Purebred breeding animals

HTS code 0101.21.00 covers live, purebred breeding horses, asses, mules and hinnies—specifically males and females certified by the Department of Agriculture. This code is used for importing these animals for breeding purposes and generally receives free duty treatment as part of standard trade agreements or eligible preference programs, falling within Chapter 1 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule.

Detailed information for HTS Code 0101.21.00

AI Summary

This tariff classification falls within Chapter 1, covering live animals, specifically horses, asses, mules, and hinnies. The 0101.21.00 code refers to purebred breeding animals, meaning these animals must be certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as purebred of a recognized breed and registered accordingly for breeding purposes. There are further breakdowns available for statistical reporting: 0101.21.00.10 designates male purebred breeding animals, while 0101.21.00.20 identifies females; choose the appropriate suffix based on the animal's sex to ensure accurate data collection. Remember that this classification excludes fish, crustaceans, and other aquatic invertebrates, as well as cultures of microorganisms and animals covered elsewhere in the tariff schedule.

Chapter	Chapter 1 - Live animals
Section	Section I - Live Animals; Animal Products

Duty snapshot

Quick reference for the duty outcomes tied to this HTS line.

General Duty

Free

Standard trade partners (NTR)

Special Duty

N/A

Eligible FTA or preference programs

The general duty rate for HTS code 0101.21.00 (Purebred breeding animals) is Free for standard trade partners (NTR), meaning no duty is assessed on imports from these countries. Special rates are also Free, but apply to eligible FTA or preference programs. These rates apply equally to the subdivisions 0101.21.00.10 (Males) and 0101.21.00.20 (Females). There are no specified reporting units for this HTS code; therefore, no unit of measure is required. This means qualifying purebred breeding animals, regardless of sex, can be imported duty-free from NTR countries or under preferential trade agreements.

Rate of Duty (Column 2): Free

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Code subdivisions

0101.21.00.10

Live horses, asses, mules and hinnies: > Horses: > Purebred breeding animals > Males

0101.21.00.20

Live horses, asses, mules and hinnies: > Horses: > Purebred breeding animals > Females

View HTS reference

Chapter & section notes

Chapter notes

Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States Revision 29 (2025) Annotated for Statistical Reporting Purposes CHAPTER 1 LIVE ANIMALS I 1-1 Note 1. This chapter covers all live animals except: (a) Fish and crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates, of heading 0301, 0306, 0307 or 0308; (b) Cultures of microorganisms and other products of heading 3002; and (c) Animals of heading 9508. Additional U.S. Notes 1. The expression "purebred breeding animals" covers only animals certified to the U.S. Customs Service by the Department of Agriculture as being purebred of a recognized breed and duly registered in a book of record recognized by the Secretary of Agriculture for that breed, imported specially for breeding purposes, whether intended to be used by the importer himself or for sale for such purposes.1/ 2. Certain special provisions applying to live animals are in chapter 98. 1/The animal certificate of pure breeding is an obsolete form and can no longer be obtained from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Consult U.S. Customs for additional information. Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States Revision 29 (2025) Annotated for Statistical Reporting Purposes I 1-2

Section notes

SECTION I LIVE ANIMALS; ANIMAL PRODUCTS I-1 Notes 1. Any reference in this section to a particular genus or species of an animal, except where the context otherwise requires, includes a reference to the young of that genus or species. 2. Except where the context otherwise requires, throughout the tariff schedule any reference to "dried" products also covers products which have been dehydrated, evaporated or freeze-dried. Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States Revision 29 (2025) Annotated for Statistical Reporting Purposes I-2 Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States Revision 29 (2025) Annotated for Statistical Reporting Purposes

Latest update

Last updated

November 15, 2025

Revised every January & July

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