CBP evaluates the production method: handmade lace is produced by hand using bobbins, needles, or similar tools without mechanical assistance, while mechanically made lace is produced on Leavers, Raschel, or similar lace machines. Documentation from the manufacturer describing the production process is typically required to support a handmade classification, which often carries a different duty rate.

No. Heading 5804 explicitly excludes woven, knitted, and crocheted fabrics. A knitted mesh or net is classified under chapter 60 (knitted or crocheted fabrics), and a woven net under the appropriate woven-fabric heading. Only net fabrics produced by methods other than weaving, knitting, or crocheting — such as knotting or twisting — fall under 5804.