CLA-2-62:RR:NC:3:353
Pat Beals
Teetot & Company, Inc.
207 W Crowther, Suite D
Placentia, CA 92870
RE: The tariff classification of a child’s costume from China
Dear Ms. Beals:
In your letter received in this office on August 2, 2007, you requested a classification ruling. A sample of the item has been previously examined by this office.
Item # 71610 Astronaut Costume consists of a jumpsuit and helmet. You state that the jumpsuit is constructed of knit polyester fabric; examination of the fabric by this office reveals that the polyester filament is twisted with metalized Mylar-type strip. A yarn that contains any amount of metal is regarded as being composed entirely of “metalized yarn” for tariff purposes. The jumpsuit features a front zipper, embroidered patches and hemmed edges and is considered well made.
General Rule of Interpretation (GRI) 3(b) is applicable when goods are, prima facie, classifiable under two or more headings, and have been put up in sets for retail sale. GRI 3(b) states that the goods “shall be classified as if they consisted of the material or component which gives them their essential character.” In this case, the jumpsuit imparts the essential character of the set.
You state that you believe the costume is properly classified under heading 9505 as a “festive article.” Costumes are considered “fancy dress.” The Court of Appeals ruled on the classification of costumes in its decision in Rubie’s Costume Co. v. United States, slip op 02-1373 (Fed. Cir. Aug. 1, 2003). The decision stated that all flimsy, non-durable textile costumes that are not ordinary articles of apparel are classified under 9505.90.6000 (flimsy); all textile costumes that do not meet flimsy, non-durable standards (well made), or are ordinary articles of apparel are classified in chapters 61 or 62. Your costume is well made.
The applicable subheading for the Item # 71610 Astronaut Costume will be 6114.90.9040, Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS), which provides for other garments, knitted or crocheted: of other textile materials: other, coveralls, jumpsuits and similar apparel. The duty rate will be 5.6% ad valorem.
Duty rates are provided for your convenience and are subject to change. The text of the most recent HTSUS and the accompanying duty rates are provided on World Wide Web at http://www.usitc.gov/tata/hts/.
Item # 71610 falls within textile category 859. With the exception of certain products of China, quota/visa requirements are no longer applicable for merchandise which is the product of World Trade Organization (WTO) member countries. Quota and visa requirements are the result of international agreements that are subject to frequent renegotiations and changes. To obtain the most current information on quota and visa requirements applicable to this merchandise, we suggest you check, close to the time of shipment, the “Textile Status Report for Absolute Quotas” which is available on our web site at www.cbp.gov. For current information regarding possible textile safeguard actions on goods from China and related issues, we refer you to the web site of the Office of Textiles and Apparel of the Department of Commerce at otexa.ita.doc.gov.
Please note that separate Federal Trade Commission marking requirements exist regarding country of origin, fiber content, and other information that must appear on many textile items. You should contact the Federal Trade Commission, Division of Enforcement, 6th and Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C., 20580, for information on the applicability of these requirements to this item. Information can also be found at the FTC website www.ftc.gov (click on "Consumer Protection,” “Business Information,” “Clothing & Textiles,” “Threading Your Way Through the Labeling Requirements”).
This ruling is being issued under the provisions of Part 177 of the Customs Regulations (19 C.F.R. 177).
A copy of the ruling or the control number indicated above should be provided with the entry documents filed at the time this merchandise is imported. If you have any questions regarding the ruling, contact National Import Specialist Kenneth Reidlinger at 646-733-3053.
Sincerely,
Robert B. Swierupski
Director,
National Commodity
Specialist Division