CLA-2-84:S:N:N1:103 883797
Ms. Noriene Douglas
Schenkers International Forwarders, Inc.
P.O. Box 10552
Charleston, SC 29411
RE: The tariff classification of a brake pad press from Austria
Dear Ms. Douglas:
In your letter dated March 11, 1993 on behalf of Leinweber
Maschinen USA you requested a tariff classification ruling.
The Leinweber System 2000 brake pad press is used in the
manufacture of vehicle brake pads. Materials used in the
manufacture of these pads include mineral, organic, and steel
fibers, as well as resins and fillers. We understand the exact
composition of the friction material from which the brake pad
will be pressed varies in accordance with vehicle parameters such
as weight distribution and inertia.
The System 2000 press uses heat and pressure to compress the
various materials into the proper brake pad shape. It
incorporates from one to twelve mold cavities as well as
individual scales to weigh the exact amount of the different
materials needed for a particular pad. The machine operator
utilizes a distribution funnel to insert the materials into a die
which has been placed into the mold cavity. This cavity is
heated to a temperature of approximately 300 degrees Fahrenheit,
and a punch compresses the materials for a specified time
(typically 4-5 minutes). The pad can then be removed from the
die and the cycle repeated.
The applicable subheading for the System 2000 brake pad
press will be 8474.80.0015, Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the
United States (HTS), which provides for other machinery for
agglomerating, shaping or molding solid mineral fuels, ceramic
paste, unhardened cements, plastering materials or other mineral
products in powder or paste form: other. The rate of duty will
be 2.9 percent ad valorem.
This ruling is being issued under the provisions of Section
177 of the Customs Regulations (19 C.F.R. 177).
A copy of this ruling letter should be attached to the entry
documents filed at the time this merchandise is imported. If the
documents have been filed without a copy, this ruling should be
brought to the attention of the Customs officer handling the
transaction.
Sincerely,
Jean F. Maguire
Area Director
New York Seaport