WCO Explanatory Notes reproduced for reference. © World Customs Organization. Verify against official WCO publication.
85.32 - Electrical capacitors, fixed, variable or adjustable @re-set) (+). 8532.10 - Fixed capacitors desiped for use in 50/60Hz circuits and having a reactive power handling capacity of not less than 0.5 kvar (power capacitors) - Other fixed capacitors : 8532.21 - - Tantalum 8532.22 - - Aluminium electrolytic 8532.23 - - Ceramic dielectric, single layer 8532.24 - - Ceramic dielectric, multilayer 8532.25 - - Dielectric of paper or plastics 8532.29 - - Other 8532.30 - Variable or adjustable (pre-set) capacitors 8532.90 - Parts Electrical capacitors (or condensers) consist, in principle, of two conducting surfaces se arated by an insulating material (dielectric), e.g., air, paper, mica, oil, resins, rubber and p astics, ceramics or glass. They are used for various pufposes in many branches of the electrical industry ( e p . to improve the power factor of AC circuits, to produce base-shifted currents for rotating fie1 s in induchon motors, to protect electrical contacts from %e effects of arcing, for storing and releasing given quantities of electricity, in oscillatin circuits, in frequency filters, and very widely in the radio, television or telephone industries or or industrial electronic equipment). !? Their characteristics (shape, size, capacitance, nature of dielectric, etc.) vary accordin to their intended use. The heading, however, covers all capacitors irrespective of their type an method of manufacture and whatever their intended use (including standard capacitors used in laboratories or in numerous measuring instruments, specially made within fine limits and designed to remain constant during use). % The heading also covers capacitors grouped together on a chassis or in a container (e.g., certain lar e power factor capacitors and capacitor boxes consisting of a number of standard capacitors wit8, means of connecting them together, in series or in parallel, to obtain any required capacitance). (A) FIXED CAPACITORS Fixed capacitors are those in which the capacitance cannot be varied. The main types are : dry capacitors, " oil " imprepated capacitors, " gas impregnated capacitors, " oil " filled capacitors and electrolytic capacitors. " (1) In dry capacitors the plates and dielectric are usually in the form of superimposed plates or rolled stnp or foil. In certain dry capacitors a metal covering is applled by a chemical or thermic process to a fixed dielectric. Dry capacitors may be enclosed in a clamp-equipped box or be used without a box. (2) " Oil " impregnated ca acitors are similar to dry capacitors but the dielectric, usually of plastic film or plastic and paper, is impregnated with oil or other liquid. & (3) "Gas " irn regnated capacitors are capacitors consisting of two or more electrodes separated I? y a gas, other than air, which serves as a dielectric. (4) In some cases the capacitor (" oil filled capacitor ") is enclosed in a container filled with oil or other suitable liquid, and many incorporate accessory devices such as pressure gauges and safety valves. (5) In electrolytic capacitors, one of the plates is generally of aluminium or tantalum while the role of the other is fulfilled by a suitable electrolyte to which the current is led by means of an electrode, sometimes similar in form to the aluminium or tantalum plate. The electrolyhc action produces on the aluminium or tantalum a thin layer of complex chemical compounds which thereafter constitutes the dielectric. The capacitor is sometimes enclosed in a container, but enerally the outer electrode itself constitutes the container; these capacitors are often itted with a in base similar to that of a valve. Certain capacitors of this type containing a pasty o m of electrolyte are also called "dry electrolytic capac~tors". k P (E3) VARIABLE CAPACITORS Variable capacitors are those in which the ca acitance can be varied at will. In most cases air is the dielectric, and the plates usually consist o two groups of metal plates, one group fixed while the other, mounted on an axis, can be turned so that its plates can pass between the fixed plates. The de ee to which the mobile lates (rotors) are turned and overlap with the fixed plates (stators$varies the capacitance of tie capacitor. f (C) PRE-SET OR ADJUSTABLE CAPACITORS Pre-set or adjustable capacitors (including trimming capacitors) are those in which the capacitance can be adjusted within narrow limits to a precise value. This adjustment can be made in different ways. In certain types the distance between the plates may be varied by means of a screw. Other es consist of two metal cylinders, one of which can be moved to a variable extent within the o er or of two mutually moved semicircles. Usually, the dielectrics used are, for example, mica, ceramics, plastics or ar. % PARTS Sub'ect to the general provisions regarding the classification of arts (see the General Exp anatory Note to Section XVI),parts of capacitors are also classified ere. % The heading does not cover certain synchronous motors used for power factor improvement, even though they are often called " synchronous capacitors " (heading 85.01).
Notes. 1.- This Chapter does not cover : (a) Electrically warmed blankets, bed pads, foot-muffs or the like; electrically warmed clothing, footwear or ear pads or other electrically warmed articles worn on or about the person; (b) Articles of glass of heading 70.11; (c) Machines and apparatus of heading 84.86; (d) Vacuum apparatus of a kind used in medical, surgical, dental or veterinary sciences (heading 90.18); or (e) Electrically heated furniture of Chapter 94. 2.- Headings 85.01 to 85.04 do not apply to goods described in heading 85.11, 85.12, 85.40, 85.41 or 85.42. However, metal tank mercury arc rectifiers remain classified in heading 85.04. 3.- For the purposes of heading 85.07, the expression “electric accumulators” includes those presented with ancillary components which contribute to the accumulator’s function of storing and supplying energy or protect it from damage, such as electrical connectors, temperature control devices (for example, thermistors) and circuit protection devices. They may also include a portion of the protective housing of the goods in which they are to be used. 4.- Heading 85.09 covers only the following electro-mechanical machines of the kind commonly used for domestic purposes : (a) Floor polishers, food grinders and mixers, and fruit or vegetable juice extractors, of any weight; (b) Other machines provided the weight of such machines does not exceed 20 kg. The heading does not, however, apply to fans or ventilating or recycling hoods incorporating a fan, whether or not fitted with filters (heading 84.14), centrifugal clothes-dryers (heading 84.21), dish washing machines (heading 84.22), household washing machines (heading 84.50), roller or other ironing machines (heading 84.20 or 84.51), sewing machines (heading 84.52), electric scissors (heading 84.67) or to electro-thermic appliances (heading 85.16). 5.- For the purposes of heading 85.17, the term "smartphones” means telephones for cellular networks, equipped with a mobile operating system designed to perform the functions of an automatic data processing machine such as downloading and running multiple applications simultaneously, including third-party applications, and whether or not integrating other features such as digital cameras and navigational aid systems. 6.- For the purposes of heading 85.23 : (a) “Solid-state non-volatile storage devices” (for example, “flash memory cards” or “flash electronic storage cards”) are storage devices with a connecting socket, comprising in the same housing one or more flash memories (for example, “FLASH E2PROM”) in the form of integrated circuits mounted on a printed circuit board. They may include a controller in the form of an integrated circuit and discrete passive components, such as capacitors and resistors; (b) The term “smart cards” means cards which have embedded in them one or more electronic integrated circuits (a microprocessor, random access memory (RAM) or read-only memory (ROM)) in the form of chips. These cards may contain contacts, a magnetic stripe or an embedded antenna but do not contain any other active or passive circuit elements. 7.- For the purposes of heading 85.24, “flat panel display modules” refer to devices or apparatus for the display of information, equipped at a minimum with a display screen, which are designed to be incorporated into articles of other headings prior to use. Display screens for flat panel display modules include, but are not limited to, those which are flat, curved, flexible, foldable or stretchable in form. Flat panel display modules may incorporate additional elements, including those necessary for receiving video signals and the allocation of those signals to pixels on the display. However, heading 85.24 does not include display modules which are equipped with components for converting video signals (e.g., a scaler IC, decoder IC or application processer) or have otherwise assumed the character of goods of other headings. For the classification of flat panel display modules defined in this Note, heading 85.24 shall take precedence over any other heading in the Nomenclature. 8.- For the purposes of heading 85.34 “printed circuits” are circuits obtained by forming on an insulating base, by any printing process (for example, embossing, plating-up, etching) or by the “film circuit” technique, conductor elements, contacts or other printed components (for example, inductances, resistors, capacitors) alone or interconnected according to a pre-established pattern, other than elements which can produce, rectify, modulate or amplify an electrical signal (for example, semiconductor elements). The expression “printed circuits” does not cover circuits combined with elements other than those obtained during the printing process, nor does it cover individual, discrete resistors, capacitors or inductances. Printed circuits may, however, be fitted with non-printed connecting elements. Thin- or thick-film circuits comprising passive and active elements obtained during the same technological process are to be classified in heading 85.42. 9.- For the purpose of heading 85.36, “connectors for optical fibres, optical fibre bundles or cables” means connectors that simply mechanically align optical fibres end to end in a digital line system. They perform no other function, such as the amplification, regeneration or modification of a signal. 10.-Heading 85.37 does not include cordless infrared devices for the remote control of television receivers or other electrical equipment (heading 85.43). 11.-For the purposes of heading 85.39, the expression “light-emitting diode (LED) light sources” covers : (a) “Light-emitting diode (LED) modules” which are electrical light sources based on light-emitting diodes (LED) arranged in electrical circuits and containing further elements like electrical, mechanical, thermal or optical elements. They also contain discrete active elements, discrete passive elements, or articles of heading 85.36 or 85.42 for the purposes of providing power supply or power control. Light-emitting diode (LED) modules do not have a cap designed to allow easy installation or replacement in a luminaire and ensure mechanical and electrical contact. (b) “Light-emitting diode (LED) lamps” which are electrical light sources containing one or more LED modules containing further elements like electrical, mechanical, thermal or optical elements. The distinction between light-emitting diode (LED) modules and light-emitting diode (LED) lamps is that lamps have a cap designed to allow easy installation or replacement in a luminaire and ensure mechanical and electrical contact. 12.-For the purposes of headings 85.41 and 85.42 : (a) (i) “Semiconductor devices” are semiconductor devices the operation of which depends on variations in resistivity on the application of an electric field or semiconductor-based transducers. Semiconductor devices may also include assembly of plural elements, whether or not equipped with active and passive device ancillary functions. “Semiconductor-based transducers” are, for the purposes of this definition, semiconductor- based sensors, semiconductor-based actuators, semiconductor-based resonators and semiconductor-based oscillators, which are types of discrete semiconductor-based devices, which perform an intrinsic function, which are able to convert any kind of physical or chemical phenomena or an action into an electrical signal or an electrical signal into any type of physical phenomenon or an action. All the elements in semiconductor-based transducers are indivisibly combined, and may also include necessary materials indivisibly attached, that enable their construction or function. The following expressions mean : (1) “Semiconductor-based” means built or manufactured on a semiconductor substrate or made of semiconductor materials, manufactured by semiconductor technology, in which the semiconductor substrate or material plays a critical and unreplaceable role of transducer function and performance, and the operation of which is based on semiconductor properties including physical, electrical, chemical and optical properties. (2) “Physical or chemical phenomena” relate to phenomena, such as pressure, acoustic waves, acceleration, vibration, movement, orientation, strain, magnetic field strength, electric field strength, light, radioactivity, humidity, flow, chemicals concentration, etc. (3) “Semiconductor-based sensor” is a type of semiconductor device, which consists of microelectronic or mechanical structures that are created in the mass or on the surface of a semiconductor and that have the function of detecting physical or chemical quantities and converting these into electric signals caused by resulting variations in electric properties or displacement of a mechanical structure. (4) “Semiconductor-based actuator” is a type of semiconductor device, which consists of microelectronic or mechanical structures that are created in the mass or on the surface of a semiconductor and that have the function of converting electric signals into physical movement. (5) “Semiconductor-based resonator” is a type of semiconductor device, which consists of microelectronic or mechanical structures that are created in the mass or on the surface of a semiconductor and that have the function of generating a mechanical or electrical oscillation of a predefined frequency that depends on the physical geometry of these structures in response to an external input. (6) “Semiconductor-based oscillator” is a type of semiconductor device, which consists of microelectronic or mechanical structures that are created in the mass or on the surface of a semiconductor and that have the function of generating a mechanical or electrical oscillation of a predefined frequency that depends on the physical geometry of these structures. (ii) “Light-emitting diodes (LED)” are semiconductor devices based on semiconductor materials which convert electrical energy into visible, infra-red or ultra-violet rays, whether or not electrically connected among each other and whether or not combined with protective diodes. Light-emitting diodes (LED) of heading 85.41 do not incorporate elements for the purposes of providing power supply or power control; (b) “Electronic integrated circuits” are : (i) Monolithic integrated circuits in which the circuit elements (diodes, transistors, resistors, capacitors, inductances, etc.) are created in the mass (essentially) and on the surface of a semiconductor or compound semiconductor material (for example, doped silicon, gallium arsenide, silicon germanium, indium phosphide) and are inseparably associated; (ii) Hybrid integrated circuits in which passive elements (resistors, capacitors, inductances, etc.), obtained by thin- or thick-film technology, and active elements (diodes, transistors, monolithic integrated circuits, etc.), obtained by semiconductor technology, are combined to all intents and purposes indivisibly, by interconnections or interconnecting cables, on a single insulating substrate (glass, ceramic, etc.). These circuits may also include discrete components; (iii) Multichip integrated circuits consisting of two or more interconnected monolithic integrated circuits combined to all intents and purposes indivisibly, whether or not on one or more insulating substrates, with or without leadframes, but with no other active or passive circuit elements. (iv) Multi-component integrated circuits (MCOs) : a combination of one or more monolithic, hybrid, or multi-chip integrated circuits with at least one of the following components : silicon-based sensors, actuators, oscillators, resonators or combinations thereof, or components performing the functions of articles classifiable under heading 85.32, 85.33, 85.41, or inductors classifiable under heading 85.04, formed to all intents and purposes indivisibly into a single body like an integrated circuit, as a component of a kind used for assembly onto a printed circuit board (PCB) or other carrier, through the connecting of pins, leads, balls, lands, bumps, or pads. For the purpose of this definition : 1. “Components” may be discrete, manufactured independently then assembled onto the rest of the MCO, or integrated into other components. 2. “Silicon based” means built on a silicon substrate, or made of silicon materials, or manufactured onto integrated circuit die. 3. (a) “Silicon-based sensors” consist of microelectronic or mechanical structures that are created in the mass or on the surface of a semiconductor and that have the function of detecting physical or chemical phenomena and transducing these into electric signals, caused by resulting variations in electric properties or displacement of a mechanical structure. “Physical or chemical phenomena” relates to phenomena, such as pressure, acoustic waves, acceleration, vibration, movement, orientation, strain, magnetic field strength, electric field strength, light, radioactivity, humidity, flow, chemicals concentration, etc. (b) “Silicon based actuators” consist of microelectronic and mechanical structures that are created in the mass or on the surface of a semiconductor and that have the function of converting electrical signals into physical movement. (c) “Silicon based resonators” are components that consist of microelectronic or mechanical structures that are created in the mass or on the surface of a semiconductor and have the function of generating a mechanical or electrical oscillation of a predefined frequency that depends on the physical geometry of these structures in response to an external input. (d) “Silicon based oscillators” are active components that consist of microelectronic or mechanical structures that are created in the mass or on the surface of a semiconductor and that have the function of generating a mechanical or electrical oscillation of a predefined frequency that depends on the physical geometry of these structures. For the classification of the articles defined in this Note, headings 85.41 and 85.42 shall take precedence over any other heading in the Nomenclature, except in the case of heading 85.23, which might cover them by reference to, in particular, their function. Subheading Notes. 1.- Subheading 8525.81 covers only high-speed television cameras, digital cameras and video camera recorders having one or more of the following characteristics : - writing speed exceeding 0.5 mm per microsecond; - time resolution 50 nanoseconds or less; - frame rate exceeding 225,000 frames per second. 2.- In respect of subheading 8525.82, radiation-hardened or radiation-tolerant television cameras, digital cameras and video camera recorders are designed or shielded to enable operation in a high-radiation environment. These cameras are designed to withstand a total radiation dose of at least 50 × 103 Gy(silicon) (5 × 106 RAD (silicon)), without operational degradation. 3.- Subheading 8525.83 covers night vision television cameras, digital cameras and video camera recorders which use a photocathode to convert available light to electrons, which can be amplified and converted to yield a visible image. This subheading excludes thermal imaging cameras (generally subheading 8525.89). 4.- Subheading 8527.12 covers only cassette-players with built-in amplifier, without built-in loudspeaker, capable of operating without an external source of electric power and the dimensions of which do not exceed 170 mm x 100 mm x 45 mm. 5.- For the purposes of subheadings 8549.11 to 8549.19, “spent primary cells, spent primary batteries and spent electric accumulators” are those which are neither usable as such because of breakage, cutting- up, wear or other reasons, nor capable of being recharged.