Machinery, apparatus and equipment (other than the machines of headings 8456 to 8465), for preparing or making plates, cylinders or other printing components; plates, cylinders and other printing components; plates, cylinders and lithographic stones, prepared for printing purposes (for example, planed, grained or polished); parts thereof
5 declarable lines
Heading 8442 covers the equipment that prepares or makes printing components (plates, cylinders, lithographic stones), the prepared plates and cylinders themselves, and parts of that equipment. It is split into three groups: plate-making and composing machinery, parts of that machinery, and the prepared plates and other printing components. Every line in the heading carries a general (MFN) rate of Free.
Products in this heading
- Phototypesetting and composing machines
- Computer-to-plate imaging equipment for making lithographic plates
- Plate-processing units that expose, develop or etch printing plates
- Replacement parts for plate-making machinery, such as plate clamps or exposure heads
- Presensitized aluminum lithographic plates, prepared for printing
- Gravure cylinders prepared for printing purposes
- Planed, grained or polished lithographic stones
How to choose the right subheading
- Decide whether the item is machinery, a part, or the finished printing component itself
- For machinery, check whether it is a phototypesetting or composing machine, or another plate-making apparatus
- For parts, confirm the part is suitable for use solely or principally with the machinery of this heading
- For printing components, separate flat plates from cylinders, sleeves and other prepared components
- Confirm the plate, cylinder or stone has been prepared for printing, for example planed, grained or polished
Often confused with
- Heading 8443Printing presses that run the plates
Presses that print by means of plates of heading 8442 are classified in 8443, not with the plates.
- Heading 8440Bookbinding and book-sewing machines
Bookbinding machinery has its own heading even when used in a print shop.
- Heading 8472Stencil duplicating and other office machines
Hectograph or stencil duplicating machines sit in 8472 rather than with plate-making equipment.
- Heading 8441Paper cutting machines used after printing
Cutting and making-up machinery for paper or paperboard is classified in 8441.
- Bare unworked lithographic stone
Stone that has not been planed, grained or polished for printing is not a prepared printing component of 8442.
Frequently asked questions
What is the HTS code for prepared printing plates?
Prepared plates fall under 8442.50.10.00, which carries a general (MFN) rate of Free.
What is the duty on parts of plate-making machinery?
Parts of the machinery of heading 8442 are classified in 8442.40.00.00, with a general (MFN) rate of Free.
How do I classify plate-making machinery?
Phototypesetting and composing machines go in 8442.30.01.10 and other machinery and apparatus of this heading goes in 8442.30.01.50. Both lines carry a general (MFN) rate of Free.
Guide written from the official schedule text. Rates quoted are general (MFN) rates; check the line page for trade agreement rates and the classification of your exact product.