§1683b — Title 19 Customs Duties | U.S. Code

Summary

Requires many types of softwood lumber and related products coming into the United States to be declared under the importer declaration program. Covered items include goods listed under HTS headings 4407.10.00, 4409.10.10, 4409.10.20, and 4409.10.90—for example coniferous sawn wood thicker than 6 millimeters, shaped siding and flooring, drilled or notched lumber—and products under HTS 4409.10.05 that are continuously shaped along edges. It also covers certain products classified under HTS 4418.90.46.95, 4421.90.70.40, or 4421.90.97.40 unless other exclusions apply. The law does not apply to a list of excluded items such as trusses and truss kits (HTS 4418.90), I-joists, assembled box-spring frames, pallets (HTS 4415.20), garage doors, edge-glued wood (HTS 4421.90.97.40), complete door or window frames, furniture, temporary duty-exempt imports, and household effects. Other specific products are also not covered if they meet set rules—examples: stringers with at least two forklift notches and proper HTS classification; box-spring kits and radius-cut components with parts no thicker than 1 inch and no longer than 83 inches; fence pickets 1 inch or less thick, up to 8 inches wide, 6 feet or less long with clear decorative cuts; U.S.-origin lumber returned after only minor processing; and single-family home kits that contain all parts for a home of at least 700 square feet and meet documentation and sale conditions. The President must use the item descriptions here to decide what is covered.

Title 19, §1683b

Customs Duties — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The following products shall be subject to the importer declaration program established under section 1683a of this title:

(1)All softwood lumber and softwood lumber products classified under subheading 4407.10.00, 4409.10.10, 4409.10.20, or 4409.10.90 of the HTS, including the following softwood lumber, flooring, and siding:

(A)Coniferous wood, sawn or chipped lengthwise, sliced or peeled, whether or not planed, sanded, or finger-jointed, of a thickness exceeding 6 millimeters.

(B)Coniferous wood siding (including strips and friezes for parquet flooring, not assembled) continuously shaped (tongued, grooved, rabbeted, chamfered, v-jointed, beaded, molded, rounded, or the like) along any of its edges or faces, whether or not planed, sanded, or finger-jointed.

(C)Other coniferous wood (including strips and friezes for parquet flooring, not assembled) continuously shaped (tongued, grooved, rabbeted, chamfered, v-jointed, beaded, molded, rounded, or the like) along any of its edges or faces (other than wood moldings and wood dowel rods) whether or not planed, sanded, or finger-jointed.

(D)Coniferous wood flooring (including strips and friezes for parquet flooring, not assembled) continuously shaped (tongued, grooved, rabbeted, chamfered, v-jointed, beaded, molded, rounded, or the like) along any of its edges or faces, whether or not planed, sanded, or finger-jointed.

(E)Coniferous drilled and notched lumber and angle cut lumber.

(2)Any product classified under subheading 4409.10.05 of the HTS that is continually shaped along its end or side edges.

(3)Except as otherwise provided in subsection (b) or (c), softwood lumber products that are stringers, radius-cut box-spring frame components, fence pickets, truss components, pallet components, and door and window frame parts classified under subheading 4418.90.46.95, 4421.90.70.40, or 4421.90.97.40 of the HTS.

(b)The following products shall be excluded from the importer declaration program established under section 1683a of this title:

(1)Trusses and truss kits, properly classified under subheading 4418.90 of the HTS.

(2)I-joist beams.

(3)Assembled box-spring frames.

(4)Pallets and pallet kits, properly classified under subheading 4415.20 of HTS.

(5)Garage doors.

(6)Edge-glued wood, properly classified under subheading 4421.90.97.40 of the HTS.

(7)Complete door frames.

(8)Complete window frames.

(9)Furniture.

(10)Articles brought into the United States temporarily and for which an exemption from duty is claimed under subchapter XIII of chapter 98 of the HTS.

(11)Household and personal effects.

(c)The following softwood lumber products shall not be subject to the importer declaration program established under section 1683a of this title:

(1)Stringers (pallet components used for runners), if the stringers—

(A)have at least 2 notches on the side, positioned at equal distance from the center, to properly accommodate forklift blades; and

(B)are properly classified under subheading 4421.90.97.40 of the HTS.

(2)(A)Box-spring frame kits, if—

(i)the kits contain—

(I)2 wooden side rails;

(II)2 wooden end (or top) rails; and

(III)varying numbers of wooden slats; and

(ii)the side rails and the end rails are radius-cut at both ends.

(B)Any kit described in subparagraph (A) shall be individually packaged, and contain the exact number of wooden components needed to make the box-spring frame described on the entry documents, with no further processing required. None of the components contained in the package may exceed 1 inch in actual thickness or 83 inches in length.

(3)Radius-cut box-spring frame components, not exceeding 1 inch in actual thickness or 83 inches in length, ready for assembly without further processing, if radius cuts are present on both ends of the boards and are substantial cuts so as to completely round 1 corner.

(4)Fence pickets requiring no further processing and properly classified under subheading 4421.90.70 of the HTS, 1 inch or less in actual thickness, up to 8 inches wide, and 6 feet or less in length, and having finials or decorative cuttings that clearly identify them as fence pickets. In the case of dog-eared fence pickets, the corners of the boards shall be cut off so as to remove pieces of wood in the shape of isosceles right angle triangles with sides measuring ¾ of an inch or more.

(5)Lumber originating in the United States that is exported to another country for minor processing and imported into the United States if—

(A)the processing occurring in another country is limited to kiln drying, planing to create smooth-to-size board, and sanding; and

(B)the importer establishes to the satisfaction of U.S. Customs and Border Protection upon entry that the lumber originated in the United States.

(6)Any softwood lumber or softwood lumber product that originated in the United States, if the importer, exporter, foreign processor, or original United States producer establishes to the satisfaction of U.S. Customs and Border Protection upon entry that the softwood lumber entered and documented as originating in the United States was first produced in the United States.

(7)(A)Softwood lumber or softwood lumber products contained in a single family home package or kit, regardless of the classification under the HTS, if the importer declares that the following requirements have been met:

(i)The package or kit constitutes a full package of the number of wooden pieces specified in the plan, design, or blueprint necessary to produce a home of at least 700 square feet produced to a specified plan, design, or blueprint.

(ii)The package or kit contains—

(I)all necessary internal and external doors and windows, nails, screws, glue, subfloor, sheathing, beams, posts, and connectors; and

(II)if included in the purchase contract, the decking, trim, drywall, and roof shingles specified in the plan, design, or blueprint.

(iii)Prior to importation, the package or kit is sold to a United States retailer that sells complete home packages or kits pursuant to a valid purchase contract referencing the particular home design, plan, or blueprint, and the contract is signed by a customer not affiliated with the importer.

(iv)Softwood lumber products entered as part of the package or kit, whether in a single entry or multiple entries on multiple days, are to be used solely for the construction of the single family home specified by the home design, plan, or blueprint matching the U.S. Customs and Border Protection import entry.

(B)In the case of each entry of products described in clauses (i) through (iv) of subparagraph (A) the following documentation shall be retained by the importer and made available to U.S. Customs and Border Protection upon request:

(i)A copy of the appropriate home design, plan, or blueprint matching the customs entry in the United States.

(ii)A purchase contract from a retailer of home kits or packages signed by a customer not affiliated with the importer.

(iii)A listing of all parts in the package or kit being entered into the United States that conforms to the home design, plan, or blueprint for which such parts are being imported.

(iv)If a single contract involves multiple entries, an identification of all the items required to be listed under clause (iii) that are included in each individual shipment.

(d)For purposes of determining if a product is covered by the importer declaration program, the President shall be guided by the article descriptions provided in this section.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

section 1683a of this title, referred to in subsecs. (a) to (c), was in the original section “803”, and was translated as meaning the section 803 of act June 17, 1930, as added by section 3301(a) of Pub. L. 110–246, to reflect the probable intent of Congress.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Section effective 60 days after June 18, 2008, see section 3301(b) of Pub. L. 110–246, set out as a note under section 1683 of this title.

§1683b Scope of softwood lumber importer declaration program