CHAPTER 71 · LEGAL NOTES
Chapter 71
The 150 legal notes below govern classification under Chapter 71. They are part of the official Harmonized Tariff Schedule and are cited verbatim in CBP rulings.
As of June 9, 2026
Chapter notes
Note 1
Chapter Note 1: Subject to note 1(a) to section and except as provided below, all articles consisting wholly or partly: (a) Of natural or cultured pearls or of precious or semiprecious stones (natural, synthetic or reconstructed), or (b) Of precious metal or of metal clad with precious metal, are to be classified in this chapter.
Note 10
Chapter Note 10: For the purposes of heading 7114, the expression "articles of goldsmiths' or silversmiths' wares" includes such articles as ornaments, tableware, toilet-ware, smokers' articles and other articles of household, office or religious use.
Note 11
Chapter Note 11: For the purposes of heading 7117, the expression "imitation jewelry" means articles of jewelry within the meaning of paragraph (a) of note 9 above (but not including buttons or other articles of heading 9606, or dress combs, hair slides or the like, or hairpins, of heading 9615), not incorporating natural or cultured pearls, precious or semiprecious stones (natural, synthetic or reconstructed) nor (except as plating or as minor constituents) precious metal or metal clad with precious metal.
Note 2
Chapter Note 2: (a) Headings 7113, 7114 and 7115 do not cover articles in which precious metal or metal clad with precious metal is present as minor constituents only, such as minor fittings or minor ornamentation (for example, monograms, ferrules and rims), and paragraph (b) of the foregoing note does not apply to such articles. (b) Heading 7116 does not cover articles containing precious metal or metal clad with precious metal (other than as minor constituents).
Note 3
Chapter Note 3: This chapter does not cover: (a) Amalgams of precious metal or colloidal precious metal (heading 2843); (b) Sterile surgical suture materials, dental fillings or other goods of chapter 30; (c) Goods of chapter 32 (for example, lustres); (d) Supported catalysts (heading 3815); (e) Articles of heading 4202 or 4203 referred to in note 3(B) to chapter 42; (f) Articles of heading 4303 or 4304; (g) Goods of section (textiles and textile articles); (h) Footwear, headgear or other articles of chapter 64 or 65; (ij) Umbrellas, walking-sticks or other articles of chapter 66; (k) Abrasive goods of heading 6804 or 6805 or chapter 82, containing dust or powder of precious or semiprecious stones (natural or synthetic); articles of chapter 82 with a working part of precious or semiprecious stones (natural, synthetic or reconstructed); machinery, mechanical appliances or electrical goods, or parts thereof, of section XVI.
Note 4
Chapter Note 4: (a) The expression "precious metal" means silver, gold and platinum. (b) The expression "platinum" means platinum, iridium, osmium, palladium, rhodium and ruthenium.
Note 5
Chapter Note 5: For the purposes of this chapter, any alloy (including a sintered mixture and an inter-metallic compound) containing precious metal is to be treated as an alloy of precious metal if any one precious metal constitutes as much as 2 percent, by weight, of the alloy. Alloys of precious metal are to be classified according to the following rules: (a) An alloy containing 2 percent or more, by weight, of platinum is to be treated as an alloy of platinum; (b) An alloy containing 2 percent or more, by weight, of gold but no platinum, or less than 2 percent, by weight, of platinum, is to be treated as an alloy of gold; (c) Other alloys containing 2 percent or more, by weight, of silver are to be treated as alloys of silver.
Note 6
Chapter Note 6: Except where the context otherwise requires, any reference in the tariff schedule to precious metal or to any particular precious metal includes a reference to alloys treated as alloys of precious metal or of the particular metal in accordance with the rules in note 5 above, but not to metal clad with precious metal or to base metal or non-metals plated with precious metal.
Note 7
Chapter Note 7: Throughout the tariff schedule the expression "metal clad with precious metal" means material made with a base of metal upon one or more surfaces of which there is affixed by soldering, brazing, welding, hot-rolling or similar mechanical means a covering of precious metal. Except where the context otherwise requires, the expression also covers base metal inlaid with precious metal.
Note 8
Chapter Note 8: Subject to note 1(a) to section VI, goods answering to a description in heading 7112 are to be classified in that heading and in no other heading of the tariff schedule.
Note 9
Chapter Note 9: For the purposes of heading 7113, the expression "articles of jewelry" means: (a) Any small objects of personal adornment (for example, rings, bracelets, necklaces, brooches, earrings, watch chains, fobs, pendants, tie pins, cuff links, dress studs, religious or other medals and insignia); and (b) Articles of personal use of a kind normally carried in the pocket, in the handbag or on the person (for example, cigar or cigarette cases, snuff boxes, cachou or pill boxes, powder boxes, chain purses or prayer beads). These articles may be combined or set, for example, with natural or cultured pearls, precious or semiprecious stones, synthetic or reconstructed precious or semiprecious stones, tortoise shell, mother-of-pearl, ivory, natural or reconstituted amber, jet or coral.
Additional U.S. notes
Note 1
Additional U.S. Note 1: For the purposes of subchapter II, unless the context otherwise requires: (a) The term "unwrought" refers to metals, whether or not refined, in the form of ingots, blocks, lumps, billets, cakes, slabs, pigs, cathodes, anodes, briquettes, cubes, sticks, grains, sponge, pellets, shot and similar manufactured primary forms, but does not cover rolled, forged, drawn or extruded products, tubular products or cast or sintered forms which have been machined or processed otherwise than by simple trimming, scalping or descaling;
Note 2
Additional U.S. Note 2: Coin provided for in heading 7118 which is currently in circulation in any country and is imported for monetary purposes shall be admitted without formal customs consumption entry or the payment of duty. This does not affect any requirements under other provisions of law to the effect that transfers of coin into or through the United States, in an amount exceeding $10,000 on any one occasion, shall be reported as described therein.
Note 3
Additional U.S. Note 3: (a) Notwithstanding any provision in additional U.S. note 5 to chapter 91, any article of jewelry provided for in heading 7113 which is the product of the Virgin Islands, Guam, or American Samoa (including any such article which contains any foreign component) shall be eligible for the benefits provided in paragraph (h) of additional U.S. note 5 to chapter 91, subject to the provisions and limitations of that note and of paragraphs (b), (c), and (d) of this note. (b) Notwithstanding additional U.S. Note 5(h)(ii)(B) to chapter 91, articles of jewelry subject to this note shall be subject to a limitation of 10,000,000 units. (c) Nothing in this note shall result in an increase or a decrease in the aggregate amount referred to in paragraph (h)(iii) of, or the quantitative limitation otherwise established pursuant to the requirements of, additional U.S. note 5 to chapter 91.
Statistical notes
Note 1
Statistical Note 1: For the purposes of subheading 7113.19.50, the expression “ISO standard platinum” means platinum meeting the International Organization for Standardization’s standard for platinum containing at least 85 percent pure platinum or at least 50 percent pure platinum with a combined content of at least 95 percent platinum group metals iridium, osmium, palladium, rhodium, or ruthenium.
Note 2
Statistical Note 2: For the purposes of reporting under statistical numbers 7113.19.5021 through 7113.19.5091, each piece is individually counted. For example, a pair of earrings is counted as two pieces and a necklace and its pendant are counted as one piece. Unit Rates of Duty of Quantity Article Description Stat. Suffix Heading/ Subheading 1 2 General Special I. NATURAL OR CULTURED PEARLS AND PRECIOUS OR SEMIPRECIOUS STONES Pearls, natural or cultured, whether or not worked or graded but not strung, mounted or set; pearls, natural or cultured, temporarily strung for convenience of transport: 7101
Note 99
Statistical Note 99: 5 percent or more by weight of silver and not otherwise marked or decorated than with weight,
Subheading notes
Note 1
Subheading Note 1: For the purposes of subheadings 7106.10, 7108.11, 7110.11, 7110.21, 7110.31 and 7110.41, the expressions "powder" and "in powder form" mean products of which 90 percent or more by weight passes through a sieve having a mesh aperture of 0.5 mm.
Note 2
Subheading Note 2: Notwithstanding the provisions of note 4(b), for the purposes of subheadings 7110.11 and 7110.19, the expression "platinum" does not include iridium, osmium, palladium, rhodium or ruthenium.
Note 3
Subheading Note 3: For the classification of alloys in the subheadings of heading 7110, each alloy is to be classified with that metal, platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, osmium or ruthenium, which predominates by weight over each other of these metals.
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Classify under Chapter 71 with confidence
TariffLens applies the legal notes above automatically when classifying — citing the relevant note in every GRI reasoning chain.