Official article description
Articles provided for in subdivision (c) of U.S. note 16 to this subchapter that do not contain any aluminum, steel, or copper
Transcribed verbatim from the live USITC export for 2026 HTS Revision 15 on Aug 7, 2026. The heading text points to U.S. note 16(c); the enumerated scope lives in that note, not in the description above.
How this heading is treated
- Treatment: No change to the ordinary subheading rate. Column 1 General reads “No change”, Column 1 Special reads “No change”, and Column 2 reads “No change”.
- Metals reached: None — the article contains no aluminum, steel, or copper.
- Origin condition: Any origin.
- Controlling note: U.S. note 16(c), in the legal notes to subchapter III of Chapter 99.
Why a zero-duty Section 232 heading still has to be reported
The heading exists because U.S. note 16(c) reaches whole tariff lines rather than individual shipments. A subheading can sit on the Section 232 derivative list while a particular article classified there contains no covered metal at all. 9903.82.01 is how that fact is declared at entry: the ordinary duty applies unchanged, but the Chapter 99 line records the basis on which no additional duty was paid. The burden of showing there is no aluminum, steel or copper in the article sits with the importer — a bill of materials or mill documentation, not an assertion — because the alternative lines reachable from the same list carry additional duties from 10 to 50 percent.
Distinguish it from the de minimis line
The nearest heading is 9903.82.03, which also reads “No change” but rests on a different fact: the article does contain aluminum, steel or copper, and the applicable metal is under 15 percent of the article's weight. Reporting 9903.82.01 for an article that actually has a small amount of covered metal substitutes a zero-content claim for a weight calculation, and the two are not interchangeable on audit. Establish which claim the product supports before selecting the line.
Frequently asked questions
Does 9903.82.01 mean my product is exempt from Section 232?
It means the article contains no aluminum, steel or copper, so no Section 232 additional duty attaches under U.S. note 16(c) and the ordinary subheading rate applies unchanged in all three columns as read from 2026 HTS Revision 15 on August 7, 2026. It is not a general exemption: the same product built from a different bill of materials, or a different article in the same subheading, can fall to 9903.82.02 at plus 50 percent. Keep the content evidence with the entry.
What is the difference between 9903.82.01 and 9903.82.03?
9903.82.01 is for an article with no covered metal at all. 9903.82.03 is the de minimis line: the article does contain aluminum, steel or copper, but the applicable metal weighs less than 15 percent of the imported article and the article is not classifiable in chapters 72, 73, 74 or 76. Both read “No change” in Revision 15, but they rest on different factual showings — zero content versus a weight calculation.
How to use this page
A Chapter 99 heading is reported alongside an ordinary Chapter 1–97 classification, never instead of it, so this page is the second half of a two-part answer. Settle the ordinary classification and the country of origin first, then read U.S. note 16(c) against the article, then select the heading. Where a rate threshold is involved, the test runs on the ad valorem equivalent for that entry, which makes it value-dependent rather than a fixed attribute of the part.
For the full 9903.82 map in one table, see Section 232 HTS Codes List & 9903.82 Duty Map, which lists every heading in the range with its treatment and cited subdivision. To be told when the range changes, see Section 232 steel and aluminum tariff alerts. For how a Chapter 99 overlay sits on top of the ordinary duty columns, see how U.S. import tariff layers fit together.
Sources verified for this heading
- USITC Harmonized Tariff Schedule lookup for heading 9903.82.01 (retrieved Aug 7, 2026)
- USITC Harmonized Tariff Schedule — live export for Section 232 headings 9903.82.01–9903.82.26 (retrieved Aug 7, 2026)
- USITC Harmonized Tariff Schedule — completeness probe 9903.82.01–9903.82.99, returning exactly 26 rows (retrieved Aug 7, 2026)
- USITC current-release endpoint — 2026 HTS Revision 15 (retrieved Aug 7, 2026)
- CBP CSMS 68855869 — Further adjusting Section 232 tariffs for aluminum, steel, and copper (retrieved Jul 29, 2026)
- GovInfo PDF / Federal Register 91 FR 34085 — Proclamation 11032 and annexes (retrieved Jul 29, 2026)
Last verified: Aug 7, 2026. The article description and all three duty columns above were read from the live USITC export for 2026 HTS Revision 15 on that date. USITC published four revisions in fourteen days during 2026, so confirm the controlling heading text, the cited U.S. note subdivision, and your entry date in the official source before filing. Informational estimates only. Verify with a licensed customs broker, trade counsel, or CBP ruling before filing.