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Last updated 6 November 2026 · every figure recomputed from the sources listed at the foot of this page

Section 232 Metal Content: The 15% Test Behind 28 Chapter 99 Headings

Section 232 duties do not live in chapters 1 to 97 of the tariff schedule. They live in Chapter 99, in a family of 28 headings that reprice the same imported article depending on how much of it is metal, which metal, and where the metal came from. This page enumerates all 28 of them from the current USITC export, states the threshold that selects each one, and prints the legal note that makes them mutually exclusive.

What the 28 headings actually are

Chapter 99 subchapter III carries 26 headings in the 9903.82 family and 2 in the 9903.85 family. The 9903.82 family is the general Section 232 ladder for aluminium, steel, copper and their derivatives; the two 9903.85 headings are the Russia-specific aluminium overlay at 200 percent. U.S. note 16(a) is explicit about how they interact, and the wording is worth reading exactly as printed:

“Except as provided in headings 9903.82.01, 9903.85.67, and 9903.85.68, headings 9903.82.02–9903.82.26 provide the ordinary customs duty treatment of certain articles of aluminum, of steel, or of copper and certain derivative aluminum or steel articles as provided for in subdivision (c) of this note. These headings are mutually exclusive, such that an imported article will be subject to no more than one of these headings.”

Two consequences follow directly from that sentence. First, the headings are mutually exclusive: an imported article is subject to no more than one of them, so the question is never “how many Section 232 duties apply” but “which single heading applies”. Second, the choice between them is made by the article's composition and origin, not by its six-digit classification alone — which is why the same HTS line can pay nothing, 10 percent, 25 percent or 50 percent depending on facts that never appear in the base schedule.

The threshold that decides everything: 15 percent metal by weight

The single most consequential number in the ladder is a weight test, and it is printed in heading 9903.82.03:

“Except for articles classifiable in chapters 72, 73, 74 or 76, articles where the weight of the applicable metal is less than 15 percent of the weight of the imported article, as provided for in subdivision (c) of U.S. note 16 to this subchapter”

Read that carefully. For articles not classified in chapters 72, 73, 74 or 76 — that is, for every derivative article that is not itself a metal article — the additional duty does not attach at all unless the weight of the applicable metal reaches 15 percent of the weight of the imported article. A finished machine that contains a few kilograms of steel is not a Section 232 article. A finished machine that is mostly steel is. The test is by weight, not by value, so a light but expensive component can carry a heavy duty-free metal content and a cheap dense one can trip the test.

This table is wider than the screen: scroll it sideways to reach every column.

Source: USITC · checked 6 November 2026, 23:00 UTC.

How the ladder reads, heading by heading

Of the 28 headings, 18 carry a numeric additional rate and 10 read “No change” — the schedule's way of saying the heading exists to state that nothing extra applies. Among the numeric ones: 6 add 25 percent on top of the base rate, 2 add 50 percent, 5 set a flat rate instead of adding to the base (2 at 10 percent and 3 at 15 percent), and the two Russia aluminium headings add 200 percent. The distinction between an “additional” rate and a “flat” rate is not cosmetic: a flat 15 percent on an article whose base rate is 3.1 percent produces a total of 15 percent, while a plus-15 percent produces 18.1 percent.

This table is wider than the screen: scroll it sideways to reach every column.

Source: USITC (United States International Trade Commission) · checked 6 November 2026, 22:57 UTC.

The table above is the export as it printed on the day it was read, in heading order, with the PDF page each row sits on so any single line can be checked in a minute. Note the exceptions built into the headings themselves: 9903.82.02 excludes the headings named in 9903.82.14 and both 9903.85 headings, and 9903.82.09 excludes 9903.82.16 and 9903.82.20 through 9903.82.26. Those cross-references are the ladder's internal wiring, and a duty estimate that ignores them will double-count.

The Russia overlay is not negotiable

Two headings sit outside the ladder. 9903.85.67 covers aluminium articles of Russia, or where any amount of primary aluminium used to make the article was smelted in Russia, or where the article was cast in Russia. 9903.85.68 applies the same 200 percent to derivative aluminium articles under the same origin tests. “Any amount” is the operative phrase: a single Russian smelt run in an otherwise third-country billet keeps the article inside the heading. Note 16(a) carves both headings out of the 9903.82 family entirely, so the ladder's 25 and 50 percent steps never compete with them.

The 10 and 15 percent floors, and why they exist

Four headings set a floor rather than an increment. 9903.82.07 and 9903.82.23 apply a flat 10 percent to derivative articles whose Column 1 ad valorem rate is below 10 percent; 9903.82.10 and 9903.82.25 apply a flat 15 percent to those below 15 percent. The design intent is visible in the arithmetic: without a floor, a derivative article with a 2 percent base rate would pay almost nothing under a percentage overlay, and the Section 232 program would raise no revenue on precisely the goods it was meant to reach. The floor converts a proportional duty into a minimum effective rate.

Those four headings also carry a carve-out that is easy to miss: 9903.82.23 through 9903.82.26 do not apply to products of any country identified in general note 3(b) to the schedule. General note 3(b) is the schedule's own list of countries outside normal trade relations — the same list whose rates appear in the Column 2 column of every chapter 1 to 97 line. An article from such a country is repriced by Column 2 instead, and the Section 232 floor does not stack on top.

Why the 9903.82.20 row is the one to look at twice

Most headings in the ladder spell their rate as “the duty provided in the applicable subheading + 25%”. One of them, 9903.82.20, spells the same idea differently: “+ a duty of 25%”. A parser that only recognises the first shape reads the second as unparsed and, if it defaults to “no change”, reports a zero rate on a line that actually carries 25 percent. That is a 6-heading-wide risk in miniature, and it is the reason this page prints every heading's rate as the export spells it rather than through a single normalised regex.

How to check your own article in four steps

One: find the HTS line for the article itself in chapters 1 to 97 and note its general rate — that is the base the ladder adds to. Two: decide whether the article is classifiable in chapters 72, 73, 74 or 76. If it is, the weight test does not apply and the ladder applies directly. Three: if it is not, weigh the applicable metal and divide by the article's total weight. Below 15 percent, the ladder does not attach at all. Four: if the article or its metal content is Russian, go straight to the 9903.85 headings before doing any of the above, because those two headings displace the entire family.

Run the resulting rate through the duty calculator together with the entry fees, since Section 232 duty is part of the value MPF is charged on. For the Section 301 analogue on the same chapter 99 mechanism, read the Section 301 guide; for how these overlays combine with a base rate, see stacked tariffs.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Section 232 metal content threshold?

For articles not classified in chapters 72, 73, 74 or 76, heading 9903.82.03 states that the additional duty applies to articles where the weight of the applicable metal is 15 percent or more of the weight of the imported article. Below that share the heading reads "No change" -- no Section 232 additional duty attaches.

How many Section 232 headings are in Chapter 99 right now?

28: 26 in the 9903.82 family and 2 in the 9903.85 family. 10 of the 28 read "No change"; 18 carry a numeric additional rate.

Can two Section 232 headings apply to the same article?

No. U.S. note 16(a) states that the headings are mutually exclusive, such that an imported article will be subject to no more than one of them. The task is to find which single heading applies, not to add them up.

What rate applies to aluminium or steel from Russia?

Heading 9903.85.67 (aluminium articles) and 9903.85.68 (derivative aluminium articles) add 200 percent where the article is a product of Russia, or where any amount of primary aluminium used to make it was smelted in Russia, or where it was cast in Russia. Note 16(a) carves both headings out of the 9903.82 family.

What is the difference between a flat 10 percent and a plus 10 percent heading?

A flat rate replaces the calculation -- heading 9903.82.07 sets 10 percent for derivative articles whose Column 1 rate is below 10 percent. An additional rate adds to the base rate. On an article with a 3.1 percent base, plus 15 percent totals 18.1 percent while a flat 15 percent totals 15 percent.

Do the Section 232 floors apply to Column 2 countries?

Not for the 9903.82.23 through 9903.82.26 headings: note 16 states that they do not apply to products of any country identified in general note 3(b) to the schedule. Articles from those countries are repriced by the Column 2 rate instead.

Sources

• USITC (United States International Trade Commission) — Chapter 99 REST export, read live by this task (read 2026-11-06T22:57:19Z, sha256 e55de042e0cb6b67…)
• USITC — Chapter 99 PDF (14,005,269 bytes, HTS Revision 22 (2026)) and its pdftotext -layout extraction; read for the legal notes and the compiler notes printed inside the tariff rows (read 2026-11-06T23:00:09Z, sha256 290eee3d064837a0…)

Every figure above is recomputed from the datasets listed here at render time; the dataset vintage and each source's check timestamp are printed with it. This page extends the prototype that already earns search traffic on the same mechanism. Rates are informational, not a binding customs determination: confirm the classification and the entry with CBP before shipping.