Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States · HTS code · HS 9608.60

9608.60.00

9608.60.00: Refills for ball point pens, comprising the ball point and ink reservoir

Not declarable on its own: use one of its 1 subdivisions Data: Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States · checked on 24 October 2026

  1. 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:
  2. 9608.60.00 Refills for ball point pens, comprising the ball point and ink reservoir

What you pay

Importing into USA

Customs duty 0.4¢ each + 2.7% standard rate depends on the country of origin
Additional duties and charges 1 additional measure
VAT no federal VAT; a Merchandise Processing Fee of 0.3464 % is charged on formal entries
Duty calculatorCalculate duty and taxes →

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 schemeCountriesRate
General (MFN)—0.4¢ each + 2.7%
US–Australia FTA AUAustraliaFree
US–Bahrain FTA BHBahrainFree
US–Chile FTA CLChileFree
US–Colombia TPA COColombiaFree
US–Israel FTA ILIsraelFree
US–Jordan FTA JOJordanFree
US–Korea FTA KRSouth KoreaFree
US–Morocco FTA MAMoroccoFree
US–Oman FTA OMOmanFree
CAFTA-DR PCosta Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, NicaraguaFree
US–Panama TPA PAPanamaFree
US–Peru TPA PEPeruFree
USMCA SCanada, MexicoFree
US–Singapore FTA SGSingaporeFree
Column 2Cuba, North Korea, Russia, Belarus6¢ each + 40%

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

9608.60 Refills for ballpoint pens, comprising the ball point and ink-reservoir

UK 2% Third-country duty 1 tariff line EU 2.7% Third-country duty 1 tariff line Türkiye 2.7% Third-country duty 1 tariff line Canada Free – 7% General (MFN) 2 tariff lines · average 3.5% Mexico Free General (MFN) 1 tariff line Brazil 16.2% General (MFN) 1 tariff line Argentina 18% General (MFN) 1 tariff line Peru 6% General (MFN) 1 tariff line New Zealand 5% General (MFN) 1 tariff line Japan specific or compound duty General (MFN) 1 tariff line 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 15% General (MFN) 1 tariff line Nigeria 20% General (MFN) 1 tariff line

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.

  • N274233 U.S. CBP 15 April 2016 · 9608.60.00.00

    The eligibility for duty free treatment under the U.S. Korea Free Trade Agreement (UKFTA) of ball point pens, felt tipped markers, refills for ball point pens and erasers from Korea

  • N273297 U.S. CBP 24 March 2016 · 9608.60.00.00

    The eligibility for duty free treatment under the Generalized System of Preferences for ball point pens, felt tipped markers, ball point pen refills and erasers from India

Legal notes

Chapter notes: Chapter 96 →

In the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, 9608.60.00 is one of 1 line under subheading 9608.60, refills for ballpoint pens, comprising the ball point and ink-reservoir.

The general duty is a specific or compound duty: 0.4¢ each + 2.7%.

For the same subheading, the UK duty is 2%, the EU duty is 2.7%, the Türkiye duty is 2.7%, the Canada duty is 0%–7%, the Mexico duty is free, the Brazil duty is 16.2%, the Argentina duty is 18%, the Peru duty is 6%, the New Zealand duty is 5%, 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 15% and the Nigeria duty is 20%.

The United States imported goods of subheading 9608.60 worth US$13m in 2024; the largest supplier was Mexico.

Questions and answers

What is the USA import duty for HTS code 9608.60.00?

The general duty in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States is 0.4¢ each + 2.7%; the supplementary unit is p/st. Preferential rates for goods from agreement countries, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.

Is there a lower rate for 9608.60.00 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)”: the letters in brackets name the agreements and programmes that grant it.

Where does the United States import these goods from?

For subheading 9608.60 as a whole, the largest supplier in 2024 was Mexico (US$4m), followed by Japan.

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