Chapter 03
Fish and crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates
Section I — Live animals; animal products · 9 headings · 225 subheadings
Duty in chapter 03 at a glance
Counted across the 645 US national lines beneath this chapter's subheadings. It says what kind of chapter this is before you read ninety headings to find out.
- Duty-free lines
- 590 of 645 stating a rate
- Ad valorem range
- 0.5% – 15%
- Dutiable per unit, not on value
- 13 lines are charged per kilogram, litre or item rather than as a percentage of the customs value. A landed-cost estimate built from value alone will understate the duty on those.
Preference programmes appearing in this chapter
Named from General Note 3(c)(i). A programme appearing here does not mean it applies to your goods — that depends on the line, the origin and the agreement's rules of origin.
What this chapter excludes
These notes push goods out of chapter 03 even when a subheading's wording seems to fit. They are the fastest way to find out you are in the wrong chapter.
1. This chapter does not cover:
- (a) Mammals of heading 0106;
- (b) Meat of mammals of heading 0106 (heading 0208 or 0210);
- (c) Fish (including livers, roes and milt thereof) or crustaceans, molluscs or other aquatic invertebrates, dead and unfit or unsuitable for human consumption by reason of either their species or their condition (chapter 5); flours, meals or pellets of fish or of crustaceans, molluscs or other aquatic invertebrates, unfit for human consumption (heading 2301); or
- (d) Caviar or caviar substitutes prepared from fish eggs (heading 1604).
Legal notes
Reproduced from the published tariff schedule. Section and chapter notes are binding and part of the nomenclature; statistical notes are US reporting rules and are not classification law.
Section I notes LIVE ANIMALS; ANIMAL PRODUCTS
1. Any reference in this section to a particular genus or species of an animal, except where the context otherwise requires, includes a reference to the young of that genus or species.
2. Except where the context otherwise requires, throughout the tariff schedule any reference to "dried" products also covers products which have been dehydrated, evaporated or freeze-dried.
Chapter 03 — Notes
Legal Notes of the Harmonized System. Binding, and part of the international nomenclature.
1. This chapter does not cover:
(a) Mammals of heading 0106;
(b) Meat of mammals of heading 0106 (heading 0208 or 0210);
(c) Fish (including livers, roes and milt thereof) or crustaceans, molluscs or other aquatic invertebrates, dead and unfit or unsuitable for human consumption by reason of either their species or their condition (chapter 5); flours, meals or pellets of fish or of crustaceans, molluscs or other aquatic invertebrates, unfit for human consumption (heading 2301); or
(d) Caviar or caviar substitutes prepared from fish eggs (heading 1604).
2. In this chapter the term "pellets" means products which have been agglomerated either directly by compression or by the addition of a small quantity of binder.
3. Headings 0305 to 0308 do not cover flours, meals and pellets, fit for human consumption (heading 0309).
Chapter 03 — Additional U.S. Notes
Additional U.S. Notes. Binding in the United States; not part of the international HS.
1. Certain fish, crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates are provided for in chapter 98.
Chapter 03 — Statistical Notes
US statistical reporting only. NOT classification law.
1. Imports of shrimp or products of shrimp are subject to the provisions of section 609 of Public Law 101-162 of November 21, 1989 (16 U.S.C. 1537 note).
Notes are reproduced from the published tariff schedule. They govern classification, but reading them is not the same as applying them to your goods — that is what a broker or a binding ruling is for.
Headings in chapter 03
0301 Live fish
0302 Fish, fresh or chilled, excluding fish fillets and other fish meat of heading 0304
0303 Fish, frozen, excluding fish fillets and other fish meat of heading 0304
0304 Fish fillets and other fish meat (whether or not minced), fresh, chilled or frozen
0305 Fish, dried, salted or in brine; smoked fish, whether or not cooked before or during the smoking process
0306 Crustaceans, whether in shell or not, live, fresh, chilled, frozen, dried, salted or in brine; smoked crustaceans, whether in shell or not, whether or not cooked before or during the smoking process; crustaceans, in shell, cooked by steaming or by boiling in water, whether or not chilled, frozen, dried, salted or in brine
0307 Molluscs, whether in shell or not, live, fresh, chilled, frozen, dried, salted or in brine; smoked molluscs, whether in shell or not, whether or not cooked before or during the smoking process
0308 Aquatic invertebrates other than crustaceans and molluscs, live, fresh, chilled, frozen, dried, salted or in brine; smoked aquatic invertebrates other than crustaceans and molluscs, whether or not cooked before or during the smoking process
0309 Flours, meals and pellets of fish, crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates, fit for human consumption
Other chapters
Common questions
What does HS chapter 03 cover?
Fish and crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates. It contains 9 headings and 225 six-digit subheadings, and sits in Section I (live animals; animal products).
What is excluded from chapter 03?
1. This chapter does not cover: (a) Mammals of heading 0106; (b) Meat of mammals of heading 0106 (heading 0208 or 0210); (c) Fish (including livers, roes and milt thereof) or crustaceans, molluscs or other aquatic invertebrates, dead and unfit or unsuitable for human consumption by reason of either their species or their condition (chapter 5); flours, meals or pellets of fish or of crustaceans, molluscs or other aquatic invertebrates, unfit for human consumption (heading 2301); or (d) Caviar or caviar substitutes prepared from fish eggs (heading 1604).
Are chapter 03's notes legally binding?
This chapter carries 8 binding note paragraph(s) — legal notes of the Harmonized System, plus any US-specific Additional U.S. Notes. They decide classification, and they outrank the wording of an individual subheading. A further 1 statistical note paragraph(s) govern US reporting only and are not classification law.