Miscellaneous Vegetable Products (NESOI)

General Rule of Interpretation 1 requires classification first by the terms of the heading and any relevant chapter or section notes. Chapter 14 explicitly excludes materials covered by earlier chapters (e.g., spices, medicinal plants, oilseeds). If a vegetable product has a more specific classification elsewhere — such as in Chapter 12 for oilseeds or Chapter 13 for resins — it should be classified there rather than in 140490. A binding ruling from CBP is advisable for novel or borderline materials.

Istle is a hard leaf fiber extracted from agave species, primarily sourced from Mexico, and is specifically named in HTS 1404903000 when used primarily in brooms or brushes. Other vegetable brush fibers not specifically named fall into 1404903500 or 1404904000. The key classification factor is the fiber's botanical origin and its primary intended use — brush-making versus other applications — at the time of importation.