Calculating machines and pocket-size data recording — HTS 8470
Calculating machines and pocket-size data recording, reproducing and displaying machines with calculating functions; accounting machines, postage-franking machines, ticket-issuing machines and similar machines, incorporating a calculating device; cash registers
Chapter 84 › Heading 8470
2026 HTS Rev 19 Synced Rules verified Operational
Written to help non-specialists understand this page. Rates, dates, and legal facts come from the official records above and on the linked source.
HTS heading 8470 is a broad product category for machines whose main function involves calculating, recording or displaying data, especially when they include calculating functions. It covers items such as calculating machines, certain pocket-size data devices, accounting machines, postage-franking machines, ticket-issuing machines, and cash registers. The heading is about the machine’s function and design—not simply whether a product has a calculator app or a digital display.
To choose an 8-digit HTSUS code, first confirm that the product belongs in heading 8470, then follow the subheadings and statistical breakouts under that heading. The more specific code may distinguish the machine’s type, principal function, operating features, or construction. Do not assume that the code is determined only by material; for many products in this heading, function and machine type are more important. Use the current HTSUS wording, section and chapter notes, and any relevant customs rulings or broker advice to verify the classification.
What to check
- Describe the product’s principal function, not just its appearance or the presence of a calculator feature.
- Check whether it is a standalone calculating machine, accounting or ticketing machine, cash register, franking machine, or another specifically described type.
- Review the product’s specifications, including input and output methods, printing, data-recording capability, software dependence, and whether it connects to another computer.
- Read every subheading and statistical description under heading 8470; select the most specific description supported by the product’s actual features.
- Keep technical literature, photographs, manuals, and a written classification rationale, and ask a customs broker or seek a binding ruling when the classification is uncertain.
HTS heading 8470 summary
Calculating machines and pocket-size data recording is a 4-digit product category containing 4 published product-code lines in this snapshot. A heading does not carry one universal duty rate; classification must be narrowed to the line matching the product facts.
How to find your code in this category
A heading is a product category. To get the exact duty, narrow from this 4-digit heading to a sub-category (usually by material), then open the 8-digit code that matches your product.
Open any code in the tables below to see its exact duty rate, a duty calculator (enter your shipment value → estimated duty and landed cost), the rate-change history chart, and the country-by-country breakdown (including Section 301/232 add-on duties).
Why you have to click in: a single category can contain products with very different duties. The rate depends on the specific product — its material and construction — and on the country of origin, and those only get pinned down at the 8-digit code level. That is why this page points you to codes instead of showing one rate for the whole category.
Product codes & duty rates
👇 Each row is a specific product code — click a blue code to open its full page with exact duty rates by country, the rate-history chart, and a duty calculator. 👉
| Code | Description | General (MFN) | Special | Column 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8470.10.00 👉 | Electronic calculators capable of operation without an external source of electric power and pocket-size data recording, reproducing and displaying machines with calculating functions | Free | — | 35% |
| 8470.30.00.00 👉 | Other calculating machines | Free | — | 35% |
| 8470.50.00 👉 | Cash registers | Free | — | 35% |
| 8470.90.01 👉 | Other | Free | — | 35% |
"Special" shows the free-trade-agreement rate; open a code to see exactly which countries qualify.
Common questions
What products fall under HTS heading 8470?
Calculating machines and pocket-size data recording, reproducing and displaying machines with calculating functions; accounting machines, postage-franking machines, ticket-issuing machines and similar machines, incorporating a calculating device; cash registers. To classify a specific item you must pick the matching sub-category and 8-digit code above; the right choice usually depends on the material and construction of the product.
How do I choose the right code within this category?
Start from the sub-categories (typically divided by material—for example cotton versus man-made fibers), then open the active 8- or 10-digit code that matches the product. When unsure, a licensed customs broker or a CBP binding ruling can confirm the classification.
Reference information only, not customs, legal, or classification advice. Confirm the current code and rate against the official HTS before you import.