China origin → US import
Vacuum flask HTS code and US import duty from China
Quick answer
- US HTS in this worked example
- 9617.00.1000 A complete 500 mL bottle with documented vacuum between the walls. A 1.5 L vessel falls in a different capacity branch.
- Origin
- China
- Current duty rate (China origin)
- 19.7% · Conditional estimate (incomplete). See the 9617.00.10.00 breakdown and gaps →
- The answer depends on
- Is there a vacuum between the walls? Prepare manufacturing specifications or verifiable construction evidence.
- What is the capacity and intended use: cup, bottle, food vessel or another container?
- Is the import a complete vessel, a lid, an inner or another separate part?
This classification follows from the example’s facts and is for review, not a CBP ruling. Confirm your product against its own specifications.
Check duty for my product →Work through a documented 500 mL vacuum bottle under HTS 9617.00.1000. Compare a 1.5 L vessel, verify vacuum construction and prepare evidence before checking US duty.
Worked example: from facts to a classification conclusion
1. What the actual ruling decided
The article was a stainless-steel bottle warmer with double steel walls and plastic/rubber components. CBP’s laboratory found below-atmospheric pressure between the walls, establishing vacuum construction. The ruling did not state an exact millilitre capacity.
CBP classified it in 9617.00.1000, the branch for vacuum vessels holding no more than 1 L. The useful reasoning is to establish vacuum construction and then capacity; it does not cover all stainless-steel cups.
2. Compare stated specifications with current branches
Teaching example only, not your product inputs. A 500 mL stainless-steel drinking bottle, imported complete with a lid, without electric heating, and with manufacturing documentation establishing a vacuum between the walls. The 500 mL capacity is a separate teaching assumption, not a capacity attributed to the historical ruling.
USITC current schedule · Version reviewed: 2026 HTS Revision 18. Classify from the product facts before assessing duty; a lower rate does not establish a classification.
| Candidate / situation | Current condition | Why it fits or is excluded |
|---|---|---|
| 9617.00.1000 | Complete vacuum vessel, capacity no more than 1 L | The example is 500 mL = 0.5 L with documented vacuum construction, supporting this branch. Exactly 1 L remains here. |
| 9617.00.3000 | Complete vacuum vessel, over 1 L but no more than 2 L | With otherwise identical facts and a 1.5 L capacity, review this branch instead of copying the 500 mL suffix. |
| Unverified vacuum / separate part | The example conclusion does not transfer | “Double-wall insulated” does not establish 9617. A separate lid cannot simply use the complete-vessel capacity branch. |
Example conclusion and its scope
Documented vacuum construction and 0.5 L capacity support 9617.00.1000 for this example, subject to review. If only “double-wall stainless steel” is known, the construction between the walls is the decisive missing fact. Obtain that evidence before deciding whether 9617 remains appropriate.
3. Use this specific request when evidence is missing
Please provide the model’s cross-section/manufacturing statement confirming whether the space is evacuated, plus rated capacity, product label and packing list. Obtain verifiable test evidence where needed. A product name or claimed insulation time does not establish vacuum construction. If it is non-vacuum, search by the actual material and vessel construction.
4. Keep a reviewable decision record
Example review record: complete drinking bottle with lid; no electric heating; manufacturing statement establishes vacuum walls; 500 mL. N224817 supports verifying construction, and current 9617 capacity subdivisions support 9617.00.1000. This conclusion does not extend to non-vacuum cups, a 1.5 L vessel or a separately imported lid. Assess duty separately.
5. Use your own product, then calculate and copy
- The button below carries only a product name and China origin into the workbench. Add your documented specifications; neither an example code nor an example value is selected automatically.
- Match the full candidate description before manually confirming it, then answer policy conditions and enter your real customs value if needed. Historical ruling rates are not today’s total duty.
- Read confirmed components, conditional estimates and unresolved items before copying. Retain specification references and open questions with the result; a workbench gap must not become a claimed complete total.
Read site heading and subheadings (see their data version) 9617.00 →
Confirm classification, then read the duty breakdown
| Duty component | How to use it |
|---|---|
| MFN base duty | Read the rate after confirming the full US HTS line. A blank rate at a parent level does not mean duty-free. |
| Additional duties | Check Chapter 99 against China origin, the applicable date and product facts. Do not assume every measure applies. |
| Confirmed subtotal | Includes only items whose applicable conditions are established. An incomplete subtotal is not final total duty. |
| Conditional estimate and gaps | Assumptions and unresolved conditions remain separate. AD/CVD, fees and exclusion scope may need further review. |
Check duty for my product
Continue with the product name and China origin. Add the actual specifications, confirm a candidate and enter your own value if you need a duty amount.
Continue in the workbench →Is every double-wall stainless-steel cup a vacuum vessel?
No. Verify the vacuum construction between its walls. If that fact cannot be established, do not treat it as a confirmed classification fact.
Check the original sources
- USITC Harmonized Tariff Schedule — Current tariff provisions and chapter notes.
- CBP CROSS N224817 — CBP used a laboratory finding of below-atmospheric pressure between the walls to establish the vacuum construction. This historical ruling illustrates classification facts. Its old duty rates are not today’s rates, and its treatment does not automatically apply to another product.
- Federal Register — Check relevant policy text and effective dates.