Foreign Trade Division rolled out a new search engine, designed and supported by 3CE, a private software company.   Trade Division, however, does a poor job of reconciliation of 3CE’s search engine with general rules of interpretation, which should be dispositive in determination of harmonized code (Schedule B included).  3CE engine produces false positives, even for simple products.  If one, for example, would try to determine Schedule B number for steel cable ties, 3CE search engine would direct to 7302.90 (Railway or tramway track construction material of iron or steel, the following: rails, check-rails and rack rails, switch blades, crossing frogs, point rods and other crossing pieces, sleepers (cross-ties), fish-plates, chairs, chair wedges, sole plates (base plates), rail clips, bedplates, ties and other material specialized for jointing or fixing rails: Other).  Steel cable ties should be classified in the residual category of that chapter (7326).  Another example are o-rings.  3CE gives you a choice to classify it as an “article for technical use” or as a “part.”  No guidance on either definition is provided.  Therefore, if I choose part, I will land somewhere in the landscape of Section XVI, without even knowing about Note 2 requirements of that section. Trade Division…

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