Classifying Fasteners

January 6, 2026 by 1 Comment

I have been seeing a number of companies having trouble with classifications.  This is the first of what will likely be an occasional series discussing classification.  This blog post will address fasteners.

Please note that the following analysis is based on the regulations and standards as they are written today.  Export and import law, is subject to change.  This is particularly true of tariffs over the past year.  So you should always verify your classification under the current regulations and standards.

Classification is necessary for both exports and imports.  Exports of civil aircraft parts are typically classified under Export Commodity Classification Numbers or ECCNs.  An exception arises when the goods are controlled under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITARs).  

Export Classification

ECCNs are typically five characters long.  Many civil aircraft parts are characterized under ECCN 9A991.  This ECCN applies to civil aircraft parts that are (1) not specified elsewhere and (2) specially designed for civil aircraft.  The first condition is important because some parts (like engines, avionics, etc.) are specified elsewhere and may have different export limits and licensing provisions based on their proper classification.  The second condition is equally important because the term “specially designed” is a legal term of art that has a specific definition under the Commerce Department regulations.  The definition specifically excludes fasteners, so fasteners typically will not be classified under ECCN 9A991.  Instead, they will typically be classified under EAR99.

Import Classification

Imported goods are typically classified under harmonized tariff codes from the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS).  These codes can be ten digits long (when you include the statistical reporting number).  There are also a lot more tariff numbers than there are ECCNs, which makes navigating the tariff schedule a little more daunting.  Classifying fasteners for import can reflect a more complex analysis than what we just had to perform for fastener export classification.  

Normally, fasteners will be classified based on their material.  An article made of iron or steel is typically classified within HTSUS Chapter 73 of the tariff schedule.  This chapter is 45 pages long.  Within the chapter are four-digit headings and the heading 7318 addresses fasteners (made from iron or steel).  If the fastener is a bolt, then bolts made from iron or steel will be classified under 7318.15.20xx.  This classification would also encompass bolts that are imported with their nuts or washers (the nuts and washers do not have to be declared separately).  The final two characters (the “xx” in the example above) are the statistical reporting number and this number will depend on the size and nature of the bolt.  If the bolt had a shank or threads less than 6mm, then the statistical reporting number would be “10” (so the full tariff code would be 7318.15.2010.  If the shank or thread is 6mm or more then the nature of the bolt will drive the statistical reporting number: for example,  a structural bolt is classified under 7318.15.2030.  

But if the same bolt was made from a different material then the importing tariff number could be different. An aluminum bolt would be found on the schedule for aluminum articles (HTSUS Chapter 76).  It would be identified as 7616.10.xxxx.  A threaded bolt with a shank or threads less than 6mm would be identified as 7616.10.7030.   A threaded bolt with a shank or thread diameter of 6mm or more would be classified as 7616.10.9030.

Proper tariff classification is important because different tariffs have different duty amounts.  For example, the 7616.10.7030 bolt would be subject to a 5.5% duty rate when imported into the United States.  The larger diameter 7616.10.9030 bolt would be subject to a 6% duty rate when imported into the United States.  

A common mistake is to classify these sorts of fasteners as aircraft parts under heading 8807, which is a general classification for aircraft parts that do not have a more specific code that describes them.  Heading 8807 doesn’t apply to our fasteners because there are more specific classifications for bolts.  This misclassification violates the import tariff rule that requires assignment of the most specific tariff description.  It also leads to underpaid duties, which can lead to penalties when the underpayment is detected.

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New Semiconductor Rule Unlikely to Affect the ASA Community; Except for Semiconductor Manufacturing Articles, Materials, Software or Technology

October 10, 2022 by Leave a comment

The United States’ Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) is promulgating new rules designed to protect the U.S. semiconductor industry. Our initial review of these new rules suggests that they are unlikely to affect most aircraft parts (including avionics), but ASA members who export (or re-export) articles, materials, software or technology related to the production of semiconductors should pay attention to the standards set by these new rules.

The interim final rule is scheduled to be published on October 13, but an advance copy is already available for public inspection. It will be immediately effective when it is published, with elements being retroactively effective to last week (October 7). It will be open for public comment for 60 days.

The new rules create new Export Commodity Classification Numbers (ECCNs) for goods, materials, software and technology related to the production of semiconductors. They also set new standards for limiting export of these items.

An important element of this is the expansion of the foreign direct product rule. This rule typically extends U.S. export jurisdiction over foreign articles that are produced with U.S. content, or based on U.S. technology. The new foreign direct product rule, though, will extend U.S. export jurisdiction to include foreign-produced items that are produced by any foreign production site when the plant itself is a “direct product” of U.S.-origin “technology” or “software.” This could mean that the U.S. intends to extend jurisdiction over certain products produced in some Chinese facilities, which could produce the unusual result of declaring in-country transfers of certain semiconductor chips (within China) to be subject to U.S. export jurisdiction. It is unclear if this is the intended result of the new regulation, but the fact that this rule expands the scope of the foreign-produced item rule to include twenty-eight existing entities that are located in China suggests that China is certainly a focus of the new rule. The preamble to the new rule clarifies that the U.S. government intends to require licensing in order to support certain semiconductor chip manufacturing activities in China.

At present, the export treatment of avionics does not appear to be changed.

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The New “600 Series” ECCNs Effective Today!

October 15, 2013 by 1 Comment

As of today, October 15, a significant change to the export regulations will remove many articles from the ITARs and move them to the Commerce Department’s export jurisdiction.  This is a tremendous benefit for the civil aviation industry, which has found it difficult at times to correctly classify parts under the right export regime.  This change means that most dual use items (article used on both civil and defense aircraft) are transferred to the export jurisdiction of the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) where they will be regulated under the Export Administration Regulations (EARs).

Note that the rule change was largely aimed at aircraft parts, and non-aviation items may not be affected by this change.

So after the change, which aircraft parts remain subject to Directorate of Defense Trade Control (DDTC) export jurisdiction? Here is a partial list:

  • Certain enumerated articles (and their parts) that are specially designed for controlled aircraft:
  • Inertial Navigation Systems (INS)
  • Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs)
  • Attitude and Heading Reference Systems (AHRS)
  • Parts for DoD-funded developmental aircraft
  • Parts for B-1B, B-2, F-15SE, F/A-18E/F/G [parts for earlier models are subject to the EAR], F-22, F-35, F-117
  • Parts found in a positive list:
  • List is published at 22 C.F.R. 121.1 – VIII(h)
  • List includes articles with defense-specific purposes, like:
    • Threat-adaptive flight control systems;
    • Wing folding systems;
    • Certain high velocity gearboxes;
    • Defense-specific parts, like tail hooks, wing folding systems and bomb racks;
    • Certain technical related to export-controlled items;
    • Classified items;
    • “Commodities, software, and technical data subject to the EAR (§ 120.42 of this subchapter) used in or with defense articles controlled in this category.”

These above-referenced parts remain on the United States Munition List (USML), which is part of the International Trade in Arms Regulations (ITARs).  So their exports will continue to be subject to ITAR control.  But what is important is what is no longer on this list!

Parts that were previously described on the USML and were thus subject to DDTC/ITAR export jurisdiction but that are now moved to BIS/EAR jurisdiction have mostly been moved to the 600 series Export Commodity Classification Numbers (ECCNs).  These are ECCNs with the number “6” in the middle spot of the five-character ECCN. The 600-series is designated for Wassenaar Arrangement Munitions List (WAML) articles and for former USML articles.

As of today, the Commerce Control List (CCLs) on the Commerce Department website did not include the 600-series ECCNs, and the fact that the government is shut down suggests that they might not be updated soon.  But you can still see the new ECCNs by looking at the Federal Register publication of the final rule.

Many aircraft parts that are no longer regulated under the DDTC ITARs are moved to ECCN 9A610.  If an article remains on the USML, like an Attitude and Heading Reference Systems (AHRS), then its unclassified software may have moved to a BIS/EAR 600 series ECCN; the unclassified software and technology indirectly related to such USML articles move to new ECCNs 9D610/9E610 (aircraft software/technology) or 9D619/9E619 (engine software/technology).  There is also new ECCN for military commodities outside the US that are derived from “600 series” controlled content (ECCN 0A919 – Category 0 includes miscellaneous items).

In some cases, the precise placement of an article may depend on whether it is “specially designed” for 600-series articles or for non-600 series articles.  BIS has provided an online decision tree-based tool to help with the “specially designed” determination and it is available at http://www.bis.doc.gov/index.php/specially-designed-tool.

Licenses from BIS will still be required to export and reexport most 600 series items worldwide (except to Canada), unless an EAR license exception is available.  If you have an article that was subject to the DDTC/ITAR jurisdiction and has been moved to BIS/EAR jurisdiction, then your existing ITAR licenses may remain valid.  Details on how this works and when your license may remain valid are available in last week’s post about grandfathering existing export licenses.

Got questions?  ASA provides export training through its workshops and through its Annual Conference.  We look forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming events!  The Washington Aviation Group continues to provide export legal advice.  So if you need to get really creative, please give the Washington Aviation Group a call and let them work with you to find a solution.

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Export Regulations Are Changing! Is Your Export License Still Valid?

October 9, 2013 by 3 Comments

We have previously written on this blog about the upcoming changes to the State Department’s International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Bureau of Industry and Security’s Export Administration Regulations (EAR).  The transition of many United States Munitions List (USML) items (controlled by the State Department’s DDTC) to the Commerce Control List (CCL) 600 Series ECCNs (controlled by the Commerce Department’s BIS) is intended to ease export compliance and allow the State Department to better focus its resources on those items with the greatest national security implications.

The amendments to the regulations concerning the export of these certain defense-related articles articles go into effect on October 15, as a significant number of articles formerly found on the USML transition to the CCL, and the USML itself transitions to a positive list of controlled articles.

With the pending transition of articles formerly exported under a DDTC permanent export license (DSP-5) to BIS control, we have had a number of members ask about the status of DDTC-issued export licenses after the new rules become final on October 15.  Export licenses issued by the DDTC are typically valid for four years, so it will be important for distributors with DDTC-issued export licenses to know for how long, and under what circumstances, those licenses authorizing export of new 600 Series ECCNs remain valid.  (Previously issued BIS export licenses will not be affected by the change.)

Because the ITAR is generally more restrictive than the EAR, the BIS has largely deferred to the transition plan established by the DDTC in its final rule.  The DDTC transition plan contemplates the two possible scenarios in which articles covered by a DDTC export license transition to the 600 Series ECCNs such that they be regulated by the EAR in the future.

The first scenario considers an export license in which ALL articles that are included on the issued export license transition to the CCL. Such a license will remain valid for two years from the effective date of the final rule (October 15, 2013), which means October 15, 2015, or until the license expires, whichever occurs first.  Until that time, there is no need to apply for a new export license and the distributor may rely on the export license as usual.

The second scenario considers an export license in which only some of the articles included on the license transition to the CCL, but others remain on the USML and subject to the ITAR.  In this case, the export license will remain valid until it expires, whether the expiration date is prior to October 15, 2015 or not.  This means that those distributors who find a DSP-5 now lists a mix of USML and CCL items may continue exporting pursuant to that license beyond the October 15, 2015 cutoff date, assuming the license has not previously expired.

Of course, in both cases a license may still be voluntarily returned to the DDTC or otherwise suspended, revoked, or terminated.

Ultimately, in the short term, those distributors exporting pursuant to a DDTC export license issued prior to October 15, 2013 may continue to export under the terms of their validly issued export licenses.  The key factor is that if it is determined that all articles authorized on the license have transitioned to the CCL, then the distributor may only continue to export under the license until October 15, 2015 at the latest.  After October 15, 2015, distributors wishing to continue to export those articles must apply to BIS for the appropriate export licenses, or ship under a valid exception.  Export licenses that continue to authorize at least one article still on the USML will be valid until expiration, at which point application must be made to BIS for future export licenses.

Export issues can often be confusing, even without the challenges of new amendments to the governing regulations.  We have significant experience in handling export compliance matters, so if you have any questions regarding the October 15 transition, or regarding export compliance in general, feel free to call our office with your export concerns.

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New Export Rules Released – Should Provide Clearer Guidance to Aircraft Parts Exporters

April 16, 2013 by 1 Comment

The rules for exporting aircraft parts are changing!

This morning, the State and Commerce Departments released sweeping new regulations that should make it easier for exporters to identify which regulatory regime applies to dual-use parts and other parts that have caused aircraft parts distributors to be confused about compliance.

The International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITARs) have traditionally applies to all aircraft parts that are designed, manufactured or modified for use on defense related aircraft (this language comes from Category VIII of the United States Munitions List or USML).  The problem with this definition has been that it often leaves no way for a aircraft parts distritor to conclusively identify which parts really are ITAR-controlled.  For example, a component that was designed for a defense related aircraft but then was later used in civilian aircraft might be ITAR-controlled.  This has included component that was designed for a defense related aircraft but then never used on defense related aircraft (e.g. where the designer lost a bid for a defense contract, and later manufactured the component solely for civilian aircaft).  Another class of problem parts is parts that are dual-use (the part fits on both civilian and defense related aircraft).

This has been a priority for the aviation community – changing the regulations to provide clearer guidance abouut which regulations control the export of any given aircraft part.

Non-Engine Parts

The new regulations, while not perfect, nonetheless do seem to provide clearer guidance.  The revised regulations modify USML Category VIII (the USML Category that applies to aircraft and aircraft parts).  The new langauge creates a “positive list” of parts that will continue to be regulated under the ITARs.  This positive list will include ():

  • Parts for the B–1B, B–2, F–15SE, F/A–18E/F/G, F–22, F–35 and the F–117;
  • Certain high velocity gearboxes;
  • Defense-specific parts, like tail hooks, wing folding systems and bomb racks;
  • Certain technical related to export-controlled items;
  • Classified items;
  • “Commodities, software, and technical data subject to the EAR (§ 120.42 of this subchapter) used in or with defense articles controlled in this category.”

This last category could prove to be a problem if it serves as a back-door to State Department assertion of control over parts that do not seem to fit the other USML-regulated categories but that the State Department argues are “used … with defense articles.”  Otherwise, though, the shift to a positive list should provide much clearer guidance to exporters of aircraft parts.

Note that there is another category of aircraft parts that are regulated under the ITARs.  Inertial navigation systems (INS), aided or hybrid inertial navigation systems, Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs), and Attitude and Heading Reference Systems (AHRS) that are designed for defense aircraft and their parts will be regulated under the ITAR.

Engine Parts

Certain engines and their parts will be controlled under USML Categopry XIX.  Most of these engines appear to have characteristics that are uniquely associated with (1) defense related aircraft and/or (2) armed or military unmanned aerial vehicle systems, cruise missiles, or target drones.

  • Certain engines are called-out by designation: GE38, AGT1500, CTS800, TF40B, T55, TF60, and T700 engines.  These will all be ITAR-controlled engines;
  • Digital engine control systems controls (FADEC) and Digital Electronic Engine Controls (DEEC) that are specially designed for engines controlled Category XIX will be controlled;
  • Parts for any of these engines: AE1107C, F101, F107, F112, F118, F119, F120, F135, F136, F414, F415, J402, GE38, TF40B, and TF60;
  • Hot section parts, uncooled turbine blades, vanes, disks, tip shrouds, combustor cowls, diffusers, domes, shells and engine monitoring systems specially designed for any engine controlled under Category XIX;
  • Certain technical related to export-controlled items;
  • Classified items.

To address the many items that are being moved from State Department’s export control to the Commerce Department’s export control, the Commerce Department has established a new set of ECCNs – the 600 series ECCNs.  Items subject to these ECCNs will have heightened restrictions associated with them – they will often require licenses and the will generally always be required to be disclosed through AESDirect (common exceptions will not apply).

The regulations will require that exports of items on the CCL be accompanied by a Destination Control Statement (DCS) identifying the items as subject to the EAR.  The recommended language for this DCS is:

‘‘These commodities, technology, or software were exported from the United States in accordance with the Export Administration Regulations. Diversion contrary to U.S. law is prohibited.’’

For each ‘‘600 Series’’ item being exported, in addition to the DCS, the ECCN must be printed on the invoice and on the bill of lading, air waybill, or other export control document that accompanies the shipment from its point of origin in the United States to the ultimate consignee or end-user abroad.

The Commerce Department regulations can be found online at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-04-16/pdf/2013-08352.pdf.

The State Department regulations can be found online at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-04-16/pdf/2013-08351.pdf.

These new rules will be effective as of October 15, 2013.  Remember that you must remain in compliance with the current regulations until the new regulations take effect!

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