Standard International Trade Classification
U.S. imports of Worked Vegetable or Mineral Carving Materials & Articles; Molded Wax, Gum & Gelatin Articles (SITC 89919) totaled $28.3M in August 2026, imported from 36 countries.
Importers of Worked Vegetable or Mineral Carving Materials & Articles; Molded Wax, Gum & Gelatin Articles paid $2.5M in duties in August 2026, an average duty rate of 8.87% — duty actually collected as a share of the imports that cleared customs, not the published tariff schedule.
Last updated: August 2026 dataVegetable carving materials — such as tagua nut (vegetable ivory), meerschaum, and jet — along with molded articles of natural waxes, gums, and unhardened gelatin fall under this residual heading for non-animal, non-synthetic carving substrates. Classification here is often reached by exclusion: if the material is not animal-derived (heading 89911), not a synthetic resin, and not a ceramic or glass, worked decorative articles in these substrates typically land here. Meerschaum pipe blanks and tagua-nut buttons are among the commercially significant trade items, with artisan and craft importers the primary buyers.
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750 import shipments a month
No — tagua nut is a plant-derived material from the Phytelephas palm and carries no CITES restrictions. It is widely used as a sustainable substitute for animal ivory in buttons, carvings, and jewelry components, and imports do not require wildlife permits.
This heading covers worked unhardened gelatin used as a carving or molding medium for decorative or novelty articles — not pharmaceutical capsules or food-grade gelatin products, which classify under their own headings. The key distinction is end use: decorative or craft applications versus consumable or medical applications.
Basic heading 194 of 419 in section 8
Basic heading 89919 · $28.3M of $46.9B
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Imports · August 2026
origin
Mexico and China together supply 53% of it. China pays 22.5% duty; Mexico 0.0%.
customs district
Census does not publish district detail for this classification system.
destination
Census does not publish state detail for this classification system.
entry
Census does not publish port detail for this classification system.
ImportsExports
Imports
$28.3MYoY · free account
Exports
$7.4MYoY · free account
12-mo low · imports
Low · free accountOver the twelve months to August 2026, the U.S. imported $323.4M of Worked Vegetable or Mineral Carving Materials & Articles; Molded Wax, Gum & Gelatin Articles.
Through August 2026 · exports 11 of 12 months reported. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.