Manufacturing, Part 1

NAICS 31 encompasses dozens of distinct industries — from meat packing to petroleum refining to textile weaving — each governed by different HTS chapters, duty rates, and regulatory agencies. Operational compliance decisions require drilling down to the specific four-digit NAICS sub-sector and, ultimately, the 10-digit HTS tariff line, where duty rates, trade-remedy orders, and admissibility rules are actually defined.

Given the sector's breadth, multiple agencies are relevant: FDA oversees food, drug, and cosmetic imports; USDA FSIS inspects meat and poultry products; EPA regulates pesticides and certain chemical imports; and USDA APHIS handles plant-derived materials. The applicable agency depends entirely on the specific manufactured product being imported.