Chapter notes
Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States Revision 29 (2025)
Annotated for Statistical Reporting Purposes
CHAPTER 26
ORES, SLAG AND ASH
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Notes
1. This chapter does not cover:
(a) Slag or similar industrial waste prepared as macadam (heading 2517);
(b) Natural magnesium carbonate (magnesite), whether or not calcined (heading 2519);
(c) Sludges from the storage tanks of petroleum oils, consisting mainly of such oils (heading 2710);
(d) Basic slag of chapter 31;
(e) Slag wool, rock wool or similar mineral wools (heading 6806);
(f) Waste or scrap of precious metal or of metal clad with precious metal; other waste or scrap containing precious metal or
precious metal compounds, of a kind used principally for the recovery of precious metal (heading 7112 or 8549); or
(g) Copper, nickel or cobalt mattes produced by any process of smelting (section XV).
2. For the purposes of headings 2601 to 2617, the term "ores" means minerals of mineralogical species actually used in the
metallurgical industry for the extraction of mercury, of the metals of heading 2844 or of the metals of section XIV or XV, even if
they are intended for non-metallurgical purposes. Headings 2601 to 2617 do not, however, include minerals which have been
submitted to processes not normal to the metallurgical industry.
3. Heading 2620 applies only to:
(a) Slag, ash and residues of a kind used in industry either for the extraction of metals or as a basis for the manufacture of
chemical compounds of metals, excluding ash and residues from the incineration of municipal waste (heading 2621); and
(b) Slag, ash and residues containing arsenic, whether or not containing metals, of a kind used either for the extraction of arsenic
or metals or for the manufacture of their chemical compounds.
Subheading Notes
1. For the purposes of subheading 2620.21.00, "leaded gasoline sludges and leaded anti-knock compound sludges" means sludges
obtained from storage tanks of leaded gasoline and leaded anti-knock compounds (for example, tetraethyl lead), and consisting
essentially of lead, lead compounds and iron oxide.
2. Slag, ash and residues containing arsenic, mercury, thallium or their mixtures, of a kind used for the extraction of arsenic or
those metals or for the manufacture of their chemical compounds, are to be classified in subheading 2620.60.
Additional U.S. Notes
1. The specific rates of duty imposed under the headings of this chapter on the metal content of ores and other materials shall
apply to the assay quantity of metal contained therein, whether recovered as metals, as alloys or as chemical compounds or
used directly in the manufacture of articles, except that with respect to ores or other materials provided for in this chapter which
are subject to duty at specific rates on their copper, lead or zinc content, an absolute deduction for losses of 18 kg per dry metric
ton from the respective quantities of each of such metal contents shall be allowed.
2. When the classification of imported materials under any provision of this chapter is dependent on the percentage of metal content,
such percentage shall be the ratio of the total quantity of the respective metal content to the total quantity of imported material
when computed on a dry-weight basis; i.e., free of all uncombined moisture.
Statistical Notes
1. The quantity of metal content to be reported shall be the assay quantity without deductions.
2. For the purposes of subheading 2601.11.0060, the term "coarse" refers to iron ores with a majority of individual particles having
a diameter exceeding 4.75 mm.
Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States Revision 29 (2025)
Annotated for Statistical Reporting Purposes
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Statistical Notes (con.)
3. For the purposes of any of the ten-digit statistical reporting numbers appearing under the eight-digit subheadings 2603.00.00,
2604.00.00, 2607.00.00, 2608.00.00, 2616.10.00, 2616.90.00, 2620.19.60, 2620.21.00, 2620.29.00 or 2620.30.00, and the
ten-digit statistical reporting numbers 2620.99.7560 and 2620.99.7580 for the eight-digit subheading specifying that a named
metal content is to be reported, the weight and value of such metal contained in any shipment of the ores, concentrates, slag,
ash or residues entered under such subheading shall be reported under each applicable statistical reporting number. If a product
covered by one of these provisions includes more than one of the named metals, it would be necessary to enter multiple ten-digit
subheadings with the weight and value of each metal indicated under the appropriate ten-digit subheading.
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Annotated for Statistical Reporting Purposes
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