Section 301 HTS Codes: China Lists, Nicaragua, and Legacy Aircraft Families

Informational only — not legal advice.

If your entry shows a 9903.88, 9903.89, 9903.91, or 9903.92 code, it falls under Section 301 — but these are not interchangeable. Each code family comes from a different USTR investigation, targets different goods, and carries different duty treatment.

The most common mistake: treating Section 301 as synonymous with 9903.88 and the China tariff lists. The China lists are the largest Section 301 family, but not the only one. Collapsing everything into “China 301” leads to misclassified Nicaragua and legacy aircraft lines.

Background on Section 301

Section 301 comes from the Trade Act of 1974. It allows the United States to respond when USTR finds that a foreign country is using acts, policies, or practices that are unreasonable, discriminatory, or otherwise burden U.S. commerce.

Each USTR investigation can generate its own Chapter 99 code family. The China tariff lists dominate the Section 301 footprint, but separate investigations have produced the Nicaragua line and the legacy large civil aircraft family — each with distinct code ranges and duty mechanics.

Current status

As of May 7, 2026:

• the China tariff lists (9903.88.*, 9903.91.*, 9903.92.*) remain the largest active Section 301 family
• the Nicaragua line (9903.89.01) is a separate, live investigation
• legacy aircraft codes (9903.89.05-.63) remain in the schedule
• USTR opened two new Section 301 investigation packages on March 17, 2026: one covering structural excess capacity in 16 economies (docket USTR-2026-0067/0068; 91 FR, doc. 2026-05214), and one covering forced labor in 60 economies (docket USTR-2026-0133/0134; doc. 2026-05151). The comment period for both closed April 15, 2026. Forced-labor hearings were held April 28-29, and structural-excess-capacity hearings started May 5 and continue through May 8, 2026. No Chapter 99 HTS codes have been assigned for either investigation in the reviewed USTR/Federal Register source set as of May 7, 2026.

How to use this page with our HTS tool

1. Click the exact 9903.* code shown on the entry.
2. In the HTS tool, confirm whether it belongs to the China lists, the Nicaragua line, or the legacy aircraft family.
3. Compare it with the base Chapter 1-97 line and any other Chapter 99 overlays on the same entry line.
4. Do not assume “China” just because the code starts with 9903.89 or 9903.91.

Full Section 301 code list

China-focused lists

• 9903.88.01-.28: 9903.88.01, 9903.88.02, 9903.88.03, 9903.88.04, 9903.88.05, 9903.88.06, 9903.88.07, 9903.88.08, 9903.88.09, 9903.88.10, 9903.88.11, 9903.88.12, 9903.88.13, 9903.88.14, 9903.88.15, 9903.88.16, 9903.88.17, 9903.88.18, 9903.88.19, 9903.88.20, 9903.88.21, 9903.88.22, 9903.88.23, 9903.88.24, 9903.88.25, 9903.88.26, 9903.88.27, 9903.88.28
• 9903.88.33-.70: 9903.88.33, 9903.88.34, 9903.88.35, 9903.88.36, 9903.88.37, 9903.88.38, 9903.88.39, 9903.88.40, 9903.88.41, 9903.88.42, 9903.88.43, 9903.88.44, 9903.88.45, 9903.88.46, 9903.88.47, 9903.88.48, 9903.88.49, 9903.88.50, 9903.88.51, 9903.88.52, 9903.88.53, 9903.88.54, 9903.88.55, 9903.88.56, 9903.88.57, 9903.88.58, 9903.88.59, 9903.88.60, 9903.88.61, 9903.88.62, 9903.88.63, 9903.88.64, 9903.88.65, 9903.88.66, 9903.88.67, 9903.88.68, 9903.88.69, 9903.88.70
• 9903.91.01-.16: 9903.91.01, 9903.91.02, 9903.91.03, 9903.91.04, 9903.91.05, 9903.91.06, 9903.91.07, 9903.91.08, 9903.91.09, 9903.91.10, 9903.91.11, 9903.91.12, 9903.91.13, 9903.91.14, 9903.91.15, 9903.91.16
• 9903.92.10 and 9903.92.80: 9903.92.10, 9903.92.80

Nicaragua

• 9903.89.01: 9903.89.01

Legacy large civil aircraft family

• 9903.89.05-.63 (legacy aircraft pattern): 9903.89.05, 9903.89.07, 9903.89.10, 9903.89.13, 9903.89.16, 9903.89.19, 9903.89.22, 9903.89.25, 9903.89.28, 9903.89.31, 9903.89.34, 9903.89.37, 9903.89.40, 9903.89.43, 9903.89.46, 9903.89.49, 9903.89.50, 9903.89.52, 9903.89.55, 9903.89.57, 9903.89.59, 9903.89.61, 9903.89.63

Common confusions

• Section 301 is not synonymous with 9903.88 alone.
• The current CBP FAQ is China-focused, but the live schedule contains non-China Section 301 families too.
• Presence in the schedule does not, by itself, tell you whether a legacy family is still actively collectible on a given date.