CBP to Require Entry Summary Data for Aluminum Products Beginning April 10

CBP will require new data on entry summaries for aluminum products beginning on April 10, the agency said in a CSMS message issued March 9. The data will aid its enforcement of increased Section 232 tariffs on Russian aluminum that include articles from third countries that use any Russian aluminum (see 2302240006).

Beginning at 12:01 a.m. EDT on April 10, importers of aluminum products from all countries of origin, “regardless of whether Section 232 duties, quotas, exclusions, or general approved exclusion apply,” must report on the entry summary the primary country of smelt, the secondary country of smelt and the country of cast for their aluminum products, CBP said.

The primary and secondary countries of smelt are defined as the countries where the first and second largest volume of new aluminum metal is produced from alumina (or aluminum oxide) by the electrolytic Hall-Héroult process, respectively. The country of cast is where “the aluminum (with or without alloying elements) was last liquefied by heat and cast into a solid state" in the form of either a semi-finished or finished product.

If Russia is not the country reported for the primary country of smelt and any primary aluminum used in the manufacture of the product was smelted in Russia, the ISO code for Russia must be reported as the secondary country of smelt, CBP said. Under the higher, 200% tariffs on Russian aluminum, aluminum articles from other countries that used any aluminum from Russia also face a 200% tariff beginning April 10, unless those third countries also impose 200% tariffs on imported Russian aluminum.

Products covered by the new filing requirements include goods under headings 7601, 7604, 7605, 7606, 7607, 7608, 7609 and subheading 7616.99.51. Certain aluminum derivatives of subheadings 7614.10.60, 7614.90.20, 7614.90.40, 7614.90.50, 8708.10.30 and 8708.29.21 must also comply. Products of the U.S. are not covered by the new reporting requirements, and filers of U.S.-origin aluminum products may report N/A for all three fields, the agency said.