Global Fastener News

November 18, 2008 FIN – Kathy Campanelli, national import specialist for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, told attendees of a National Industrial Fastener Show seminar that accurate information is vital to ensure that reliable, quality-made fasteners are imported into the U.S. “I can’t stress enough how important it is for the fastener industry to have safe products entering into commerce,” Campanelli stated.

You should know your supplier, she urged, and work together to document the essential information on the fasteners being imported. “Your information should actually be repeated on the invoice. This information is essential for customs clearance.” Detailed information on your invoice is important, she noted, including what material the fastener is made of and how the fastener is classified by Customs.
Campanelli’s address featured a translator to assist the sizeable contingent of Chinese fastener companies in attendance.
To qualify as a fastener, products must fasten or connect an item, not transmit motion or movement. To qualify as threaded, the ridges must go completely around the fastener.
There are other criteria to consider as well, including length and diameter. For example, for a fastener to qualify as a machine screw, it must by 9.5mm or more in length and 3.2mm or more in diameter (not including cap screws).
Campanelli reminded importers of their obligation to properly label products with the accurate country of origin. Merely listing a country, such as “Taiwan” is not acceptable. The carton must be marked “made in Taiwan.”
Importers are ultimately responsible for the product to be marked with origin, so they are required to advise their distributor customers which country the product was made in so that the package to the “ultimate purchaser” can be properly marked. ©2008/2012 Fastener Industry News
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