Any one of the following steps takes a plaited hat shape out of heading 6502 and into 6504: blocking to a definitive shape, adding a made brim, lining, or trimming. A hat that has been blocked but not yet lined or trimmed still classifies under 6504 rather than 6502.

Classification depends on whether the hat as a whole is 'made by plaiting or assembling strips.' If the dominant construction method is plaiting and the brim is an integral part of that construction, it generally remains in 6504. If the brim is a separately manufactured component of a different material attached to a plaited crown, the classification may depend on which component gives the article its essential character — a binding ruling from CBP is advisable in ambiguous cases.