484(f) Committee

General Overview of the 484(f) Committee

The Committee for the Statistical Annotation of Tariff Schedules, more commonly known as the “484(f) Committee,” is an interagency committee made up of representatives from the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (Customs or CBP) and the U.S. Census Bureau (Census). The 484(f) Committee tries to serve the trade data needs of both government and private data users by adding, removing or modifying the non-legal 10-digit statistical reporting numbers in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) and Schedule B. In addition, the Committee can make changes to the required reporting units of quantity and can also establish clarifying statistical notes that provide additional guidance about the information that shippers are asked to provide. Because the Committee cannot alter the classification of goods or rates of duty, requests must reflect the proper tariff classification of each product, based on the international Harmonized System and on Customs rulings and judicial decisions.

The Committee considers the following in its decision-making process:

• Each proposed 10-digit nonlegal statistical category must cover a product or a grouping of goods typically having $1 million in annual trade.
• The proposed annotation must have a clear and administrable description.
• There must be at least 3 importers or exporters reporting shipments in the proposed category on an average monthly basis to avoid disclosure of confidential information.

Submission Deadlines

Requests are accepted by March 15, for HTS and Schedule B provisions to take effect on the following July 1, and July 15, for HTS and Schedule B provisions to take effect on the following January 1. Some requests may be delayed from one meeting to the next while more information is gathered.

Elements of a Submitted 484(f) Request

The basic elements of a 484(f) request include: the reason for the request, the proposed language for each requested statistical annotation and the names of importers and exporters of the articles in the annotation. Please note that requests for such provisions should describe products based on their physical characteristics whenever possible but may rely on other criteria such as unit value or specified and accepted standards (such as those of the U.S. Department of Agriculture) when appropriate; and in some instances, permanent labeling or other widely understood criteria may be acceptable. No confidential information should be included in any submission.

The Committee would also appreciate the following information:

• An explanation of how the good(s) affected by the change is (are) used and not used
• A key ingredients list for the good(s) affected by the change
• An illustration (or photo or schematic) of the good(s) affected by the change
• An explanation of any standards the affected product(s) meet
• A list of the primary country or countries of origin for the product(s) Requests for provisions that would appear only in Schedule B for exports should be clearly marked; such requests normally relate to products of particular U.S. export interest where more descriptive detail is desired.

New Requirement (Effective January 1, 2026)

Requests must be submitted according to the four-digit HTS heading. For example, if you are requesting four statistical reporting numbers under heading 0801, they may be submitted as a single request. However, if you are requesting new statistical reporting numbers under headings 0801, 0804, 0808, and 0814, each should be submitted as a separate request. Implementing this format will allow the committee to more efficiently review and process requests.

Please submit requests for statistical modifications and any other inquiries electronically to 484f@usitc.gov and consult the Preface to the current official Basic HTS for more information on the Committee.

484(f) Timeline

After the March 15 and July 15 submission dates have passed, the Committee sets a meeting date. Meetings are usually held in May and October. The Committee may seek additional input from requesters or other entities about each proposed change before or after its semiannual meetings. The requested language may need to be modified to ensure accurate reporting and to enable Customs administration; sometimes, provisions may need to be aggregated to avoid disclosure or to minimize the reporting burden. Feedback on the Committee’s processing of requests and on the outcomes will be provided to each requesting party after the Committee meeting. Follow-up discussions can be arranged. If a request is denied, it can be resubmitted for a future meeting with appropriate modifications that take into account the basis of the denial.

Due to the recent government shutdown that affected the date of the Fall 2025 484(f) Committee meeting, the effective date of approved statistical reporting numbers in the HTS are delayed from the usual January 1 effective date. The current target effective date for any approved changes in the HTS is February 1, 2026. However, changes that were approved in the Fall 2025 cycle for Schedule B will still be effective on January 1, 2026. Thus, please note that the posted list of recently approved numbers for the Fall 2025 cycle is only composed of Schedule B numbers. Statistical reporting numbers for the HTS will be posted in mid-January 2026.

Resubmissions from Previous 484(f) Cycles

Resubmissions will not be accepted in consecutive 484(f) cycles. For example, if a submission is denied during the Spring 2026 cycle, it may not be resubmitted for Fall 2026. The earliest the committee will accept a resubmission is Spring 2027. This policy ensures the committee has at least one year of trade data to review if a request is denied for lack of trade. It also provides both the requestor and, in some instances, the committee with sufficient time to identify additional importers for the commodity in cases where a request is denied due to disclosure concerns.

View a Sample Request:
- 484(f) Sample Request [PDF] Pages (3)

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