Harmonized System
U.S. exports of Waste & Scrap of Paper or Paperboard — Unsorted and Other (NESOI) (HS 470790) totaled $16.9M in August 2026.
Importers of Waste & Scrap of Paper or Paperboard — Unsorted and Other (NESOI) paid $204 in duties in August 2026, an average duty rate of 0.01% — duty actually collected as a share of the imports that cleared customs, not the published tariff schedule. Waste & Scrap of Paper or Paperboard — Unsorted and Other (NESOI) imports of $1.6M in August 2026 ran 13% above the year-to-date monthly average of $1.4M.
Last updated: August 2026 dataUnsorted and mixed recovered paper — the catch-all category for paper and paperboard waste not meeting the specifications of kraft, bleached chemical, or mechanical-pulp grades — is classified under a single US tariff line (4707900000). This residual stream is widely used by mills that can process heterogeneous furnish, but its lower fiber consistency means it trades at a discount to sorted grades. Canada and Mexico are the leading suppliers to the US, reflecting proximity-driven cross-border recycling logistics, with Poland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom also present in the import mix. Importers should be aware that destination-country contamination regulations increasingly affect whether mixed paper qualifies as a tradeable commodity or a regulated waste.
AI-written summary of the official U.S. Census Bureau trade figures on this page — verify before relying on it.
346 import shipments a month
Headings 470710, 470720, and 470730 each require that the recovered paper consist 'mainly' of a specific fiber type — unbleached kraft/corrugated, bleached chemical pulp, or mechanical pulp, respectively. Material that cannot be assigned to one of those dominant-fiber categories, or that has not been sorted to a recognized grade, falls into 470790. In practice, mixed-office waste, commingled curbside paper, and residual mill broke that blends fiber types are the most common commodities classified here.
At the federal level, no import permit is required for recovered paper traded as a commodity. However, EPA regulations distinguish between commodity-grade recovered paper and solid waste — shipments with high contamination levels may be scrutinized under RCRA solid-waste provisions. Importers should ensure bales meet a recognized grade specification (e.g., ISRI PS-1 mixed paper) and maintain documentation supporting commodity status to avoid regulatory complications at entry.
ImportsExports
Imports
$1.6MYoY · free account
Exports
$16.9MYoY · free account
12-mo low · imports
Low · free accountOver the twelve months to August 2026, the U.S. imported $15.8M of Waste & Scrap of Paper or Paperboard — Unsorted and Other (NESOI) and exported $230.8M.
Through August 2026. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.
Trade Directory
List your company under HS 470790 — Waste & Scrap of Paper or Paperboard — Unsorted and Other (NESOI), so the companies trading it can find you. Be the first supplier listed.
Subheading 3 of 4 in heading 4707
Subheading 470790 · $16.9M of $179.7M
HS10 import codes under this HS6 parent, each with its own page. Source: U.S. Harmonized Tariff Schedule.
| Code | Description | Imports for consumption | Average duty rate | Dutiable Share | Duty Collected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4707900000 | Waste, Scrap, Incl Unsorted, Paper, Paperbd, NESOI | $1.6M | 0.01% | 0.13% | $204 |
HS10 export codes under this HS6 parent, each with its own page. Source: U.S. Schedule B export classification.
| Code | Description | Export Value |
|---|---|---|
| 4707900000 | Waste, Scrap, Incl Unsorted, Paper, Paperbd, NESOI | $16.9M |
Import lines come from the U.S. Harmonized Tariff Schedule and export lines from Schedule B. The two are numbered by different agencies, so the same 10-digit code can appear in both tables describing a different product.
Exports · August 2026
destination
India and Canada together take 50% of it.
customs district
origin
entry
rate provision · imports
99.9% enters free of duty; duty collected equals 0.01% of imports for consumption.