HTS codes for optical and medical instruments

Headings in Chapter 90

• 9001Optical fibers and optical fiber bundles; optical fiber cables other than those of heading 8544; sheets and plates of polarizing material; lenses (including contact lenses), prisms, mirrors and other optical elements, of any material, unmounted, other than such elements of glass not optically worked14
• 9002Lenses, prisms, mirrors and other optical elements, of any material, mounted, being parts of or fittings for instruments or apparatus, other than such elements of glass not optically worked; parts and accessories thereof11
• 9003Frames and mountings for spectacles, goggles or the like, and parts thereof3
• 9004Spectacles, goggles and the like, corrective, protective or other3
• 9005Binoculars, monoculars, other optical telescopes, and mountings therefor; other astronomical instruments and mountings therefor, but not including instruments for radio-astronomy; parts and accessories thereof8
• 9006Photographic (other than cinematographic) cameras; photographic flashlight apparatus and flashbulbs other than discharge lamps of heading 8539; parts and accessories thereof32
• 9007Cinematographic cameras and projectors, whether or not incorporating sound recording or reproducing apparatus; parts and accessories thereof9
• 9008Image projectors, other than cinematographic; photographic (other than cinematographic) enlargers and reducers; parts and accessories thereof7
• 9010Apparatus and equipment for photographic (including cinematographic) laboratories, not specified or included elsewhere in this chapter; negatoscopes; projection screens; parts and accessories thereof10
• 9011Compound optical microscopes, including those for photomicrography, cinemicrography or microprojection; parts and accessories thereof6
• 9012Microscopes other than optical microscopes; diffraction apparatus; parts and accessories thereof2
• 9013Lasers, other than laser diodes; other optical appliances and instruments, not specified or included elsewhere in this chapter11
• 9014Direction finding compasses; other navigational instruments and appliances; parts and accessories thereof19
• 9015Surveying (including photogrammetrical surveying), hydrographic, oceanographic, hydrological, meteorological or geophysical instruments and appliances, excluding compasses; rangefinders; parts and accessories thereof19
• 9016Balances of a sensitivity of 5 cg or better, with or without weights; parts and accessories thereof3
• 9017Drawing, marking-out or mathematical calculating instruments (for example, drafting machines, pantographs, protractors, drawing sets, slide rules, disc calculators); instruments for measuring length, for use in the hand (for example, measuring rods and tapes, micrometers, calipers), not specified or included elsewhere in this chapter; parts and accessories thereof17
• 9018Instruments and appliances used in medical, surgical, dental or veterinary sciences, including scintigraphic apparatus, other electro-medical apparatus and sight-testing instruments; parts and accessories thereof42
• 9019Mechano-therapy appliances; massage apparatus; psychological aptitude-testing apparatus; ozone therapy, oxygen therapy, aerosol therapy, artificial respiration or other therapeutic respiration apparatus; parts and accessories thereof10
• 9020Other breathing appliances and gas masks, excluding protective masks having neither mechanical parts nor replaceable filters; parts and accessories thereof3
• 9021Orthopedic appliances, including crutches, surgical belts and trusses; splints and other fracture appliances; artificial parts of the body; hearing aids and other appliances which are worn or carried, or implanted in the body, to compensate for a defect or disability; parts and accessories thereof13
• 9022Apparatus based on the use of X-rays or of alpha, beta, gamma or other ionizing radiations, whether or not for medical, surgical, dental or veterinary uses, including radiography or radiotherapy apparatus, X-ray tubes and other X-ray generators, high tension generators, control panels and desks, screens, examination or treatment tables, chairs and the like; parts and accessories thereof15
• 9023Instruments, apparatus and models, designed for demonstrational purposes (for example, in education or exhibitions), unsuitable for other uses, and parts and accessories thereof1
• 9024Machines and appliances for testing the hardness, strength, compressibility, elasticity or other mechanical properties of materials (for example, metals, wood, textiles, paper, plastics), and parts and accessories thereof4
• 9025Hydrometers and similar floating instruments, thermometers, pyrometers, barometers, hygrometers and psychrometers, recording or not, and any combination of these instruments; parts and accessories thereof14
• 9026Instruments and apparatus for measuring or checking the flow, level, pressure or other variables of liquids or gases (for example, flow meters, level gauges, manometers, heat meters), excluding instruments and apparatus of heading 9014, 9015, 9028 or 9032; parts and accessories thereof12
• 9027Instruments and apparatus for physical or chemical analysis (for example, polarimeters, refractometers, spectrometers, gas or smoke analysis apparatus); instruments and apparatus for measuring or checking viscosity, porosity, expansion, surface tension or the like; instruments and apparatus for measuring or checking quantities of heat, sound or light (including exposure meters); microtomes; parts and accessories thereof44
• 9028Gas, liquid or electricity supply or production meters, including calibrating meters thereof; parts and accessories thereof5
• 9029Revolution counters, production counters, taximeters, odometers, pedometers and the like; speedometers and tachometers, other than those of heading 9014 or 9015; stroboscopes; parts and accessories thereof11
• 9030Oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers and other instruments and apparatus for measuring or checking electrical quantities, excluding meters of heading 9028; instruments and apparatus for measuring or detecting alpha, beta, gamma, X-ray, cosmic or other ionizing radiations; parts and accessories thereof:​25
• 9031Measuring or checking instruments, appliances and machines, not specified or included elsewhere in this chapter; profile projectors; parts and accessories thereof21
• 9032Automatic regulating or controlling instruments and apparatus; parts and accessories thereof24
• 9033Parts and accessories (not specified or included elsewhere in this chapter) for machines, appliances, instruments or apparatus of chapter 903

Documents required to import Chapter 90 goods

Customs paperwork typically required to import these goods into the United States. Conditional items depend on shipment value, transport mode, or origin.

• Commercial InvoiceRequired
• Packing ListRequired
• Bill of Lading / Airway BillRequired
• CBP Entry Summary (7501)Required

  Prepared and filed by your customs broker

• CBP Entry / Release (3461)Required

  Prepared and filed by your customs broker

• Customs Bond (CBP 301)Conditional

  Required for formal entries — generally shipments valued over $2,500

  Single-entry or continuous bond, obtained through your broker or a surety

• Importer Security Filing (ISF "10+2")Conditional

  Required for ocean freight only

  Filed electronically at least 24 hours before loading at the foreign port

• Importer ID Input Record (CBP 5106)Conditional

  Required to establish or update your importer-of-record number with CBP

  One-time setup for a new importer; not filed per shipment

• Entry Manifest (CBP 7533)Conditional

  Alternative to the 3461 for informal, low-value, or contiguous-country entries

Common questions

What does HTS Chapter 90 cover?

Chapter 90 of the US Harmonized Tariff Schedule covers optical, photographic, measuring, checking, precision, medical or surgical instruments and apparatus. It contains 32 four-digit headings and 421 tariff lines.

What is the duty rate for Chapter 90 goods?

General duty rates from 0.8% to 16%, with 308 duty-free lines; 13 lines carry a specific or compound duty. The rate that applies depends on the specific tariff line and the country of origin — preferential trade agreements can reduce or eliminate the general rate.

How do I find the right HTS code in Chapter 90?

Classification depends on the material, construction, and intended use of the product. Browse the headings on this page, or describe your product in the search box to get a candidate code with its duty rate.