Chapter 68
Articles of stone, plaster, cement, asbestos, mica or similar materials
Section XIII — Articles of stone, plaster, cement, asbestos, mica or similar materials; ceramic products; glass and glassware · 15 headings · 50 subheadings
Duty in chapter 68 at a glance
Counted across the 111 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
- 64 of 111 stating a rate
- Ad valorem range
- 1.9% – 9%
- Dutiable per unit, not on value
- 1 line is 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 68 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) Goods of chapter 25;
- (b) Coated, impregnated or covered paper and paperboard of heading 4810 or 4811 (for example, paper and paperboard coated with mica powder or graphite, bituminized or asphalted paper and paperboard);
- (c) Coated, impregnated or covered textile fabric of chapter 56 or 59 (for example, fabric coated or covered with mica powder, bituminized or asphalted fabric);
- (d) Articles of chapter 71;
- (e) Tools or parts of tools, of chapter 82;
- (f) Lithographic stones of heading 8442;
- (g) Electrical insulators (heading 8546) or fittings of insulating material of heading 8547;
- (h) Dental burrs (heading 9018);
- (ij) Articles of chapter 91 (for example, clocks and clock cases);
- (k) Articles of chapter 94 (for example, furniture, luminaires and lighting fittings, prefabricated buildings);
- (l) Articles of chapter 95 (for example, toys, games and sports equipment);
- (m) Articles of heading 9602, if made of materials specified in note 2(b) to chapter 96, or of heading 9606 (for example, buttons), of heading 9609 (for example, slate pencils), heading 9610 (for example, drawing slates) or of heading 9620 (monopods, bipods, tripods and similar articles); or
- (n) Articles of chapter 97 (for example, works of art).
2. For the purposed of heading 6810, the term " tiles" does not include any article 3.2 cm or more in thickness.
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.
Chapter 68 — Notes
Legal Notes of the Harmonized System. Binding, and part of the international nomenclature.
1. This chapter does not cover:
(a) Goods of chapter 25;
(b) Coated, impregnated or covered paper and paperboard of heading 4810 or 4811 (for example, paper and paperboard coated with mica powder or graphite, bituminized or asphalted paper and paperboard);
(c) Coated, impregnated or covered textile fabric of chapter 56 or 59 (for example, fabric coated or covered with mica powder, bituminized or asphalted fabric);
(d) Articles of chapter 71;
(e) Tools or parts of tools, of chapter 82;
(f) Lithographic stones of heading 8442;
(g) Electrical insulators (heading 8546) or fittings of insulating material of heading 8547;
(h) Dental burrs (heading 9018);
(ij) Articles of chapter 91 (for example, clocks and clock cases);
(k) Articles of chapter 94 (for example, furniture, luminaires and lighting fittings, prefabricated buildings);
(l) Articles of chapter 95 (for example, toys, games and sports equipment);
(m) Articles of heading 9602, if made of materials specified in note 2(b) to chapter 96, or of heading 9606 (for example, buttons), of heading 9609 (for example, slate pencils), heading 9610 (for example, drawing slates) or of heading 9620 (monopods, bipods, tripods and similar articles); or
(n) Articles of chapter 97 (for example, works of art).
2. In heading 6802 the expression "worked monumental or building stone" applies not only to the varieties of stone referred to in heading 2515 or 2516, but also to all other natural stone (for example, quartzite, flint, dolomite and steatite) similarly worked; it does not, however, apply to slate.
Chapter 68 — Additional U.S. Notes
Additional U.S. Notes. Binding in the United States; not part of the international HS.
1. For the purposes of heading 6802, the term " slabs" embraces flat stone pieces, not over 5.1 cm in thickness, having a facial 2 area of 25.8 cm or more, the edges of which have not been beveled, rounded or otherwise processed except such processing as may be needed to facilitate installation as tiling or veneering in building construction.
2. For the purposed of heading 6810, the term " tiles" does not include any article 3.2 cm or more in thickness.
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 68
6802 Worked monumental or building stone (except slate) and articles thereof, other than goods of heading 6801; mosaic cubes and the like, of natural stone (including slate), whether or not on a backing; artificially colored granules, chippings and powder, of natural stone (including slate)
6804 Millstones, grindstones, grinding wheels and the like, without frameworks, for grinding, sharpening, polishing, trueing or cutting, hand sharpening or polishing stones, and parts thereof, of natural stone, of agglomerated natural or artificial abrasives, or of ceramics, with or without parts of other materials
6805 Natural or artificial abrasive powder or grain, on a base of textile material, of paper, of paperboard or of other materials, whether or not cut to shape or sewn or otherwise made up
6806 Slag wool, rock wool and similar mineral wools; exfoliated vermiculite, expanded clays, foamed slag and similar expanded mineral materials; mixtures and articles of heat-insulating, sound-insulating or sound-absorbing mineral materials, other than those of heading 6811 or 6812, or of chapter 69
6807 Articles of asphalt or of similar material (for example, petroleum bitumen or coal tar pitch)
6809 Articles of plaster or of compositions based on plaster
6810 Articles of cement, of concrete or of artificial stone, whether or not reinforced
6811 Articles of asbestos-cement, of cellulose fiber-cement or the like
6812 Fabricated asbestos fibers; mixtures with a basis of asbestos or with a basis of asbestos and magnesium carbonate; articles of such mixtures or of asbestos (for example, thread, woven fabric, clothing, headgear, footwear, gaskets), whether or not reinforced, other than goods of heading 6811 or 6813
6813 Friction material and articles thereof (for example, sheets, rolls, strips, segments, discs, washers, pads), not mounted, for brakes, for clutches or the like, with a basis of asbestos, of other mineral substances or of cellulose, whether or not combined with textile or other materials
6814 Worked mica and articles of mica, including agglomerated or reconstituted mica, whether or not on a support of paper, paperboard or other materials
6815 Articles of stone or of other mineral substances (including carbon fibers, articles of carbon fibers and articles of peat), not elsewhere specified or included
Other chapters
Common questions
What does HS chapter 68 cover?
Articles of stone, plaster, cement, asbestos, mica or similar materials. It contains 15 headings and 50 six-digit subheadings, and sits in Section XIII (articles of stone, plaster, cement, asbestos, mica or similar materials; ceramic products; glass and glassware).
What is excluded from chapter 68?
1. This chapter does not cover: (a) Goods of chapter 25; (b) Coated, impregnated or covered paper and paperboard of heading 4810 or 4811 (for example, paper and paperboard coated with mica powder or graphite, bituminized or asphalted paper and paperboard); (c) Coated, impregnated or covered textile fabric of chapter 56 or 59 (for example, fabric coated or covered with mica powder, bituminized or asphalted fabric); (d) Articles of chapter 71;
Are chapter 68's notes legally binding?
This chapter carries 17 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.