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Textile Products
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) requires that all textiles, including clothing apparel,
must have labels specifying content and instructions for care. All textiles must have either labels indicating the country of origin or, if this is not feasible, (yarn, thread, wool) be packaged in such a way that country of origin is discernable to the ultimate purchaser.
Determining the country of origin for mixed products (blouses made in Italy from Chinese silk) can be very complicated.
Also, all textile products are subject to the regulations of
- Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) for checking flammibilty requirements
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for testing pesticides and toxic substances
- Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for verifying the product labeling and intellectual property compliance
- U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for inspecting organic clothing claims
Textile Quota Restraint
Several key factors determine whether a textile shipment is subject to quota requirements or eligible for preference benefits:
- HTSUS classification (based on merchandise description)
- Textile category number, used to determine proper quantity in square meter equivalents (SMEs) to apply to a quantitative restraint
- HTSUS chapter notes and additional U.S. notes to HTS chapters
- Country of origin (where the goods were grown, produced, or manufactured)
Evaluating whether textile goods are subject to quota:
Determine the HTS number (classification) of the goods by:
- Contacting an Import Specialist at a CBP port of entry. Refer to the ports page for list of service port telephone numbers.
- Requesting a binding ruling from the Office of Regulations and Rulings, National Commodity Specialist Division.
- Querying the Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS) for binding rulings previously issued for similar merchandise.
- Reviewing the Harmonized Tariff Schedule.
Determine the textile category number (if applicable). The category is a three-digit number listed in parentheses next to the HTSUS number. The category number is used for converting from the reporting quantity as noted in the HTSUS to the square meter equivalent, the unit of measure for the restraint limit of the TPL. The category number, not the conversion factor is in the HTSUS. For more information on textile categories and SME conversion factors see the U.S. Textile and Apparel Category System correlation.
Determine whether the merchandise qualifies for preferential treatment and is subject to a restraint limit under a Free Trade Agreement or other special trade program.
If the merchandise qualifies for preferential treatment (see above), refer to the Commodity Status Report for Tariff Rate Quotas. This weekly report provides information on imported merchandise subject to Tariff Rate Quotas. The four most recent reports are available on this web page. In addition to textiles, the Commodity Status Report also contains information about food/agricultural and non-textile products, whose quotas are specified in notes to HTS chapters. This report assists in tracking rates of fill for the various import restraint limits.
Any additional relevant information for a particular textile quota is posted on the CBP website in the form of Quota Bulletins.
China could have limits on particular garments called 'safeguards.' Before you import textile products into USA, you should first determine what countries are subject to quotas and what products from China are subject to safeguards.
Working with CBPbrokers is the best way to expedite your textile products pass through CBP inspection and clearances.