Purebred breeding animals

HTS code 0102.21.00 covers live, purebred breeding cattle, specifically those certified by the Department of Agriculture and registered with a recognized breed book. This code is used for importing these animals for breeding purposes, and generally benefits from free duty treatment under standard trade agreements or eligible preference programs, as detailed in Chapter 1 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule.

Detailed information for HTS Code 0102.21.00

AI Summary

This tariff classification falls within Chapter 1, covering live animals, specifically focusing on bovine animals. Code 0102.21.00 covers live cattle that are purebred breeding animals, and these animals must be certified by the Department of Agriculture and registered with a recognized breed book to qualify as such. This code has further statistical reporting subdivisions based on the animal’s dairy/other categorization and sex, identified by suffixes .10, .20, .30, and .50; select the appropriate suffix to match the specific type of purebred breeding animal being reported. Note that an obsolete certificate of pure breeding is no longer issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, so consult Customs for current requirements.

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 0102.21.00 (Purebred breeding animals) is Free, meaning no duty is assessed on qualifying imports from standard trade partners (NTR). Special rates are not specified, but eligibility for preferential Free rates exists under certain FTA or preference programs. This duty schedule applies consistently to all subdivisions (0102.21.00.10, 0102.21.00.20, 0102.21.00.30, and 0102.21.00.50), covering both dairy and other breeds of male and female animals. There are no report units specified for this HTS code. Importantly, to qualify as “purebred breeding animals” and receive duty-free treatment, animals must be certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as purebred of a recognized breed and registered in an official book of record, imported specifically for breeding purposes.

Rate of Duty (Column 2): Free

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Code subdivisions

0102.21.00.10

Live bovine animals: > Cattle: > Purebred breeding animals > Dairy: > Male

0102.21.00.20

Live bovine animals: > Cattle: > Purebred breeding animals > Dairy: > Female

0102.21.00.30

Live bovine animals: > Cattle: > Purebred breeding animals > Other: > Male

0102.21.00.50

Live bovine animals: > Cattle: > Purebred breeding animals > Other: > Female

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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