Pickled coils have been treated with acid to remove mill scale from the surface, making them suitable for direct cold-rolling or forming without further descaling. The thickness breakpoints are the same in both groups (4.75 mm or more, 3 mm to under 4.75 mm, and under 3 mm), but the pickled subheadings (720825–720827) are distinct from the unpickled coil subheadings (720836–720839). Correct classification requires knowing whether the coil has been pickled.

Heading 7208 covers hot-rolled flat products, while heading 7209 covers cold-rolled flat products of the same width and alloy specification. Hot-rolling produces a thicker, scaled surface finish used in structural and heavy fabrication applications; cold-rolling further reduces thickness and improves surface quality for applications requiring tighter tolerances, such as automotive body panels or appliance housings.