Customs — HTS Classification (MECE Decomposition)

Activate when: classifying merchandise under the HTSUS; ambiguous/multi-function goods; 'which heading applies?'; a product spanning multiple chapters. Do NOT activate when: an established binding ruling already governs the exact article.

Industry front door for mece. Adds domain triggers, example, packs only. Parent Process unchanged. Not legal advice. Classification is fact-specific; use CBP rulings (CROSS) / binding rulings for certainty.

Activate when: classifying merchandise under the HTSUS; ambiguous/multi-function goods; "which heading applies?"; a product spanning multiple chapters. Do NOT activate when: an established binding ruling already governs the exact article.

Why this variant

The parent mece forces mutually-exclusive, collectively-exhaustive buckets. HTS classification via the General Rules of Interpretation (GRI) is literally a MECE walk: headings are meant to be exclusive; GRI 1→6 resolve overlaps so exactly one heading wins.

Domain inputs → parent's Process

• GRI 1: classify by heading terms + section/chapter notes (start here, exhaustively).
• If >1 heading fits (not mutually exclusive on its face): GRI 2 (incomplete/mixtures), GRI 3 (most specific → essential character → last in numerical order), GRI 4 (akin), GRI 5 (containers), GRI 6 (subheadings).
• The goal: a single, defensible heading with the reasoning recorded (reasonable care).

Worked example

A multi-tool with knife, screwdriver, LED light. → Not one obvious heading. Apply GRI 3(b) essential character; if indeterminate, GRI 3(c) last-in-order. Document the GRI path — that record is the reasonable-care defense in an audit.

Compliance anchors

• HTSUS + GRI; Section/Chapter Notes; 19 U.S.C. reasonable care; CBP CROSS rulings; binding-ruling option.

Packs

• Solo broker: GRI decision worksheet per SKU.
• Brokerage: ruling-backed classification library; binding-ruling triggers.

Red flags

• Jumping to a "close enough" heading without the GRI walk.
• Ignoring chapter notes that exclude a heading.
• No documented reasoning for a contestable classification.

Verification

• GRI 1 applied with section/chapter notes
• Overlaps resolved via GRI 2–6 in order
• Single defensible heading selected
• Reasoning recorded (reasonable care); binding ruling considered

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Part of deciqAI Knowledge Skills. Core method: mece.

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Part of deciqAI Knowledge Skills — 189 open-source thinking skills that make rigor executable for AI agents. The same skills power every deciqAI agent, which runs them autonomously to operate your company. See it run → https://www.deciqai.com/c/customs-hts-classification-mece · ⭐ Star the repo → https://github.com/deciqAI/knowledge-skills · Contributions welcome.