Corks and stoppers

45.03 - Articles of natural cork (+). 4503.10 4503.90 - Corks and stoppers - Other This heading covers, inter alia : (1) Corks and stoppers of all kinds, of natural cork, including blanks with rounded edges. Cork stoppers may sometimes be fitted with caps of metal, plastics, etc. Pourer-stoppers, measure-stoppers and other articles in which a cork stop er is a subsidiary part are, however, classified elsewhere according to the kind of art~ce or the material giving it its essential character. I (2) Discs, washers and wafers of natural cork, for lining crown corks and other closures for bottles, jars, etc.; cork linings or shells for the interior of bottle necks. (3) Blocks, plates, sheets and stri of natural cork, cut to shape other than rectangular (including square); lifebuoys, d a t s for fishing nets, bath-mats, table-mats, typewriter or other mats. (4) Handle ips of various kinds (knife handles, etc.), washers and gaskets (other than those included% assorted sets of heading 84.84). The following are, however, excluded from this heading : (a) Footwear and parts thereof, including removable in-soles (socks), of Chapter 64. (b) Headgear and parts thereof of Chapter 65. (c) Crown corks of base metal lined with cork discs (heading 83.09). (d) Cork cartridge wads (heading 93.06). (e) Toys, games and sports requisites, including fishing-line floats, and parts thereof (Chapter 95).

Subheading Explanatory Note. Subheading 4503.10 Corks and stoppers of subheading 4503.10 are pieces of natural cork shaped like straight sided or ta ered cylinders or rectan lar prisms with rounded lateral ed es. They may be d ed, polished, parafRned perforated, fie- or ge-branded. Some solid cork stop ers fave an enlarged headd are capped wth r n e d plastics, etc. Corks or stoppers are used as plugs to c ose containers. Hollow stoppers (or shell corks) are used as coverings of, for example, glass stoppers for bottles of glass or ceramic material. P The subheading also includes identifiable blanks for corks or stoppers, provided their edges have been rounded. The subheading does not include thin cork discs used as seals in crown corks (subheading 4503.90). 45.04- Agglomerated cork (with or without a binding substance) and articles of agglomerated cork 4504.10 - Blocks, plates, sheets and strip; tiles of any shape; solid cylinders, including discs 4504.90 - Other Agglomerated cork is manufactured by agglomerating crushed, granulated or ground cork generally under heat and pressure either : (1) With an added binding substance (e.g., unvulcanised rubber, glue, plastics, tar,gelatin), or (2) Without an added binding substance at a temperature of about 300 "C. In this latter case the natural gum in the cork acts as a binder. Ag lomerated cork of this heading may be impregnated (e-g., with oil), or reinforced by backing wit% gaper or cloth provided it docs not have the character of linoleum or similar materials cIassi led in heading 59.04. Agglomerated cork retains most of the roperties of natural cork, and in particular is an excellent heat- or sound-insulating materiaf In man cases, however, the addition of the binders required for the ag lomeration modifies some orthe characteristic features of the cork, in particular the spec1 c gravity and the tensile or crushing strengths. In addition, agglomerated cork has the advantage of being suitable for direct moulding to any size or shape. if Agglomerated cork is used to make much the same range of products as those referred to under heading 45.03 but, whereas it is rarely used for making stoppers, it is used more often than natural cork for crown cork discs. Agglomerated cork is also used largely, and in preference to natural cork, for building materials such as panels, blocks and hles, and as moulded shapes (cylinders, shells, etc.), for insulatin~or protecting hot water or steam piping, for linin etrol pipelines, for expansion jointing m the construction industry and for the manufacture of8ters. See the ExplanatoryNote to heading 45.03 as regards artides excluded fiom this heading.