WCO Explanatory Notes reproduced for reference. © World Customs Organization. Verify against official WCO publication.
40.16 - Other articles of wlcanised rubber other than hard rubber. 4016.10 - Of cellular rubber - Other - - Floor coverings and mats 4016.92 - - Erasers 40 16.93 - - Gaskets, washers and other seals 4016.91 40 16.94 - - Boat or dock fenders, whether or not inflatable 4016.95 - - Other inflatable articles 4016.99 - - Other This heading covers all articles of vulcanised rubber (other than hard rubber) not covered by the preceding headings of this Chapter or by other Chapters. The heading includes : (1) Articles of cellular rubber. (2) Floor coverings and mats (including bath mats), other than rectangular (including srare) mats cut from plates or sheets of rubber and not farther worked than surface-worke (see the Explanatory Note to heading 40.08). (3) Erasers. (4) Gaskets, washers and other seals. (5) Boat or dock fenders, whether or not inflatable. (6) Pneumatic mattresses, pillows and cushions and other inflatable articles (other than those of heading 40.14 or 63.06); water-mattresses. (7) Rubber bands; tobacco-pouches; characters for date stamps and the like. (8) Stoppers and rings for bottles. (9) P,um rotors and moulds; rubber liners for milking machines; taps, cocks, valves and s~miar appliances; other articles for technical uses (including parts and accessories of machines and appliances of Section XVI and of instruments and apparatus of Chapter 90). P (10) Chassis mounting rubbers, mudfla s and pedal covers for motor vehicles, brake-blocks, mudguard-flaps and pedal blocks or cycles, and other parts and accessories for vehicles, aircraft or vessels of Section XVII. P (1 1) Plates, sheets and strip merely cut to non-rectangular shapes, and articles excluded from heading 40.08 because they have been milled, turned, assembled by glueing or sewing or othemse worked. (12) Rectangular (including square) patches with bevelled edges and patches of any other shapes for repairing inner tubes, obtained by moulding, cuttin or grinding, consisting generally of a layer of self-vulcanising rubber on a vulcanised ru ber backing and, subject to the provisions of Note 4 to Chapter 59, such patches consisting of several layers of fabric and rubber. % (13) Rubber-headed hammers. (14) Small suction hooks, table mats, sink lu s, sink plungers, doorstops, rubber feet for hmiture legs and other articles for house 01 use. The following are also excluded fiom this heading : (a) Articles of woven, knitted or crocheted fabrics, felt or nonwovens, impregnated, coated, covered or laminated with rubber, falling in Section XI see Note 3 to Chapter 56 and Note 4 to Chapter 59) and articles made from textile materials combine with rubber threads (Section XI). (b) Footwear and parts thereof of Chapter 64. (c) Headgear (including bathing caps) and parts of headgear, of Chapter 65. (d) Vacuum cup holders (suction grips) consisting of a base, a handle and a vacuum lever, of base metal, and rubber discs (Section XV). (e) Rubber boats and rafts (Chapter 89). ( f ) Parts and accessories of musical instruments (Chapter 92). (g) Mattresses, pillows and cushions of cellular rubber, whether or not covered, including electric bed-warming pads fitted internally with cellular rubber, of heading 94.04. (h) Toys, games and sports requisites and parts thereof of Chapter 95. (ij) Date, sealing or numbering stamps, and the like, designed for operating in the hand, and other articles of Chapter 96.
Notes. 1.- Except where the context otherwise requires, throughout the Nomenclature the expression “rubber” means the following products, whether or not vulcanised or hard : natural rubber, balata, gutta-percha, guayule, chicle and similar natural gums, synthetic rubber, factice derived from oils, and such substances reclaimed. 2.- This Chapter does not cover : (a) Goods of Section XI (textiles and textile articles); (b) Footwear or parts thereof of Chapter 64; (c) Headgear or parts thereof (including bathing caps) of Chapter 65; (d) Mechanical or electrical appliances or parts thereof of Section XVI (including electrical goods of all kinds), of hard rubber; (e) Articles of Chapter 90, 92, 94 or 96; or (f) Articles of Chapter 95 (other than sports gloves, mittens and mitts and articles of headings 40.11 to 40.13). 3.- In headings 40.01 to 40.03 and 40.05, the expression “primary forms” applies only to the following forms : (a) Liquids and pastes (including latex, whether or not pre-vulcanised, and other dispersions and solutions); (b) Blocks of irregular shape, lumps, bales, powders, granules, crumbs and similar bulk forms. 4.- In Note 1 to this Chapter and in heading 40.02, the expression “synthetic rubber” applies to : (a) Unsaturated synthetic substances which can be irreversibly transformed by vulcanisation with sulphur into non-thermoplastic substances which, at a temperature between 18 C and 29 C, will not break on being extended to three times their original length and will return, after being extended to twice their original length, within a period of five minutes, to a length not greater than one and a half times their original length. For the purposes of this test, substances necessary for the cross-linking, such as vulcanising activators or accelerators, may be added; the presence of substances as provided for by Note 5 (B) (ii) and (iii) is also permitted. However, the presence of any substances not necessary for the cross-linking, such as extenders, plasticisers and fillers, is not permitted; (b) Thioplasts (TM); and (c) Natural rubber modified by grafting or mixing with plastics, depolymerised natural rubber, mixtures of unsaturated synthetic substances with saturated synthetic high polymers provided that all the above-mentioned products comply with the requirements concerning vulcanisation, elongation and recovery in (a) above. 5.- (A) Headings 40.01 and 40.02 do not apply to any rubber or mixture of rubbers which has been compounded, before or after coagulation, with : (i) vulcanising agents, accelerators, retarders or activators (other than those added for the preparation of pre-vulcanised rubber latex); (ii) pigments or other colouring matter, other than those added solely for the purpose of identification; (iii) plasticisers or extenders (except mineral oil in the case of oil-extended rubber), fillers, reinforcing agents, organic solvents or any other substances, except those permitted under (B); (B) The presence of the following substances in any rubber or mixture of rubbers shall not affect its classification in heading 40.01 or 40.02, as the case may be, provided that such rubber or mixture of rubbers retains its essential character as a raw material : (i) emulsifiers or anti-tack agents; (ii) small amounts of breakdown products of emulsifiers; (iii) very small amounts of the following : heat-sensitive agents (generally for obtaining thermosensitive rubber latexes), cationic surface-active agents (generally for obtaining electro- positive rubber latexes), antioxidants, coagulants, crumbling agents, freeze-resisting agents, peptisers, preservatives, stabilisers, viscosity-control agents, or similar special-purpose additives. 6.- For the purposes of heading 40.04, the expression “waste, parings and scrap” means rubber waste, parings and scrap from the manufacture or working of rubber and rubber goods definitely not usable as such because of cutting-up, wear or other reasons. 7.- Thread wholly of vulcanised rubber, of which any cross-sectional dimension exceeds 5 mm, is to be classified as strip, rods or profile shapes, of heading 40.08. 8.- Heading 40.10 includes conveyor or transmission belts or belting of textile fabric impregnated, coated, covered or laminated with rubber or made from textile yarn or cord impregnated, coated, covered or sheathed with rubber. 9.- In headings 40.01, 40.02, 40.03, 40.05 and 40.08, the expressions “plates”, “sheets” and “strip” apply only to plates, sheets and strip and to blocks of regular geometric shape, uncut or simply cut to rectangular (including square) shape, whether or not having the character of articles and whether or not printed or otherwise surface-worked, but not otherwise cut to shape or further worked. In heading 40.08 the expressions “rods” and “profile shapes” apply only to such products, whether or not cut to length or surface-worked but not otherwise worked.