Heading 0209 covers fat that has not been rendered or otherwise extracted — it retains its natural tissue structure and is preserved by temperature or curing methods. Rendered fats such as lard and poultry grease, where the fat has been melted out of the tissue, are classified in a different chapter covering animal or vegetable fats and oils.

For pig fat, the heading specifically requires fat 'free of lean meat,' meaning any significant lean-meat content would redirect classification toward the cured or preserved meat headings (such as 0210). Poultry fat under this heading does not carry the same explicit lean-meat exclusion, but the product must still be unrendered and not otherwise extracted.