Trade Court Sends Classification Case on AV Equipment PCBAs to Trial

A case on the classification of printed circuit board assemblies used in AV equipment will go to trial after the U.S. Court of International Trade said it couldn't determine whether PCBAs imported by Plexus are used mainly for duty-bearing TVs or for other devices that are duty-free. Customs and Border Protection classified the PCBAs in TV-related subheadings 8529.90.13 and 8529.90.83 dutiable at 2.9%. Plexus protested, arguing they should have been classified in the duty-free 8517.70.00 subheading for parts. Under U.S. trade law, PCBAs are classified with the hardware in which they are mainly used. The court was unable to determine the PCBAs' main use and ordered the case to trial. It ordered Plexus and the government to propose a schedule for going to trial, including a start date no later than March 1.