WCO Explanatory Notes reproduced for reference. © World Customs Organization. Verify against official WCO publication.
84.42 Machinery, apparatus and equipment (other than the machine-tools of headings 84.56 to 84.65) for preparing or making plates, cylinders or other printin components; plates, cylinders and other printing components; plates, cylinders an litho a Bic stones, prepared for printing purposes (for example, planed, grained or polisEd. f - Machinery, apparatus and equipment 8442.40 - Parts of the foregoing machinery, apparatus or equipment 8442.50 - Plates, c linders and other printing components; lates, cylinders and 8442.30 lithograp&c stones, prepared for punting purposes ffor example, planed, grained or polished) Apart from certain exclusions referred to later, this heading includes : ' (1) The printing parts of printing machinery, for example, plates and cylinders, engraved or otherwise prepared for printing, used to rint texts or illustrations (by hand or by the machines of heading 84.43); and re are lithogaphic stones, cylinders and plates (i.e., those prepared so as to be suitab e or engraving or otherwise receiving an image for subsequent use in printing). PF (2) The machines, aratus and accessories used to make the printing arts referred to above, (compose) it for use in printing, whether by han? orImechanically. This heading covers equipment used in the printing of texts, illustrations or repetitive designs, etc., whether on paper, textiles, linoleum, leather or on other materials, by printing processes, viz. : (I) Relief printing : by using relief photo-engraved plates. In this process, the relief parts of the character or image are inked. (II) Planographic printing : by lithography, photo-lithography or b offset printing. The printing ink is applied only to certain specially pre ared parts of t ie plane surface of the printing plate, etc. This category of printing also inc udes stencilling. f ' (111) Intaglio printing : by rotogravure, or by means of etched or engraved metal plates. The printing ink is accumulated ~nthe engraved or etched parts. (A) MACHINERY, APPARATUS AM) EQUIPMENT (OTHER THAN THE MACHINE-TOOLS OF HEADINGS 84.56 TO 84.65) FOR PREPARING OR MAKING PLATES, CYLINDERS OR OTHER PRINTING COMPONENTS This heading includes : (I) Machines for making printing plates by direct reproduction from a document. In these machines, a photocell scans the document, and the im ulses transmitted by an electronic device from that cell activate a tool which engraves a p ate of plastics. ! (2) Machines for acid etching plates or cylinders. These consist of special vats fitted with stirrers. (3) Machines for sensitising offset zinc plates (horizontal whirlers), generally fitted with an electric heating device. The heading covers only phototype-setting or composing machines which actually set , even if the type is photographed after it has been set. However, the heading exclu es photographic cameras, photographic enlargers or reducers, photographic contact printers and similar photographic apparatus for prepanng printing plates or cylinders (Chapter go), for example : T (a) vertical or horizontal process cameras mounted on a hanging frame (bed) or a sliding bed, cameras for three colour pmting; (b) photographic enlargers and reducers, reproduction apparatusand printing fiames; (c) light tables used for planning layouts or for contact printing. Some of these ap aratus use half-tone or similar finely cross-lined glass or plastics screens, glass or plastics co our filters for colour printing or screen or filter holders. f (B) PLATES, CYLINDERS AND OTHER PRINTING COMPONENTS; PLATES, CYLINDERS AND LITHOGRAPHIC STONES, PREPARED FOR PRINTING PURPOSES (FOR EXAMPLE, PLANED, GRAINED OR POLISHED) This heading includes : (1) Relief or intaglio plates en raved by hand, mechanically or by acid. These may be of wood, liuolewn, copper, steef, etc. (2) Lithographic stones. The illustration is either hand-drawn or photographically transferred and prepared with acid. (3) Offset printin plates of zinc or aluminium or similar flexible metal sheets on which the design is repro uced in the flat, i.e., neither in relief nor intaglio. I (4) Engraved or etched cylinders. (5) Plates and dies for relief stamping or printing, e.g., for machines which emboss, with or without also inking, letter heads, visiting cards, etc. Provided they have been treated so as to render them suitable for engraving or impressing, lithographic stones, metal plates and cylinders, even though not engraved or impressed, are also included in this heading, e.g., : (6) Planed or grained lithographic stones. (7) Metal plates or sheets prepared for engraving (by planing, graining or polishing). (8) Perfectly polished or grained surface metal cylinders. These cylinders, usually of cast iron, are enerally electroplated with copper, or else have a copper covering consisting of assemble removable sleeves. f (9) Metal or plastic masters for use on office-type offset printin machines. The to edge of the sheets has usually been processed to permit attachment to &e drum ofthe macLe. Sensitised plates (e.g., consisting of metal or plastics, coated with a sensitised photographic emulsion, or of a sheet of photosensitlve plastics, whether or not affixed to a support of metal or other material) are excluded (heading 37.01). PARTS Sub'ect to the general provisions regardin the classification of parts (see the General Exp anatory Note to Section XVI), the hea8ing also covers parts of the machines of this heading. The heading also excludes (a) Stencils of zinc, plastics, cardboard, etc., for use in stencil printing machines (classified according to the constituent material). (b) Copying or transfer papers, bearing texts or designs for reproduction (heading 48.16). (c) Silk screens for silk screen printing, whether or not coated (heading 59.11 metal wire cloth, mounted on a fiame, whether or not prepared, for use in screen printing (classi!I led according to the constituent material). (d) Marking irons for gilding machines (heading 84.40). (e) Metal, stone or wood working machine-tooh and water-jet cutting machines (for exam le, matrix planing and finishing machines; machines for planing and cuttlng rules; disc or baf'1 graining machines; engraving machines; milling cutters; routing machines; trim saws) (headings 84.56 to 84.65). (f) Type and other rinting parts of typewriters, calculating or other machines of headings 84.69 to 84.72 (heading 84.73f (g) Moulds (heading 84.80). (h) Laser photo lotter for creating latent images, on photosensitive film, generally from digital formats, by means o?a laser beam (heading 90.06). (ij) Measuring or checking instruments (heading 90.17 or 90.31). -
Notes. 1.- This Chapter does not cover : (a) Millstones, grindstones or other articles of Chapter 68; (b) Machinery or appliances (for example, pumps) of ceramic material and ceramic parts of machinery or appliances of any material (Chapter 69); (c) Laboratory glassware (heading 70.17); machinery, appliances or other articles for technical uses or parts thereof, of glass (heading 70.19 or 70.20); (d) Articles of heading 73.21 or 73.22 or similar articles of other base metals (Chapters 74 to 76 or 78 to 81); (e) Vacuum cleaners of heading 85.08; (f) Electro-mechanical domestic appliances of heading 85.09; digital cameras of heading 85.25; (g) Radiators for the articles of Section XVII; or (h) Hand-operated mechanical floor sweepers, not motorised (heading 96.03). 2.- Subject to the operation of Note 3 to Section XVI and subject to Note 11 to this Chapter, a machine or appliance which answers to a description in one or more of the headings 84.01 to 84.24, or heading 84.86 and at the same time to a description in one or more of the headings 84.25 to 84.80 is to be classified under the appropriate heading of the former group or under heading 84.86, as the case may be, and not the latter group. (A) Heading 84.19 does not, however, cover : (i) Germination plant, incubators or brooders (heading 84.36); (ii) Grain dampening machines (heading 84.37); (iii) Diffusing apparatus for sugar juice extraction (heading 84.38); (iv) Machinery for the heat-treatment of textile yarns, fabrics or made up textile articles (heading 84.51); or (v) Machinery, plant or laboratory equipment designed for a mechanical operation, in which a change of temperature, even if necessary, is subsidiary. (B) Heading 84.22 does not cover : (i) Sewing machines for closing bags or similar containers (heading 84.52); or (ii) Office machinery of heading 84.72. (C) Heading 84.24 does not cover : (i) Ink-jet printing machines (heading 84.43); or (ii) Water-jet cutting machines (heading 84.56). 3.- A machine-tool for working any material which answers to a description in heading 84.56 and at the same time to a description in heading 84.57, 84.58, 84.59, 84.60, 84.61, 84.64 or 84.65 is to be classified in heading 84.56. 4.- Heading 84.57 applies only to machine-tools for working metal, other than lathes (including turning centres), which can carry out different types of machining operations either : (a) by automatic tool change from a magazine or the like in conformity with a machining programme (machining centres), (b) by the automatic use, simultaneously or sequentially, of different unit heads working on a fixed position workpiece (unit construction machines, single station), or (c) by the automatic transfer of the workpiece to different unit heads (multi-station transfer machines). 5.- For the purposes of heading 84.62, a “slitting line” for flat products is a processing line composed of an uncoiler, a coil flattener, a slitter and a recoiler. A “cut-to-length line” for flat products is a processing line composed of an uncoiler, a coil flattener, and a shear. 6.- (A) For the purposes of heading 84.71, the expression “automatic data processing machines” means machines capable of : (i) Storing the processing program or programs and at least the data immediately necessary for the execution of the program; (ii) Being freely programmed in accordance with the requirements of the user; (iii) Performing arithmetical computations specified by the user; and (iv) Executing, without human intervention, a processing program which requires them to modify their execution, by logical decision during the processing run. (B) Automatic data processing machines may be in the form of systems consisting of a variable number of separate units. (C) Subject to paragraphs (D) and (E) below, a unit is to be regarded as being part of an automatic data processing system if it meets all of the following conditions : (i) It is of a kind solely or principally used in an automatic data processing system; (ii) It is connectable to the central processing unit either directly or through one or more other units; and (iii) It is able to accept or deliver data in a form (codes or signals) which can be used by the system. Separately presented units of an automatic data processing machine are to be classified in heading 84.71. However, keyboards, X-Y co-ordinate input devices and disk storage units which satisfy the conditions of paragraphs (C) (ii) and (C) (iii) above, are in all cases to be classified as units of heading 84.71. (D) Heading 84.71 does not cover the following when presented separately, even if they meet all of the conditions set forth in Note 6 (C) above : (i) Printers, copying machines, facsimile machines, whether or not combined; (ii) Apparatus for the transmission or reception of voice, images or other data, including apparatus for communication in a wired or wireless network (such as a local or wide area network); (iii) Loudspeakers and microphones; (iv) Television cameras, digital cameras and video camera recorders; (v) Monitors and projectors, not incorporating television reception apparatus. (E) Machines incorporating or working in conjunction with an automatic data processing machine and performing a specific function other than data processing are to be classified in the headings appropriate to their respective functions or, failing that, in residual headings. 7.- Heading 84.82 applies, inter alia, to polished steel balls, the maximum and minimum diameters of which do not differ from the nominal diameter by more than 1 % or by more than 0.05 mm, whichever is less. Other steel balls are to be classified in heading 73.26. 8.- A machine which is used for more than one purpose is, for the purposes of classification, to be treated as if its principal purpose were its sole purpose. Subject to Note 2 to this Chapter and Note 3 to Section XVI, a machine the principal purpose of which is not described in any heading or for which no one purpose is the principal purpose is, unless the context otherwise requires, to be classified in heading 84.79. Heading 84.79 also covers machines for making rope or cable (for example, stranding, twisting or cabling machines) from metal wire, textile yarn or any other material or from a combination of such materials. 9.- For the purposes of heading 84.70, the term “pocket-size” applies only to machines the dimensions of which do not exceed 170 mm x 100 mm x 45 mm. 10.- For the purposes of heading 84.85, the expression “additive manufacturing” (also referred to as 3D printing) means the formation of physical objects, based on a digital model, by the successive addition and layering, and consolidation and solidification, of material (for example, metal, plastics or ceramics). Subject to Note 1 to Section XVI and Note 1 to Chapter 84, machines answering to the description in heading 84.85 are to be classified in that heading and in no other heading of the Nomenclature. 11.- (A) Notes 12 (a) and 12 (b) to Chapter 85 also apply with respect to the expressions “semiconductor devices” and “electronic integrated circuits”, respectively, as used in this Note and in heading 84.86. However, for the purposes of this Note and of heading 84.86, the expression “semiconductor devices” also covers photosensitive semiconductor devices and light-emitting diodes (LED). (B) For the purposes of this Note and of heading 84.86, the expression “manufacture of flat panel displays” covers the fabrication of substrates into a flat panel. It does not cover the manufacture of glass or the assembly of printed circuit boards or other electronic components onto the flat panel. The expression “flat panel display” does not cover cathode-ray tube technology. (C) Heading 84.86 also includes machines and apparatus solely or principally of a kind used for : (i) the manufacture or repair of masks and reticles; (ii) assembling semiconductor devices or electronic integrated circuits; (iii) lifting, handling, loading or unloading of boules, wafers, semiconductor devices, electronic integrated circuits and flat panel displays. (D) Subject to Note 1 to Section XVI and Note 1 to Chapter 84, machines and apparatus answering to the description in heading 84.86 are to be classified in that heading and in no other heading of the Nomenclature. Subheading Notes. 1.- For the purposes of subheading 8465.20, the term “machining centres” applies only to machine-tools for working wood, cork, bone, hard rubber, hard plastics or similar hard materials, which can carry out different types of machining operations by automatic tool change from a magazine or the like in conformity with a machining programme. 2.- For the purposes of subheading 8471.49, the term “systems” means automatic data processing machines whose units satisfy the conditions laid down in Note 6 (C) to Chapter 84 and which comprise at least a central processing unit, one input unit (for example, a keyboard or a scanner), and one output unit (for example, a visual display unit or a printer). 3.- For the purposes of subheading 8481.20, the expression “valves for oleohydraulic or pneumatic transmissions” means valves which are used specifically in the transmission of “fluid power” in a hydraulic or pneumatic system, where the energy source is supplied in the form of pressurised fluids (liquid or gas). These valves may be of any type (for example, pressure-reducing type, check type). Subheading 8481.20 takes precedence over all other subheadings of heading 84.81. 4.- Subheading 8482.40 applies only to bearings with cylindrical rollers of a uniform diameter not exceeding 5 mm and having a length which is at least three times the diameter. The ends of the rollers may be rounded.