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Section XVI - Machinery and mechanical appliances; electrical equipment; parts thereof, sound recorders and reproducers, television image and sound recorders and reproducers, and parts and accessories of such articles

Section XVI contains 2 chapters. Choose the chapter that best matches your goods.

Chapters for Machinery and mechanical appliances; electrical equipment; parts thereof, sound recorders and reproducers, television image and sound recorders and reproducers, and parts and accessories of such articles
84
Chapter 84: Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances; parts thereof
85
Chapter 85: Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof; sound recorders and reproducers, television image and sound recorders and reproducers, and parts and accessories of such articles

There are important section notes for this part of the tariff:

  1. This section does not cover:

    a. transmission or conveyor belts or belting, of plastics of Chapter 39, or of vulcanised rubber (heading 4010); or other articles of a kind used in machinery or mechanical or electrical appliances or for other technical uses, of vulcanised rubber other than hard rubber (heading 4016);

    b. articles of leather or of composition leather (heading 4205) or of furskin (heading 4303), of a kind used in machinery or mechanical appliances or for other technical uses;

    c. bobbins, spools, cops, cones, cores, reels or similar supports, of any material (for example, Chapter 39, 40, 44 or 48 or Section XV);

    d. perforated cards for jacquard or similar machines (for example, Chapter 39 or 48 or Section XV);

    e. transmission or conveyor belts or belting, of textile material (heading 5910) or other articles of textile material for technical uses (heading 5911);

    f. precious or semi-precious stones (natural, synthetic or reconstructed) of heading 7102 to 7104, or articles wholly of such stones of heading 7116, except unmounted worked sapphires and diamonds for styli (heading 8522);

    g. parts of general use, as defined in note 2 to Section XV, of base metal (Section XV), or similar goods of plastics (Chapter 39);

    h. drill pipe (heading 7304);

    ij endless belts of metal wire or strip (Section XV);

    k. articles of Chapter 82 or 83;

    l. articles of Section XVII;

    m. articles of Chapter 90;

    n. clocks, watches or other articles of Chapter 91;

    o. interchangeable tools of heading 8207 or brushes of a kind used as parts of machines (heading 9603); similar interchangeable tools are to be classified according to the constituent material of their working part (for example, in Chapter 40, 42, 43, 45 or 59 or heading 6804 or 6909);

    p. articles of Chapter 95; or

    q. typewriter or similar ribbons, whether or not on spools or in cartridges (classified according to their constituent material, or in heading 9612 if inked or otherwise prepared for giving impressions), or monopods, bipods, tripods and similar articles, of heading 9620.

  2. Subject to note 1 to this section, note 1 to Chapter 84 and to note 1 to Chapter 85, parts of machines (not being parts of the articles of heading 8484, 8544, 8545, 8546 or 8547) are to be classified according to the following rules:

    a. Parts which are goods included in any of the headings of Chapter 84 or 85 (other than heading 8409, 8431, 8448, 8466, 8473, 8487, 8503, 8522, 8529, 8538 and 8548) are in all cases to be classified in their respective headings.

    b. Other parts, if suitable for use solely or principally with a particular kind of machine, or with a number of machines of the same heading (including a machine of heading 8479 or 8543) are to be classified with the machines of that kind or in heading 8409, 8431, 8448, 8466, 8473, 8503, 8522, 8529 or 8538 as appropriate. However, parts which are equally suitable for use principally with the goods of heading 8517 and 8525 to 8528 are to be classified in heading 8517, and parts which are suitable for use solely or principally with the goods of heading 8524 are to be classified in heading 8529;

    c. All other parts are to be classified in heading 8409, 8431, 8448, 8466, 8473, 8503, 8522, 8529 or 8538 as appropriate or, failing that, in heading 8487 or 8548.

  3. Unless the context otherwise requires, composite machines consisting of two or more machines fitted together to form a whole and other machines designed for the purpose of performing two or more complementary or alternative functions are to be classified as if consisting only of that component or as being that machine which performs the principal function.

  4. Where a machine (including a combination of machines) consists of individual components (whether separate or interconnected by piping, by transmission devices, by electric cables or by other devices) intended to contribute together to a clearly defined function covered by one of the headings in Chapter 84 or 85, then the whole falls to be classified in the heading appropriate to that function.

  5. For the purposes of these notes, the expression ‘machine’ means any machine, machinery, plant, equipment, apparatus or appliance cited in the headings of Chapter 84 or 85.

    • (A) Throughout the Nomenclature, the expression “electrical and electronic waste and scrap” means electrical and electronic assemblies, printed circuit boards, and electrical or electronic articles that :

    • (i) have been rendered unusable for their original purposes by breakage, cutting-up or other processes or are economically unsuitable for repair, refurbishment or renovation to render them fit for their original purposes; and

    • (ii) are packaged or shipped in a manner not intended to protect individual articles from damage during transportation, loading and unloading operations

    • (B) Mixed consignments of “electrical and electronic waste and scrap” and other waste and scrap are to be classified in heading 8549.

    • (C) This Section does not cover municipal waste, as defined in Note 4 to Chapter 38.

Additional section notes

  1. Tools necessary for the assembly or maintenance of machines are to be classified with those machines if imported with them. Interchangeable tools imported with machines are also to be classified therewith if they form part of the normal equipment of the machines and are normally sold with them.

  2. The provisions of general rule of interpretation 2(a) are also applicable, at the request of the declarant and subject to conditions stipulated by the Customs authorities, to machines imported in split consignments.

General Rules for the Interpretation of goods

Classification of goods in the Tariff shall be governed by the following principles:

Rule 1

The titles of sections, chapters and sub-chapters are provided for ease of reference only. For legal purposes, classification shall be determined according to the terms of the headings and any relative section or chapter notes and, provided such headings or notes do not otherwise require, according to the following provisions.

Rule 2

  1. Any reference in a heading to an article shall be taken to include a reference to that article incomplete or unfinished, provided that, as presented, the incomplete or unfinished article has the essential character of the complete or finished article. It shall also be taken to include a reference to that article complete or finished (or falling to be classified as complete or finished by virtue of this rule), presented unassembled or disassembled.
  2. Any reference in a heading to a material or substance shall be taken to include a reference to mixtures or combinations of that material or substance with other materials or substances. Any reference to goods of a given material or substance shall be taken to include a reference to goods consisting wholly or partly of such material or substance. The classification of goods consisting of more than one material or substance shall be according to the principles of rule 3.

Rule 3

When, by application of rule 2(b) or for any other reason, goods are prima facie classifiable under two or more headings, classification shall be effected as follows:

  1. the heading which provides the most specific description shall be preferred to headings providing a more general description. However, when two or more headings each refer to part only of the materials or substances contained in mixed or composite goods or to part only of the items in a set put up for retail sale, those headings are to be regarded as equally specific in relation to those goods, even if one of them gives a more complete or precise description of the goods;
  2. mixtures, composite goods consisting of different materials or made up of different components, and goods put up in sets for retail sale, which cannot be classified by reference to 3(a), shall be classified as if they consisted of the material or component which gives them their essential character, insofar as this criterion is applicable;
  3. when goods cannot be classified by reference to 3(a) or (b), they shall be classified under the heading which occurs last in numerical order among those which equally merit consideration.
Rule 4

Goods which cannot be classified in accordance with the above rules shall be classified under the heading appropriate to the goods to which they are most akin.

Rule 5

In addition to the foregoing provisions, the following rules shall apply in respect of the goods referred to therein:

  1. camera cases, musical instrument cases, gun cases, drawing-instrument cases, necklace cases and similar containers, specially shaped or fitted to contain a specific article or set of articles, suitable for long-term use and presented with the articles for which they are intended, shall be classified with such articles when of a kind normally sold therewith. This rule does not, however, apply to containers which give the whole its essential character;
  2. subject to the provisions of rule 5(a), packing materials and packing containers ( 1 ) presented with the goods therein shall be classified with the goods if they are of a kind normally used for packing such goods. However, this provision is not binding when such packing materials or packing containers are clearly suitable for repetitive use.

Rule 6

For legal purposes, the classification of goods in the subheadings of a heading shall be determined according to the terms of those subheadings and any related subheading notes and, mutatis mutandis, to the above rules, on the understanding that only subheadings at the same level are comparable. For the purposes of this rule, the relative section and chapter notes also apply, unless the context requires otherwise.

Last updated: 23 April 2024 View latest amendments