SAE 12L14 Leaded Free-Cutting Steel Cold-Finished Square Bar from China

SAE 12L14 free-cutting steel contains lead and sulfur for chip-breaking during machining, cold-finished into 3/4 inch square bars with bright surface finish. HTS 7215.10.00 covers these nonalloy free-cutting steel products not further worked than cold-formed/finished. Widely used for automatic screw machine parts.

Duty Rate — China → United States

35%

Rate breakdown

9903.03.0110%Except for products described in headings 9903.03.02–9903.03.11, articles the product of any country, as provided for in subdivision (aa) of U.S. note 2 to this subchapter
9903.91.0125%Effective with respect to entries on or after September 27, 2024, articles the product of China, as provided for in subdivision (b) of U.S. note 31 to this subchapter

Import Tips

Document lead content explicitly (0.15-0.35%) as it defines free-cutting status; CBP may test samples

Ensure bars exceed 1.5mm thickness if claiming certain duty treatments; provide gauge measurements

Separate shipments of leaded vs non-leaded free-cutting to prevent averaging composition issues