West African Short Staple Cotton Bale from Japan
Baled raw cotton from West African countries (excluding Nigeria/Ghana quotas) with staple under 1-1/8 inches, not carded or combed. HTS 5201.00.18.00 covers this as other short staple for general textile use. Commonly used in towel and sheeting production.
Duty Rate — Japan → United States
12.5%
Rate breakdown
9903.05.4912.5%Section 301 (forced labor) — Japan (col1 rate < 12.5 percent): MFN < 12.5% → total duty capped at 12.5%
Import Tips
• Source from British West Africa allocations if applicable, but confirm 5201.00.18 status; provide harvest date to verify no storage degradation
• Inspect for foreign matter content under 5% to avoid cleaning classification shifts