Nothing in this subpart shall be construed as excepting any article (or its container) from the particular requirements of marking provided for in any other provision of any law, such as those of the Federal Trade Commission, Food and Drug Administration, and other agencies.

The articles described or meeting the specified conditions set forth below are excepted from marking requirements (see subpart C of this part for marking of the containers):

(a) Articles that are incapable of being marked;

(b) Articles that cannot be marked prior to shipment to the United States without injury;

(c) Articles that cannot be marked prior to shipment to the United States except at an expense economically prohibitive of its importation;

(d) Articles for which the marking of the containers will reasonably indicate the origin of the articles;

(e) Articles which are crude substances;

(f) Articles imported for use by the importer and not intended for sale in their imported or any other form;

(g) Articles to be processed in the United States by the importer or for his account otherwise than for the purpose of concealing the origin of such articles and in such manner that any mark contemplated by this part would necessarily be obliterated, destroyed, or permanently concealed;

(h) Articles for which the ultimate purchaser must necessarily know, or in the case of a good of a NAFTA or USMCA country, must reasonably know, the country of origin by reason of the circumstances of their importation or by reason of the character of the articles even though they are not marked to indicate their origin;

(i) Articles which were produced more than 20 years prior to their importation into the United States;

(j) Articles entered or withdrawn from warehouse for immediate exportation or for transportation and exportation;

(k) Products of American fisheries which are free of duty;

(l) Products of possessions of the United States;

(m) Products of the United States exported and returned;

(n) Articles exempt from duty under §§ 10.151 through 10.153, § 145.31 or § 145.32 of this chapter;

(o) Articles which cannot be marked after importation except at an expense that would be economically prohibitive unless the importer, producer, seller, or shipper failed to mark the articles before importation to avoid meeting the requirements of the law;

(p) Goods of a NAFTA or USMCA country which are original works of art; and

(q) Goods of a NAFTA or USMCA country which are provided for in subheading 6904.10 or heading 8541 or 8542 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) (19 U.S.C. 1202).

Articles of a class or kind listed below are excepted from the requirements of country of origin marking in accordance with the provisions of section 304(a)(3)(J), Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (19 U.S.C. 1304(a)(3)(J)). However, in the case of any article described in this list which is imported in a container, the outermost container in which the article ordinarily reaches the ultimate purchaser is required to be marked to indicate the origin of its contents in accordance with the requirements of subpart C of this part. All articles are listed in Treasury Decisions 49690, 49835, and 49896. A reference different from the foregoing indicates an amendment.

(a) Exception for repacked articles. An exception under § 134.32(d) may be authorized in the discretion of the Center director for imported articles which are to be repacked after release from Customs custody under the following conditions:

(1) The containers in which the articles are repacked will indicate the origin of the articles to an ultimate purchaser in the United States.

(2) The importer arranges for supervision of the marking of the containers by Customs officers at the importer's expense or secures such verification, as may be necessary, by certification and the submission of a sample or otherwise, of the marking prior to the liquidation of the entry.

(b) Liquidation of entries. The liquidation of such entries may be deferred for a period of not more than 60 days from the date that a request for repacking is granted. Extensions of the 60-day deferral period may be granted by the Center director in his discretion upon written application by the importer.

(a) Articles other than goods of a NAFTA or USMCA country. An article used in the United States in manufacture which results in an article having a name, character, or use differing from that of the imported article, will be within the principle of the decision in the case of United States v. Gibson-Thomsen Co., Inc., 27 C.C.P.A. 267 (C.A.D. 98). Under this principle, the manufacturer or processor in the United States who converts or combines the imported article into the different article will be considered the “ultimate purchaser” of the imported article within the contemplation of section 304(a), Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (19 U.S.C. 1304(a)), and the article shall be excepted from marking. The outermost containers of the imported articles shall be marked in accord with this part.

(b) Goods of a NAFTA or USMCA country. A good of a NAFTA or USMCA country which is to be processed in the United States in a manner that would result in the good becoming a good of the United States under the part 102 Rules is excepted from marking. Unless the good is processed by the importer or on its behalf, the outermost container of the good shall be marked in accord with this part.

An article which is to be processed in the United States by the importer or for his account shall not be considered to be within the specifications of section 304(a)(3)(G), of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (19 U.S.C. 1304(a)(3)(G)), if there is a reasonable method of marking which will not be obliterated, destroyed, or permanently concealed by such processing.