Duty rates verified against the HTSUS · HTS finder · the duty stack · landed-cost calculator
Bulk Ethernet cable (unterminated) classifies under HTS 8544.49.30 — as of , the effective U.S. duty is 42.8% from China, 17.8% from Vietnam, and 0.0% from USMCA-qualifying Mexico.
Bulk, unterminated Ethernet cable — Cat5e/6/6a on spools or 1,000-ft reels, no connectors — classifies under HTS 8544.49.30 at a 5.3% base rate under CBP’s current practice. It is not the connectorized code: ruling N354596 (October 2025) holds that the Free ≤80 V telecommunications line (8544.49.10) is decided by the cable’s maximum voltage rating, and standard LAN jacket is rated 300 V, so ordinary bulk Cat5e/6 does not qualify.
First-party data: We bought 5 Amazon "Cat6" cables and measured the copper — the gauge and CCA study.
| Origin | MFN base | §301 China | §301 forced-labor | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | 5.3% | 25% | 12.5% | 42.8% |
| Vietnam | 5.3% | — | 12.5% | 17.8% |
| Mexico USMCA | — | — | — | 0.0% |
The layers add on the same entered value — MFN base, plus the 25% Section 301 (Chinese origin only), plus the 12.5% Section 301 forced-labor duty (China and Vietnam; USMCA-compliant Mexico exempt). The trap runs both directions, and since April 2026 it runs expensively. Older rulings (2007–2014) placed Cat5/6 in the Free 8544.49.10 line, and some importers still file there — but under the voltage-rating doctrine (HQ H014776, applied in N354596) a 300 V-rated cable belongs in 8544.49.30 at 5.3%. Chasing the Free line is now a bad trade regardless: 8544.49.10 is an “article of copper” under HTSUS note 16(c)(viii) and 8544.49.30 is not, so the Free line costs 25 points of Section 232 copper duty to save 5.3 points of base. On Chinese origin the Section 301 layer rides List 1 (9903.88.01) at the same 25%. Terminate the cable with connectors and it moves to 8544.42.90 — which is on the copper list.
Estimate a per-unit landed figure with the landed-cost calculator, run a whole BOM through the BOM tariff analyzer, or check another product in the HTS code & duty finder.
Frequently asked
What is the HTS code for bulk Cat6 or Cat5e cable?
Bulk (unterminated) Ethernet cable on spools or reels classifies under HTS 8544.49.30 at a 5.3% base rate under CBP’s current practice — ruling N354596 (October 2025). Effective U.S. duty: 42.8% from China, 17.8% from Vietnam.
Why doesn’t bulk LAN cable enter Free under 8544.49.10?
Because the ≤80 V telecommunications line is decided by the cable’s maximum voltage rating, not its operating voltage — and standard Cat5e/6 jacket is rated 300 V. CBP ruling N354596 (October 2025) rejected the Free classification for 300 V-rated bulk Cat5e on exactly this basis. Since April 2026 you would not want it anyway: 8544.49.10 carries a 25% Section 232 copper duty that 8544.49.30 does not.
Is bulk cable the same HTS code as patch cords?
No. Fitted-with-connectors patch cords classify under 8544.42.90 (2.6% base); bulk unterminated cable classifies under 8544.49.30 (5.3% base). The connectors change the line and the rate — and, since April 2026, whether the Section 232 copper duty applies at all: patch cords are on the copper list, bulk 8544.49.30 is not. A reel that lands at 42.8% from China becomes 52.6% once it is terminated.
Sources
- USITC HTSUSHTSUS 8544.49.30 (5.3%) · Rev. 19
- CBP rulingN354596 (2025) · bulk Cat5e → 8544.49.3080
- CBP rulingN337956 (2024) · China · 9903.88.01 (+25%)
- USTR Section 301 / CBP9903.88.03 · 84 FR 20459
- USTR §301 forced-labor · Federal Register91 FR 47318 (2026-07-28) · HTSUS 9903.05.31 (China) / 9903.05.84 (Vietnam) · eff. 2026-07-24
A classification guide, not customs or legal advice. The code shown is where this product type commonly enters; the correct code for your part depends on its construction and end use. Confirm with a licensed customs broker before you file, and verify current rates against the duty stack.
Know the code, then hold the origin.
The code sets the rate; the origin decides whether you pay the China layer. Kestner builds power and connectivity hardware in its own plants in both China and Vietnam and documents the country of origin per unit — so the code you plan against and the origin you elect are the ones that clear customs.