Manufactured Goods Classified Chiefly by Material

Section 6 covers goods whose identity is defined by the raw material from which they are made — leather goods, wood products, steel articles, etc. Section 5 covers chemical substances and preparations regardless of form, while Section 8 covers finished manufactures whose classification is driven by function or end use rather than material composition. When a product could fit multiple sections, the material-specificity rule generally directs it to Section 6.

Exposure varies significantly by chapter. Steel and aluminum articles within Section 6 are frequently subject to Section 232 tariffs, while certain manufactured goods of Chinese origin may carry Section 301 additional duties. Because the section spans dozens of HTS chapters, importers must evaluate trade-remedy applicability at the specific HTS subheading level for each product rather than assuming uniform treatment across the section.