The Product
- A fly swatter with a metal handle and a flat perforated striking surface made of plastic.
- Made of 67% iron and 33% plastic.
- Used to swat flies, bees and other nuisance bugs.
- The handle is about 14.875 inches long; the plastic swatter head is about 5.75 by 4.875 inches.
CBP's Ruling
| Item | HTS code | CBP's description of the line |
|---|---|---|
| Fly swatter, Model WIRE | HTS 3924.90.5650 | Tableware, kitchenware, other household articles and hygienic or toilet articles, of plastics: Other: Other |
Explanation
The fly swatter is made of two materials, a metal handle and a plastic striking surface, so CBP treated it as a composite good under General Rule of Interpretation 3. GRI 3(b) classifies a composite good by the component that gives it its essential character.
CBP found that the plastic swatter does the item's main job, killing a fly or insect, so the plastic gives the fly swatter its essential character. CBP placed it under heading 3924, which names tableware, kitchenware and other household articles of plastics, on the line for other articles.
Does this apply to your product?
It likely does if you can answer yes to each of these:
- Is it a hand-held swatter for flies, bees and other bugs?
- Does it have a metal handle and a flat perforated plastic striking surface?
- Is the plastic swatter head the part that does the work of killing the insect?
A no to any of them can mean a different code. A licensed broker can classify your product.
The code today
| HTS code | In today's schedule | Where it sits | Today's duty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3924.90.5650 | ✓ Still in the schedule | Heading 3924 | Today's duty from Taiwan |
Checked against today's tariff schedule. The duty calculator opens with the code and country filled in.
Related rulings
N168315 put a plastic talking fly swatter on the same line. N328885 covers a plastic refrigerator storage bin, and N328815, N328817, N329877 and N324121 cover plastic pet toys and dog toys.
- N168315June 23, 2011Plastic talking fly swatter from China3924.90.5650
- L83100March 23, 2005Various items from Taiwan3924.90.5500, 3926.40.0000, 8481.80.5090, 9506.91.0030, 9603.90.8050
- N334002July 24, 2023Plastic bathtub mat from China3924.90.1050
- N328815October 31, 2022Plastic pet toy from China3924.90.5650
- N328817November 3, 2022Plastic pet toy from China3924.90.5650
- N328885November 8, 2022Plastic refrigerator storage bin from China3924.90.5650
- N329877December 21, 2022Plastic dog toy from China3924.90.5650
- N324121February 15, 2022Plastic dog toy from China3924.90.5650
Borderless, a licensed U.S. customs brokerage, summarized CBP ruling N347013 in plain English and checked its codes against the letter and today's tariff schedule. A ruling applies only to goods that match its facts; our terms explain the rest. Terms