CLA-2-72:S:N:N1:117 874866

Mr. Robert H. Schor
Barnes, Richardson & Colburn
475 Park Avenue South
New York, N.Y. 10016

RE: The tariff classification of thickness differential steel material from Japan.

Dear Mr. Schor:

In your letter dated May 29, 1992 on behalf of Mitsui & Co. (U.S.A.), Inc., you requested a tariff classification ruling. You have also requested confidential treatment for this ruling letter.

This letter will be given confidential treatment based on the information you supplied to support your claim for exemption from disclosure. The product to be imported is described as thickness differential material which is made of nonalloy hot-rolled steel. The thickness differential material will be imported in strip or coil form. Three or more strips may be cut from a mother coil. The strip is rolled thinner in the middle than at the borders. A diagram of the strip which was submitted with your request illustrates a product having a cross section with a concave groove in the center and thicker borders on each side of the central groove. The following dimensions are provided on the thickness differential strip material illustrated on the diagram. The width measures 222 mm, the thickness at the center measures 2.2 mm and the thickness at both edges or borders measures 3.0 mm. The mother coil from which the strip is slit will therefore have rolled along the length of the coil three or more concave grooves. At the time of importation, this hot-rolled product may or may not be pickled, but it is otherwise not further processed. After importation, this material will be used in the fabrication of automobile parts.

The applicable subheading for the nonalloy hot-rolled steel thickness differential material will be 7216.50.00, Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS), which provides for angles, shapes and sections of iron or nonalloy steel, other angles, shapes and sections, not further worked than hot-rolled, hot-drawn or extruded. The rate of duty will be 0.9 percent ad valorem.

This ruling is being issued under the provisions of Section 177 of the Customs Regulations (19 C.F.R. 177).

A copy of this ruling letter should be attached to the entry documents filed at the time this merchandise is imported. If the documents have been filed without a copy, this ruling should be brought to the attention of the Customs officer handling the transaction.

Sincerely,

Jean F. Maguire
Area Director
New York Seaport