WCO Explanatory Notes reproduced for reference. © World Customs Organization. Verify against official WCO publication.
96.03 - Brooms, brushes (including brushes constituting parts of machines, appliances or vehicles), hand-operated mechanical floor sweepers, not motorised, mops and feather dusters; prepared knots and tufts for broom or brush making; paint pads and rollers; squeegees (other than roller squeegees). 9603.10 - Brooms and brushes, consisting of twigs or other vegetable materials bound together, with or without handles - Tooth brushes, shaving brushes, hair brushes, nail brushes, eyelash brushes and other toilet brushes for use on the person, including such brushes constituting parts of appliances : - - Tooth brushes, including dental-plate brushes 9603.29 - - Other 9603.30 - Artists' brushes, writing brushes and similar brushes for the application of 9603.21 cosmetics 9603.40 -Paint, distem er, varnish or similar brushes (other than brushes of subheading 9 03.30); paint pads and rollers - Other brushes constituting parts of machines, appliances or vehicles 9603.90 - Other 9603.50 (A) BROOMS AND BRUSHES, CONSISTING OF TWIGS OR OTHER VEGETABLE MATERIALS BOUND TOGETHER, WITH OR WITHOUT HANDLES r These are rather roughly made articles, with or without handles, used main1 for sweeping the ground (streets, yards, stables, etc.) or floors (e.g., vehicle floors .They usua ly consist either of a single bundle of vegetable material (twigs, straw, etc.) rough y bound together, or of one or more bundles of thick straw or reeds form~nga core on which thinner and longer straw is fixed with textile threads; these textile threads may at the same time form decorative motifs. For use, these articles are generally mounted on a handle. This group also includes fly-whisks, made in the same way but of lighter materials. These brooms md brushes are generally made from birch, hazel, holl heather or broom twi s, sorghum, millet, camelina, etc., straw (or anicles), or fibres o aloe, coco (coir), pa m (piassava, in particular), etc., or buckwheat sta ks. F P f (B) OTaER BROOMS AND BRUSHES This group comprises a variety of articles, differing considerably both i21 materials and shape, used for toilet purposes, for household cleaning, for ap lying paints, adhesive or liquid products, and for certain industrial operations (cleaning, polls mg, etc.). R In general, the brooms and brushes of this group consist either of small tufis or h o t s of flexible or springy fibres or filaments mounted in a broom or brush stock or back, or, as in the case of paint brushes, of a bunch of hairs or fibres strongly secured to the end of a short stock or handle with or without the aid of a metal ferrule or other retaining device. The group also includes brooms and brushes of rubber or plastics moulded in one piece. A very wide range of raw materials is used in the manufacture of the above articles. The materials used for the tufts, etc., may be : (A) Of animal origin : bristles of pig or wild boar; hair of horses, oxen, goats, badgers, martens, skunks, squirrels, polecats, etc.; fibres of horn; shafts of feathers. (B) Of vegetable origin : couch- ass roots, istle (or Tampico), coco (coir) or piassava fibres, esparto grass, sorghum panic es or split bamboo. f= (C) Of man-made filaments (e.g., nylon or viscose rayon). (D) Of wire (steel, brass, bronze, etc.), or of various other materials, e.g., cotton or wool yam or twine, glass fibres. The materials used for mountings include : wood, lastics, bone, horn, ivory, tortoise-shell, ebonite, certain metals (steel, aluminium, brass, etc.). n some brushes (e.g., circular brushes for machines, or brushes f o special ~ sweepers) leather, paperboard, felt or woven fabrics are also used. Quills of feathers are used as mountings for certain paint brushes. 't Brushes in which natural or cultured pearls, precious or semi-precious stones (natural, synthetic or reconstructed), precious metal or metal clad with precious metal constitute only minor constituents (e.g., monograms or rims) are also included in this group. The heading excludes brushes containing natural or cultured pearls, precious or semi recious stones (natural, synthetic or reconstructed), prec~ousmetal or metal clad with precious metal ogerwise than as minor constituents (Chapter 71). This group includes : (1) Tooth brushes, including dental-plate brushes. (2) Shaving brushes. (3) Brushes fox toilet use (e.g., brushes for the hair, beard, moustache or eyelashes; nail brushes; brushes for hair dyemg, etc.); hairdressers' neck brushes. (4) Brushes of rubber or plastics, moulded in one piece, for toilet use (washing hands, etc.), for cleaning lavatory pans, etc. (5) Clothes, hat or shoe brushes; comb-cleaning brushes. (6) Brushes for household use (e.g., scrubbing brushes, dish-washin brushes, sink-cleaning brushes, lavatory brushes, furniture brushes, radiator brushes, crum brushes). % (7) Brooms and brushes for sweeping roads, floors, etc. (8) Special car cleaning brushes of textile materials, whether or not impregnated with cleaning products. (9) Brushes for grooming animals (horses, dogs, etc.). (10) Brushes for oiling weapons, bicycles, etc. (11) Brushes for gramophone records, including those for mounting on the sound-arm to clean the record automatically. (12) Brushes for cleaning printing type or type-bars of typewriters. (13) Brushes for cleaning sparking plugs, files, parts to be welded, etc. (14) Brushes for removing moss or old bark fiom trees or bushes. (15) Brushes for stencilling,whether or not with ink reservoir and ink-flow control. (16) Paint and other brushes (round or flat) for lasterem, house painters, decorators, cabinet-makers, artists, etc. For example, brus es for washing off old pant-work, distempering brushes, paper-ban g brushes, varnishing brushes, etc.; brushes for oil or water colours, wash-tinting brus es; brushes for painting ceramics, gilding brushes, etc.; small brushes for office use. r ! This group also includes : ( Brushes mounted on wire (usually strands of wire twisted together), for example, flue brushes; brushes for bottle-washing or for cleaning cylindrical lamp glasses; brushes for cleaning tubes and ipin , etc.; cleaners for smoking pipes; clean~ngbrushes for rifles, revolvers or pistols; nne and tube brushes for musical mstruments, etc. R f (II) Brushes constituting machine parts, for example, for road-sweepers; for spinning or weaving machines; for grin n polishing or other machine-tools; for milling or aper-making machines; for watckmaken' or jewellers' lathes; for machines used in the feather, fur or shoe-making industries. (111) Brushes for electrical household appliances (e.g., floor polishers or waxers, vacuum cleaners). This heading excludes : (a) Brush mountings ox handles (classified according to the constituent material). (b) Textile polishing discs or pads (heading 59.11). (c) Card clothing (heading 84.48). (d) Diskettes for cleaning disk drives in ADP machines, etc. (heading 84.73). (e) Brushes of a kind specialised for use in dentistry or for medical, surgical or veterinary purposes (e.g., laryngeal brushes, and brushes for mounting on dental drills) (heading 90.18). (f) Brushes having the character of toys (heading 95.03). (g) Powder-puffs and pads for the application of cosmetics or toilet preparations (heading 96.16). (C) HAND-OPERATED MECHANICAL FLOOR SWEEPERS, NOT MOTORISED These are simple articles, usually consisting of a wheeled housing containing one or more cylindrical brushes operated b the movement of the wheels, propelled manually by means of a handle and used in particular or cleaning carpets. ? The heading excludes motorised sweepers (heading 84.79). (D) MOPS AND FEATHER DUSTERS Mops consist of a bundle of textile cords or vegetable fibres mounted on a handle. Certain other mops consist of a mop-head pad made of textile or other material fitted or attached to a h e or other base connected to the handle. They include dust mops, spra mo s and s onge mops used in dry or wet applications for cleaning up stains or liquid spi& c{aning Roors, washing dishes, etc. Feather dusters consist of a bundle of feathers mounted on a handle and are used for dusting furniture, shelves, shop windows, etc. In other es of feather dusters the "feathers" have been replaced by lambs' wool, textile materials, etc., xed to or wrapped around a handle. p This heading excludes cleaning cloth made of textile materials designed for use as hand cloths or for attachment to the mop-head frame or other base, when presented separately (Section XI). (E) PREPARED KNOTS AND TUFTS In accordance with Note 3 to this Chapter, this group is restricted to unmounted knots or tufts of animal hair, vegetable fibre, man-made filaments, etc., which are ready for incorporation without division in brooms or brushes, or which require only such further minor processes as trimming to shape at the top, to render them ready for such incorporation. The headin therefore excludes, inter alia, bundles (or similar trade presentations of animal hair, vegetable fi res or other materials which have not been prepared for broom or brush A n t The heading also excludes assemblies of hair or fibres which have been prepared for broom or brus making, but which still require to be divided into smaller tufts before mountlug into broom or brush heads, etc. The repared knots and tufts included in this group are mainly used for shaving brushes, paint les and painting or drawing brushes. bnrs! To bind them into a compact bundle, the fibre tuffs (or knots) are usualIy dipped, up to about one quarter of their length, into a varnish or some other coating material; sometimes sawdust is also added for greater strength. Knots or tufts mounted in collars (usually of metal) are excluded (group (B) above). Prepared tufts or knots which have to undergo other finishing processes after being mounted on a handle (rounding their ends, grinding of the fibre ends to give them required softness, etc.) remain in this group. (F) PAINT PADS AND ROLLERS; SQUEEGEES (OTHERTHAN ROLLER SQUEEGEES) Paint rollers consist of a roller covered with lambskin or other material mounted on a handle. Paint pads consist of a flat surface, for example, of woven fabric attached to a hard back, usually of plastics; they may have handles. Squeegees are generally made of strips of lastics, rubber or felt mounted between two blades of wood, metal, etc., or mounted on a bloc of wood, metal, etc., and used as a broom on wet surfaces. E However, the group excludes roller squeegees, consisting of one or more rollers mounted on a handle and used in photography (heading 90.10).
1.- This Chapter does not cover : (a) Pencils for cosmetic or toilet uses (Chapter 33); (b) Articles of Chapter 66 (for example, parts of umbrellas or walking-sticks); (c) Imitation jewellery (heading 71.17); (d) Parts of general use, as defined in Note 2 to Section XV, of base metal (Section XV), or similar goods of plastics (Chapter 39); (e) Cutlery or other articles of Chapter 82 with handles or other parts of carving or moulding materials; heading 96.01 or 96.02 applies, however, to separately presented handles or other parts of such articles; (f) Articles of Chapter 90 (for example, spectacle frames (heading 90.03), mathematical drawing pens (heading 90.17), brushes of a kind specialised for use in dentistry or for medical, surgical or veterinary purposes (heading 90.18)); (g) Articles of Chapter 91 (for example, clock or watch cases); (h) Musical instruments or parts or accessories thereof (Chapter 92); (ij) Articles of Chapter 93 (arms and parts thereof); (k) Articles of Chapter 94 (for example, furniture, luminaires and lighting fittings); (l) Articles of Chapter 95 (toys, games, sports requisites); or (m) Works of art, collectors' pieces or antiques (Chapter 97). 2.- In heading 96.02 the expression “vegetable or mineral carving material” means : (a) Hard seeds, pips, hulls and nuts and similar vegetable materials of a kind used for carving (for example, corozo and dom); (b) Amber, meerschaum, agglomerated amber and agglomerated meerschaum, jet and mineral substitutes for jet. 3.- In heading 96.03 the expression “prepared knots and tufts for broom or brush making” applies only to unmounted knots and tufts of animal hair, vegetable fibre or other material, which are ready for incorporation without division in brooms or brushes, or which require only such further minor processes as trimming to shape at the top, to render them ready for such incorporation. 4.- Articles of this Chapter, other than those of headings 96.01 to 96.06 or 96.15, remain classified in the Chapter whether or not composed wholly or partly of precious metal or metal clad with precious metal, of natural or cultured pearls, or precious or semi-precious stones (natural, synthetic or reconstructed). However, headings 96.01 to 96.06 and 96.15 include articles in which natural or cultured pearls, precious or semi-precious stones (natural, synthetic or reconstructed), precious metal or metal clad with precious metal constitute only minor constituents.