Chapter 16
Preparations of meat, of fish, of crustaceans, molluscs or other aquatic invertebrates, or of insects
Section IV — Prepared foodstuffs; beverages, spirits and vinegar;tobacco and manufactured tobacco substitutes; products, whether or not containing nicotine, intended for inhalation without combustion; other nicotine containing products intended for the intake of nicotine into the human body · 5 headings · 42 subheadings
Duty in chapter 16 at a glance
Counted across the 212 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
- 88 of 212 stating a rate
- Ad valorem range
- 1.4% – 35%
- Dutiable per unit, not on value
- 15 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 16 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 meat, meal offal, fish, crustaceans, molluscs or other aquatic invertebrates, as well as insects, prepared or preserved by the processes specified in chapter 2 or 3, note 6 to chapter 4 or in heading 0504.
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 IV notes PREPARED FOODSTUFFS; BEVERAGES, SPIRITS AND VINEGAR;TOBACCO AND MANUFACTURED TOBACCO SUBSTITUTES; PRODUCTS, WHETHER OR NOT CONTAINING NICOTINE, INTENDED FOR INHALATION WITHOUT COMBUSTION; OTHER NICOTINE CONTAINING PRODUCTS INTENDED FOR THE INTAKE OF NICOTINE INTO THE HUMAN BODY
1. In this section the term "pellets" means products which have been agglomerated either directly by compression or by the addition of a binder in a proportion not exceeding 3 percent by weight.
Additional U.S. Notes
1. In this section the term "canned" means preserved in airtight containers by heat processing to destroy or inactivate micro-organisms and enzymes that otherwise could cause spoilage.
2. For the purposes of this section, unless the context otherwise requires--
(a) the term "percent by dry weight" means the sugar content as a percentage of the total solids in the product;
(b) The term "capable of being further processed or mixed with similar or other ingredients" means that the imported product is in such condition or container as to be subject to any additional preparation, treatment or manufacture or to be blended or combined with any additional ingredient, including water or any other liquid, other than processing or mixing with other ingredients performed by the ultimate consumer prior to consumption of the product;
(c) the term "prepared for marketing to the ultimate consumer in the identical form and package in which imported" means that the product is imported in packaging of such sizes and labeling as to be readily identifiable as being intended for retail sale to the ultimate consumer without any alteration in the form of the product or its packaging; and
(d) the term "ultimate consumer" does not include institutions such as hospitals, prisons and military establishments or food service establishments such as restaurants, hotels, bars or bakeries.
Chapter 16 — Notes
Legal Notes of the Harmonized System. Binding, and part of the international nomenclature.
1. This chapter does not cover meat, meal offal, fish, crustaceans, molluscs or other aquatic invertebrates, as well as insects, prepared or preserved by the processes specified in chapter 2 or 3, note 6 to chapter 4 or in heading 0504.
2. Food preparations fall in this chapter provided that they contain more than 20 percent by weight of sausage, meat, meat offal, blood, insects, fish or crustaceans, molluscs or other aquatic invertebrates, or any combination thereof. In cases where the preparation contains two or more of the products mentioned above, it is classified in the heading of chapter 16 corresponding to the component or components which predominate by weight. These provisions do not apply to the stuffed products of heading 1902 or the preparations of heading 2103 or 2104.
Chapter 16 — Subheading Notes
Subheading Notes. Binding, scoped to subheadings.
1. For the purposes of subheading 1602.10, the expression “homogenized preparations” means preparations of meat, meat offal, blood or insects, finely homogenized, put up for retail sale as food suitable for infants or young children or for dietetic purposes, in containers of a net weight content not exceeding 250 g. For the application of this definition, no account is to be taken of small quantities of any ingredients which may have been added to the preparation for seasoning, preservation or other purposes. These preparations may contain a small quantity of visible pieces of meat, meat offal or insects.This subheading takes precedence over all other subheadings of heading 1602.
2. The fish, crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates specified in the subheadings of heading 1604 or 1605 under their common names only, are of the same species as those mentioned in chapter 3 under the same name.
Chapter 16 — Additional U.S. Notes
Additional U.S. Notes. Binding in the United States; not part of the international HS.
1. For the purposes of this chapter, the term "in oil" means packed in oil or fat, or in added oil or fat and other substances, whether such oil or fat was introduced at the time of packing or prior thereto.
2. In assessing the duty on meats, no allowance shall be made for normal components thereof such as bones, fat, and hide or skin. The dutiable weight of meats in airtight containers subject to specific rates includes the entire contents of the containers.
3. For purposes of subheadings 1604.14.22 and 1604.14.30, tunas and skipjack from the freely associated states may be entered free of duty under the appropriate subheading in an aggregate quantity provided by, and under the terms set forth in, general note 10(c) to the tariff schedule. Goods from the freely associated states entered, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, in excess of such specified aggregate quantity shall be dutied under the appropriate subheading at the rate set forth in the "General" subcolumn of column 1.
Chapter 16 — 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 16
1602 Other prepared or preserved meat, meat offal, blood or insects
1603
1604 Prepared or preserved fish; caviar and caviar substitutes prepared from fish eggs
1605 Crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates, prepared or preserved
Other chapters
Common questions
What does HS chapter 16 cover?
Preparations of meat, of fish, of crustaceans, molluscs or other aquatic invertebrates, or of insects. It contains 5 headings and 42 six-digit subheadings, and sits in Section IV (prepared foodstuffs; beverages, spirits and vinegar;tobacco and manufactured tobacco substitutes; products, whether or not containing nicotine, intended for inhalation without combustion; other nicotine containing products intended for the intake of nicotine into the human body).
What is excluded from chapter 16?
1. This chapter does not cover meat, meal offal, fish, crustaceans, molluscs or other aquatic invertebrates, as well as insects, prepared or preserved by the processes specified in chapter 2 or 3, note 6 to chapter 4 or in heading 0504.
Are chapter 16's notes legally binding?
This chapter carries 7 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.