Recent CBP NY Rulings
The following are short summaries of recent CBP NY rulings issued by the agency's National Commodity Specialist Division in New York:
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N351508: Country of origin determination for a duvet cover set and a decorative pillow
| Origin: China and Indonesia |
| Item: Both the duvet cover and pillow shams have a face panel made from 100% cotton, yarn-dyed, woven chambray fabric and a back panel of 100% cotton woven fabric that is dyed. The outer cover of the decorative pillow consists of a face panel made from 100% cotton, yarn-dyed, woven chambray fabric and a back panel made of 100% cotton woven fabric that is dyed. |
| Reason: The shell fabric for the pillow insert constitutes 5% of the total weight of the decorative pillow; therefore, the lining fabric is disregarded in determining the country of origin for this item. As the remaining fabric forming the decorative pillow is formed by the fabric making process in a single country, that is, China, as per the terms of the tariff shift requirement, country of origin is conferred in China. In the case of the subject duvet cover and shams, the country of origin is conferred by the last country in which an important assembly or manufacturing process occurred, that is, Indonesia. |
| Ruling Date: Aug. 13, 2025 |
N351625: The tariff classification of an anti-snoring ring from the United Kingdom
| HTS: 8543.70.9860, 9903.02.66, 2.6% + 10%, “Electrical machines and apparatus, having individual functions, not specified or included elsewhere in this chapter; parts thereof: Other machines and apparatus: Other: Other.” |
| Item: The merchandise under consideration is identified as the No Snore Ring, which is composed of an internal Bluetooth module, a rechargeable battery, and a vibration motor enclosed within the ring. The device is designed to be worn on the user’s finger during sleep and wirelessly connects to a smartphone. The smartphone’s microphone detects the snoring sound of the individual and transmits a signal to the ring. Once this signal is received, the ring activates a gentle vibration to notify the wearer to change sleeping positions in order to help reduce or stop the snoring. |
| Reason: N/A |
| Ruling Date: Aug. 13, 2025 |
N351627: The country of origin of wheel hub units
| Origin: Thailand |
| Item: The wheel hubs are installed in the wheels of the motor vehicle to support and bear the weight of the wheels as well as the load from the road surface. They provide stable axle support through inner and outer roller bearings, providing anti-friction functions which allow the wheels to rotate smoothly. |
| Reason: The splining feature gives the wheel hub a functionality beyond a mere bearing. It allows the wheel hub to mesh with the drive axle to transmit torque. As such, the outer and inner flanges are the dominant components that impart the character of the double flanged wheel hubs at issue. Since the Chinese rods (bars) are made into flanges and rings in Thailand, and the splining is machined in Thailand, a substantial transformation occurs in Thailand. |
| Ruling Date: Aug. 13, 2025 |
N351656: The tariff classification and country of origin of metal hanging decor
| HTS: 8306.29.0000, 9903.02.69, free + 20%, “Bells, gongs and the like, nonelectric, of base metal; statuettes and other ornaments, of base metal; photograph, picture or similar frames, of base metal; mirrors of base metal; and base metal parts thereof: Statuettes and other ornaments, and parts thereof: Other.” |
| Origin: Vietnam |
| Item: The article under consideration is described as Metal Hanging Decor AST. The decor is made of stamped 0.4mm galvanized iron and depicts four different designs -- a bird, a snail, a butterfly and a ladybug. Each design has one or two small holes drilled in at the top and a jute string for hanging purposes. The raw galvanized iron is purchased in China and shipped to Vietnam. In Vietnam the iron is stamped into the four designs, sprayed with transparent oil, and a jute string is attached. |
| Reason: The raw iron is substantially transformed in Vietnam into finished hanging decor. |
| Ruling Date: Aug. 13, 2025 |
N351844: The tariff classification, country of origin, marking, and eligibility under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) of nasal spray training units
| HTS: 9023.00.0000, free, “Instruments, apparatus and models, designed for demonstrational purposes (for example, in education or exhibitions), unsuitable for other uses, and parts and accessories thereof.” |
| Origin: China, Canada or Germany |
| Item: The items under consideration are described as reusable nasal spray training units, which are designed specifically to support patient and public education in two distinct therapeutic areas. The plastic demonstrational devices are produced entirely in either Canada, Germany, or China from a proprietary mold. Once the demonstrational devices are produced, they are moved to the assembly plant in Canada. In Canada, the Canadian-origin instructional adhesive labels are attached to the demonstrational devices. |
| Reason: The final assembly process predominantly involves placing the stickers onto the plastic units and combining with the educational materials and packaging, which does not create a new and different article of commerce. Therefore, it is the plastic demonstrational trainer produced in China, Canada or Germany which provides the essence of the entire kit without which the user would not be able to physically practice as intended. |
| Ruling Date: Aug. 13, 2025 |
N351888: The country of origin of fiber optic cable assemblies
| Origin: U.S. |
| Item: The subject cable assemblies are composed of a fiber optic core, which consists of various individual optical fibers, ranging from 144 fibers to 288 fibers depending on the model number. The manufacturing process begins in the United States with the creation of the optical fiber. This begins with a raw glass preform being heated, melted, and drawn to the appropriate thickness. The fibers are then sent to China or Cambodia for further processing. |
| Reason: The optical fibers created in the U.S. impart the character of the finished articles. Further, all assembly processes performed in China and Cambodia do not substantially transform the individual fibers into new and different articles of commerce. |
| Ruling Date: Aug. 13, 2025 |
N351915: The tariff classification of polyethylene glycol CAS# 25322-68-3 from India
| HTS: 3907.29.0000, 9903.01.32, 6.5%, “polyacetals, other polyethers and epoxide resins, in primary forms: other polyethers: other.” |
| Item: The product under consideration is Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) 3550 CAS# 25322-68-3. The product is a white granular powder and will be imported in bulk. It is noted to be pharmaceutical grade and is intended for sale to pharmaceutical manufacturers for further processing. |
| Reason: N/A |
| Ruling Date: Aug. 13, 2025 |
N351984: The country of origin of watches from the Philippines
| Origin: Philippines |
| Item: The subject watch is a battery-operated analog watch with a quartz movement. The quartz movement contains no jewels. The watch case is made of base metal. The watch strap is constructed from stainless steel or leather, depending on the style. The manufacturing process in the Philippines is as follows: The watch movement is assembled from components sourced in China. Once the movement is assembled, it is installed in a base metal watch case with dial, hands, crown, bezel, sapphire and strap. |
| Reason: The country of assembly of the watch movement in the subject watch is the Philippines, therefore, the country of origin is the Philippines. |
| Ruling Date: Aug. 13, 2025 |
N351298: The tariff classification of Lentiviral Vector from China
| HTS: 3002.49.0050, 9903.01.24, 9903.01.32, free + 20%, “Vaccines, toxins, cultures of micro-organisms (excluding yeasts) and similar products: Other: Other.” |
| Item: Lentiviral vector is derived from an HIV-1 lentivirus that has been modified by removal of viral replication genes including deletions that result in a self-inactivating lentiviral vector. The lentiviral vector will be utilized exclusively for research and development of prototypes for new cancer immunotherapies. Specifically, the lentiviral vector will be used to deliver a specific genetic sequence to cells that have been removed from a patient’s tumor. |
| Reason: N/A |
| Ruling Date: Aug. 12, 2025 |
N351439: The country of origin of Ibuprofen and Famotidine Tablets imported in dosage form
| Origin: India |
| Item: Ibuprofen and Famotidine Tablets is a medicinal preparation containing a combination of 800 mg of Ibuprofen (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)), and 26.6 mg of Famotidine (histamine H2-receptor antagonist), as the active ingredients. It is indicated for the relief of signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis and to decrease the risk of developing upper gastrointestinal ulcers. The Ibuprofen is made in India, and the Famotidine is also made in India. In India, these two APIs will be mixed with inactive ingredients from various countries to produce the final Ibuprofen and Famotidine tablets in dosage form. |
| Reason: The country of origin of the Ibuprofen and Famotidine Tablets will be India, where the mixing of the active ingredients Ibuprofen (made in India) and Famotidine (made in India) with the inactive ingredients from various countries into the final tablet in dosage form are done. |
| Ruling Date: Aug. 12, 2025 |