.
- Verify Partner Government Agency (PGA) flags for agriculture, food, or chemical items.
- Cross-reference official CBP CROSS rulings for binding precedents on mixed or composite goods.
Official Primary Sources & Authority References
USITC HTS Chapter 90 Tariff ↗
United States International Trade Commission official Harmonized Tariff Schedule.
CBP CROSS Rulings ↗
Customs Rulings Online Search System for Chapter 90 binding classification precedents.
WCO HS Nomenclature ↗
World Customs Organization international 6-digit Harmonized System backbone standard.
U.S. Census Foreign Trade ↗
U.S. Census Bureau trade statistics and Schedule B concordance portal.
Chapter 90 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What commodities are covered under HS Chapter 90?
Chapter 90 (Chapter 90 Commodities) covers WCO Harmonized System 4-digit headings from 9001 upward, encompassing primary goods, raw materials, and manufactured articles within this nomenclature section.
How many 4-digit headings exist in HS Chapter 90?
Chapter 90 contains 32 official 4-digit WCO headings and 143 6-digit tariff subheadings.
What is the US general import duty range for Chapter 90 commodities?
Base customs duties under Chapter 90 range from 0.0% (Duty-Free) up to representative MFN rate limits depending on 10-digit HTS statistical suffix extensions.
Do Section 301 China tariffs apply to Chapter 90 imports?
Section 301 tariffs depend on specific 8-digit HTS subheadings. Importers must verify if their exact HTS code appears on USTR Lists 1 through 4A.
Are Partner Government Agency (PGA) permits required for Chapter 90?
PGA message-set flags (such as FDA, USDA APHIS, EPA, or CITES) apply conditionally depending on the commodity classification within Chapter 90.
How are products classified between adjacent headings in Chapter 90?
Classification follows WCO General Rules of Interpretation (GRI) 1 through 6, prioritizing specific heading terms over general descriptions.
Can Chapter 90 goods enter duty-free under USMCA or Free Trade Agreements?
Yes. Eligible goods originating in USMCA member states (US, Mexico, Canada) or FTA partners enter duty-free under SPI code P, KR, AU, or CL with a valid Certificate of Origin.
What is the Section 321 de minimis limit for Chapter 90 shipments?
Eligible commercial shipments valued at $800 USD or less imported by one person on one day may enter duty-free under 19 U.S.C. 1321.
What documents are required for formal entry of Chapter 90 goods?
Commercial Invoice, Packing List, Bill of Lading/Air Waybill, and entry summary CBP Form 7501 are mandatory for entries exceeding $2,500 USD.
How can an importer obtain a binding CBP ruling for Chapter 90?
Importers may submit an e-Ruling application under 19 CFR Part 177 to CBP National Commodity Specialist Division.