{
  "summary": "USB cables are usually classified under HS code 8544.42 when it is an insulated electric conductor for no more than 1,000 volts, fitted with connectors. It sits in heading 85.44, “Insulated (including enamelled or anodised) wire, cable (including co-axial cable) and other insulated electric conductors, whether or not fitted with connectors; optical fibre cables, made up of individually sheathed fibres, whether or not assembled with electric conductors or fitted with connectors”. USB cables can also fall under 8544.49, depending on the connector fitting.",
  "updatedAt": "2026-10-11",
  "facts": [
    {
      "label": "Most likely code",
      "value": "8544.42",
      "source": null,
      "url": "https://border.bot/hs-codes/854442"
    },
    {
      "label": "Chapter",
      "value": "85: Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof; sound recorders and reproducers, television image and sound recorders and reproducers, and parts and accessories of such articles",
      "source": null,
      "url": "https://border.bot/hs-codes/85"
    },
    {
      "label": "Candidate codes",
      "value": "2",
      "source": null
    },
    {
      "label": "HS edition",
      "value": "HS2022",
      "source": null
    }
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "question": "What is the HS code for USB cables?",
      "answer": "USB cables are usually classified under HS code 8544.42 when it is an insulated electric conductor for no more than 1,000 volts, fitted with connectors. It sits in heading 85.44, “Insulated (including enamelled or anodised) wire, cable (including co-axial cable) and other insulated electric conductors, whether or not fitted with connectors; optical fibre cables, made up of individually sheathed fibres, whether or not assembled with electric conductors or fitted with connectors”."
    },
    {
      "question": "Does the connector fitting change the HS code for USB cables?",
      "answer": "Yes. Use 8544.42 when it is an insulated electric conductor for no more than 1,000 volts, fitted with connectors. Use 8544.49 when it is an insulated electric conductor for no more than 1,000 volts without connectors."
    }
  ],
  "sections": [
    {
      "id": "choose",
      "title": "How to choose the right code",
      "text": [
        "Is the cable fitted with connectors at its ends? Use 8544.42 when it is an insulated electric conductor for no more than 1,000 volts, fitted with connectors. Use 8544.49 when it is an insulated electric conductor for no more than 1,000 volts without connectors.",
        "Some similar goods are classified elsewhere: 8544.70 applies when it is an optical fibre cable made up of individually sheathed fibres."
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "codes",
      "title": "Codes for USB cables",
      "text": [
        "Each code is listed with its legal text from the HS2022 Harmonized System release, quoted as published, and the condition under which it applies to USB cables."
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "similar",
      "title": "Similar products",
      "text": [
        "Products in the same category as USB cables, or classified under the same headings."
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "countries",
      "title": "Duty rates by country",
      "text": [
        "National tariff lines for USB cables are live for the United States. Each page lists the lines under the codes above, with their duty rates where they are live."
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "check",
      "title": "Check your exact product",
      "text": [
        "Describe your product, or paste its page, and the classifier suggests the code with its reasons."
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "note",
      "title": "Classification depends on the exact product",
      "text": [
        "The right code depends on what the product is made of, how it is made and what it is for, so two products sold as USB cables can fall under different codes.",
        "Guidance from published tariff data, not a binding ruling. For a decision customs must follow, apply to the destination’s customs authority for a binding tariff ruling."
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sources",
      "title": "Sources and updates",
      "text": [
        "The legal texts are from the HS2022 Harmonized System release, live on border.bot since 11 October 2026.",
        "The conditions and questions on this page were written for USB cables by border.bot and checked against those legal texts; the page changes when a new release goes live or the topic is reviewed again."
      ]
    }
  ],
  "data": {
    "type": "product-topic",
    "topic": {
      "slug": "usb-cables",
      "name": "USB cables",
      "singular": "USB cable",
      "plural": "USB cables",
      "synonyms": [
        "charging cable",
        "usb-c cable",
        "lightning cable",
        "data cable",
        "phone cable"
      ],
      "category": {
        "id": "electronics",
        "name": "Electronics"
      }
    },
    "edition": "HS2022",
    "codes": [
      {
        "code": "854442",
        "role": "likely",
        "when": "it is an insulated electric conductor for no more than 1,000 volts, fitted with connectors",
        "legalText": "Other electric conductors, for a voltage not exceeding 1 000 V: Fitted with connectors",
        "levels": [
          "Other electric conductors, for a voltage not exceeding 1 000 V",
          "Fitted with connectors"
        ],
        "heading": {
          "code": "8544",
          "description": "Insulated (including enamelled or anodised) wire, cable (including co-axial cable) and other insulated electric conductors, whether or not fitted with connectors; optical fibre cables, made up of individually sheathed fibres, whether or not assembled with electric conductors or fitted with connectors"
        },
        "chapter": {
          "code": "85",
          "description": "Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof; sound recorders and reproducers, television image and sound recorders and reproducers, and parts and accessories of such articles"
        }
      },
      {
        "code": "854449",
        "role": "possible",
        "when": "it is an insulated electric conductor for no more than 1,000 volts without connectors",
        "legalText": "Other electric conductors, for a voltage not exceeding 1 000 V: Other",
        "levels": [
          "Other electric conductors, for a voltage not exceeding 1 000 V",
          "Other"
        ],
        "heading": {
          "code": "8544",
          "description": "Insulated (including enamelled or anodised) wire, cable (including co-axial cable) and other insulated electric conductors, whether or not fitted with connectors; optical fibre cables, made up of individually sheathed fibres, whether or not assembled with electric conductors or fitted with connectors"
        },
        "chapter": {
          "code": "85",
          "description": "Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof; sound recorders and reproducers, television image and sound recorders and reproducers, and parts and accessories of such articles"
        }
      },
      {
        "code": "854470",
        "role": "elsewhere",
        "when": "it is an optical fibre cable made up of individually sheathed fibres",
        "legalText": "Optical fibre cables",
        "levels": [
          "Optical fibre cables"
        ],
        "heading": {
          "code": "8544",
          "description": "Insulated (including enamelled or anodised) wire, cable (including co-axial cable) and other insulated electric conductors, whether or not fitted with connectors; optical fibre cables, made up of individually sheathed fibres, whether or not assembled with electric conductors or fitted with connectors"
        },
        "chapter": {
          "code": "85",
          "description": "Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof; sound recorders and reproducers, television image and sound recorders and reproducers, and parts and accessories of such articles"
        }
      }
    ],
    "questions": [
      {
        "about": "connector fitting",
        "codes": [
          "854442",
          "854449"
        ],
        "question": "Is the cable fitted with connectors at its ends?"
      }
    ],
    "similar": [
      {
        "slug": "computer-keyboards",
        "name": "Computer keyboards",
        "category": {
          "id": "electronics",
          "name": "Electronics"
        },
        "codes": [
          "847160"
        ]
      },
      {
        "slug": "computer-mice",
        "name": "Computer mice",
        "category": {
          "id": "electronics",
          "name": "Electronics"
        },
        "codes": [
          "847160"
        ]
      },
      {
        "slug": "computer-monitors",
        "name": "Computer monitors",
        "category": {
          "id": "electronics",
          "name": "Electronics"
        },
        "codes": [
          "852852"
        ]
      },
      {
        "slug": "digital-cameras",
        "name": "Digital cameras",
        "category": {
          "id": "electronics",
          "name": "Electronics"
        },
        "codes": [
          "852589"
        ]
      },
      {
        "slug": "headphones",
        "name": "Headphones",
        "category": {
          "id": "electronics",
          "name": "Electronics"
        },
        "codes": [
          "851830"
        ]
      },
      {
        "slug": "laptops",
        "name": "Laptops",
        "category": {
          "id": "electronics",
          "name": "Electronics"
        },
        "codes": [
          "847130"
        ]
      },
      {
        "slug": "memory-cards",
        "name": "Memory cards",
        "category": {
          "id": "electronics",
          "name": "Electronics"
        },
        "codes": [
          "852351"
        ]
      },
      {
        "slug": "phone-chargers",
        "name": "Phone chargers",
        "category": {
          "id": "electronics",
          "name": "Electronics"
        },
        "codes": [
          "850440"
        ]
      },
      {
        "slug": "smartphones",
        "name": "Smartphones",
        "category": {
          "id": "electronics",
          "name": "Electronics"
        },
        "codes": [
          "851713"
        ]
      },
      {
        "slug": "tablets",
        "name": "Tablet computers",
        "category": {
          "id": "electronics",
          "name": "Electronics"
        },
        "codes": [
          "847130"
        ]
      },
      {
        "slug": "televisions",
        "name": "Televisions",
        "category": {
          "id": "electronics",
          "name": "Electronics"
        },
        "codes": [
          "852872"
        ]
      },
      {
        "slug": "usb-flash-drives",
        "name": "USB flash drives",
        "category": {
          "id": "electronics",
          "name": "Electronics"
        },
        "codes": [
          "852351"
        ]
      }
    ],
    "countries": [
      {
        "code": "US",
        "name": "United States",
        "slug": "united-states",
        "lines": 4,
        "ratesLive": true
      }
    ],
    "provenance": [
      {
        "dataset": "GLOBAL:hs",
        "country": "GLOBAL",
        "kind": "hs",
        "seq": 2,
        "version": "mytraddal hs2022.csv (HS 2022)",
        "liveAt": "2026-10-11T06:04:17.693Z",
        "origin": "upload",
        "sourceUrls": []
      }
    ],
    "dateModified": "2026-10-11T08:23:53.439Z",
    "seo": {
      "canonicalPath": "/hs-codes/for/usb-cables",
      "robots": "index",
      "sitemap": true,
      "reasons": [
        "published topic, every candidate in the live HS release"
      ]
    }
  },
  "links": {
    "self": "https://border.bot/hs-codes/for/usb-cables.json",
    "html": "https://border.bot/hs-codes/for/usb-cables",
    "canonical": "https://border.bot/hs-codes/for/usb-cables",
    "markdown": "https://border.bot/hs-codes/for/usb-cables.md",
    "tools": {
      "classifier": "https://border.bot/tools/hs-code-classifier?product=USB+cable",
      "calculator": "https://border.bot/tools/landed-cost-calculator",
      "api": "https://api.border.bot/v1"
    }
  },
  "attribution": "border.bot tariff reference (border.bot), compiled from the official publishers named on each page.",
  "terms": "https://border.bot/legal/terms",
  "notice": "Guidance from published tariff data, not a binding ruling. For a decision customs must follow, apply to the destination’s customs authority for a binding tariff ruling.",
  "catalogVersion": "08bc53aa"
}