Section 232: is your product under 15% metal by weight, and what does your broker need from the factory?
Since 6 April 2026, steel, aluminum and copper derivatives pay 10% to 50% on their full customs value, not just the metal. A product outside HTSUS chapters 72, 73, 74 and 76 is exempt when the metals listed for its HTS code weigh less than 15% of the whole article (CBP CSMS 68253075). To claim that, or to file at all, your broker needs the metal weights and the countries where the steel was melted and poured and the aluminum smelted and cast. Most China suppliers have never been asked. Enter your numbers below to see where you stand and get a data request to send the factory.
1. The 15% weight test
Fill in the weights to see the result.
2. What to ask your China factory
Your broker reports, for every subject article, the aggregate weight of the listed metals (as a second quantity when claiming 9903.82.03), the country of melt and pour for steel, and the country of smelt and cast for aluminum. Copper smelt and cast reporting for cables (HTSUS 8544.42 and 8544.49) starts when CBP announces it. Send the factory this table, in English and Chinese, per part that contains metal:
| Field | 中文 | Why the broker needs it |
|---|---|---|
| Part name and drawing number | 零件名称和图号 | Ties each weight to a part on the bill of materials |
| Material and grade (e.g. SUS304, 6061-T6, C1100) | 材质和牌号 | Decides whether it is steel, aluminum or copper |
| Net weight per part, grams, weighed | 单件净重（克，实称） | The 15% test is by weight; estimates near 15% will not hold up |
| Steel: country where it was melted and poured | 钢：熔炼和浇注国 | Required on every steel derivative entry |
| Aluminum: country of primary smelt and of the most recent cast | 铝：原铝冶炼国和最近一次铸造国 | Required on every aluminum derivative entry; Russian aluminum cannot use the 15% exception |
| Mill test certificate or material supplier invoice | 材质证明（MTC）或原材料采购单 | Evidence behind the countries if CBP asks |
Factories that buy bar, sheet or extrusion from a trader often do not know the melt or smelt country and will answer "unknown". The data exists one or two steps up their supply chain, at the material supplier. Our engineers in Shenzhen go to the factory, weigh the parts, trace the material to the mill and send you the filled table with the certificates, per SKU. Your broker files it; we are not a customs broker and this is not legal advice.
Rules from CBP CSMS 68253075 (effective 6 April 2026) and the annex IV HTS list, checked 2026-10-30. Headings 9903.82.07, .08, .10, .11 and .12 change on 1 January 2028.
Send us your product
Tell us what the product is, where it is made and sold, and which rule you are stuck on. An engineer replies by email with what has to change, or what data we can get from the factory, and a fixed fee.
Or email chris@anvol.dev. This is an engineering assessment, not a legal opinion or a certification.