Term Interpretation

A recognized trade name or industry category that has acquired a specific, well-understood meaning in the relevant trade — governing classification when the HTSUS heading term aligns with that designation.

The foundational HTSUS interpretation principle: tariff terms take their common meaning — the meaning goods have in commerce — unless a chapter note provides a different definition.

The plain, natural meaning of tariff terms as understood by an ordinary reader — the interpretive baseline applied when no chapter note definition or specialized trade meaning governs.

A prima facie classification is a preliminary determination that goods are plausibly classifiable under a provision — the threshold test that must be satisfied before GRI 3 can be applied to resolve competing headings.

When the scientific or technical definition of a term diverges from its commercial meaning, U.S. tariff law applies the commercial meaning — how goods are known and traded in commerce, not how they are defined in technical literature.

The meaning a tariff term has within the relevant commercial trade — how industry participants use and understand the term, which may refine or depart from its ordinary dictionary meaning.

The interpretive principle that the same term appearing in multiple HTSUS headings should carry the same meaning throughout the schedule — unless a definitional note or chapter structure requires otherwise.