Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States · HTS code · HS 9608.40
9608.40.40: With a mechanical action for extending, or for extending and retracting, the lead
Not declarable on its own: use one of its 1 subdivisions Data: Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States · checked on 24 October 2026
- 9608 Ball point pens; felt tipped and other porous-tipped pens and markers; fountain pens, stylograph pens and other pens; duplicating styli; propelling or sliding pencils (for example, mechanical pencils); pen-holders, pencil-holders and similar holders; parts (including caps and clips) of the foregoing articles, other than those of heading 9609:
- 9608.40 Propelling or sliding pencils (for example, mechanical pencils):
- 9608.40.40 With a mechanical action for extending, or for extending and retracting, the lead
What you pay
Importing into USA
US additional duties of HTS chapter 99 in force on 22 October 2026 are included (Section 301, 232, 338 and 201). IEEPA duties are no longer collected after the Supreme Court ruling of February 2026. Conditional exemptions (US content, end use, metal share) are not computed: check the provision.
Additional duties and import rules
Charges on top of the customs duty, and rules the goods must meet at the border.
Additional duties and charges 1
- Additional dutySection 301 — China — technology transfer, IP and innovation (2018 actions and 2024 four-year review) 7.5%
- Applies to goods from
- China
- In force
- from 1 September 2019
- Legal act
- HTSUS 9903.88.15
Preferential rates by country
| Agreement or scheme | Countries | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| General (MFN) | — | 6.6% |
| US–Australia FTA AU | Australia | Free |
| US–Bahrain FTA BH | Bahrain | Free |
| US–Chile FTA CL | Chile | Free |
| US–Colombia TPA CO | Colombia | Free |
| US–Israel FTA IL | Israel | Free |
| US–Jordan FTA JO | Jordan | Free |
| US–Korea FTA KR | South Korea | Free |
| US–Morocco FTA MA | Morocco | Free |
| US–Oman FTA OM | Oman | Free |
| CAFTA-DR P | Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua | Free |
| US–Panama TPA PA | Panama | Free |
| US–Peru TPA PE | Peru | Free |
| USMCA S | Canada, Mexico | Free |
| US–Singapore FTA SG | Singapore | Free |
| US–Japan Trade Agreement JP | Japan | 3.3% |
| Column 2 | Cuba, North Korea, Russia, Belarus | 41.5% |
Special: reduced rates under trade agreements and preference programmes; the letters in brackets name the programmes (for example AU = Australia FTA, KR = Korea FTA).
Same subheading in other tariffs
9608.40 Propelling or sliding pencils
UK 2% Third-country duty 1 tariff line 
EU 3.7% Third-country duty 1 tariff line 
Türkiye 3.7% Third-country duty 2 tariff lines 
Canada 7% General (MFN) 1 tariff line 
Mexico 10% – 15% General (MFN) 3 tariff lines · average 13.3% 
Brazil 16.2% General (MFN) 1 tariff line 
Argentina 18% General (MFN) 1 tariff line 
Peru 6% General (MFN) 1 tariff line 
New Zealand Free General (MFN) 1 tariff line 
Japan Free – 5.4% General (MFN) 2 tariff lines · average 2.7% 
Taiwan 3.4% General (MFN) 1 tariff line 
GCC 5% General (MFN) 1 tariff line 
Switzerland Free General (MFN) 1 tariff line 
Norway Free General (MFN) 1 tariff line 
North Macedonia 12% General (MFN) 1 tariff line 
Nigeria 20% General (MFN) 1 tariff line USA lines: 9608.40
Binding rulings for similar goods
Decisions of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CROSS) and HMRC (Advance Tariff Rulings) on goods classified here. A ruling binds only its holder, but shows how the authorities classify similar goods. The descriptions are the authorities’ own, in English.
- N351130 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of a graphite pencil set from China
- N329177 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of a watercolor pencil set and graphite pencils from China.
- N311043 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of mechanical pencils from China
- N306035 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of LEGO minifigure toys and LEGO writing instruments from China
5 rulings in total for this code
Legal notes
In the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, 9608.40.40 is one of 2 lines under subheading 9608.40, propelling or sliding pencils.
The general duty is 6.6%, and quantities are declared in gross.
For the same subheading, the UK duty is 2%, the EU duty is 3.7%, the Türkiye duty is 3.7%, the Canada duty is 7%, the Mexico duty is 10%–15%, the Brazil duty is 16.2%, the Argentina duty is 18%, the Peru duty is 6%, the New Zealand duty is free, the Japan duty is 0%–5.4%, the Taiwan duty is 3.4%, the GCC duty is 5%, the Switzerland duty is free, the Norway duty is free, the North Macedonia duty is 12% and the Nigeria duty is 20%.
The United States imported goods of subheading 9608.40 worth US$88m in 2024; the largest supplier was Mexico.
Questions and answers
What is the USA import duty for HTS code 9608.40.40?
The general duty in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States is 6.6%; the supplementary unit is gross. Preferential rates for goods from agreement countries, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
Is there a lower rate for 9608.40.40 under US trade agreements?
Yes. The Special column reads “Free (A, AU, BH, CL, CO,D,E, IL, JO, KR, MA, OM,P, PA, PE,S, SG) 3.3% (JP)”: the letters in brackets name the agreements and programmes that grant it.
Where does the United States import these goods from?
For subheading 9608.40 as a whole, the largest supplier in 2024 was Mexico (US$34m), followed by China.