Rechargeable Bluetooth portable speaker with fabric-wrapped housing and integrated microphone
Country of origin for this scenario: Vietnam.
Recommended HTS code
8518.22.00.00
Multiple loudspeakers, mounted in the same enclosure
HIGH confidence. GRI 1 places the product squarely under heading 8518 as a loudspeaker mounted in an enclosure. Two on-point HQ rulings (H167260 and H310177) classify Bluetooth wireless speakers with integrated microphones at 8518.22.00, holding that sound-reproduction/amplification is the principal function under Section XVI Note 3. The subheading 8518.22.00.00 appears in the verified HTS rows. No open verification questions remain beyond confirming the unit contains more than one driver (multiple loudspeakers); if only a single driver is present, 8518.21.00.00 would apply instead.
Classification analysis generated on July 7, 2026 from the current Harmonized Tariff Schedule and published CBP rulings, for the product description shown — our analysis, not legal advice.
How the classification was reached
GRI Reasoning
Step 1 — GRI 1: Heading identification
The product is a portable, rechargeable Bluetooth speaker with a fabric-wrapped housing and an integrated microphone. Its primary commercial purpose is to reproduce amplified audio wirelessly. Heading 8518 explicitly covers "loudspeakers, whether or not mounted in their enclosures" and microphones; all key components (driver(s), amplifier circuitry, microphone) fall within this heading's scope.
The competing candidates are:
- 8517.62.00 — apparatus for transmission/reception of voice/data (Bluetooth transceiver angle)
- 8527.99 — radiobroadcast reception apparatus (Bluetooth-as-radio-receiver angle)
- 8543.70.96 — residual electrical machines NES
Step 2 — Section XVI Note 3 (composite machine / principal function)
The device performs two complementary functions: (a) wireless audio reception via Bluetooth (arguable 8517) and (b) loudspeaker amplification (8518). Under Section XVI Note 3, a composite machine is classified by its principal function.
HQ H167260 (Jawbone Jambox — Bluetooth speaker with built-in microphone, speakerphone capability) is directly analogous: CBP held the principal function is loudspeaker/sound amplification under 8518, not wireless data transmission under 8517, because the device's defining physical characteristic and consumer purpose is audio output. HQ H310177 (Sonos multifunction wireless speakers) similarly revoked prior 8517.62 classifications and confirmed 8518.22.00 for wireless multi-driver speakers.
N203599 (portable Bluetooth stereo speaker with rechargeable battery) further confirms 8518 classification even when Bluetooth reception is present, reasoning that the device is "always ready to amplify audio" regardless of connection mode.
The integrated microphone does not shift classification away from 8518; heading 8518 itself covers "headphones and earphones, whether or not combined with a microphone" and the ENs contemplate microphones as ancillary in speakerphone-type devices. The Jambox ruling (H167260) involved the identical speakerphone/microphone combination and still landed at 8518.22.00.
Step 3 — 8517 exclusion
Heading 8517 is excluded where another heading more specifically describes the goods. Because the product's essential character and principal function is loudspeaker amplification, 8517 is set aside per Section XVI Note 3 and confirmed by H167260 and H310177.
Step 4 — 8527 exclusion
Heading 8527 covers "reception apparatus for radiobroadcasting." Bluetooth is a short-range wireless protocol, not a radiobroadcast service. N241567 (Sony Walkman) classified FM radio reception under 8527; a Bluetooth speaker receives no radiobroadcast signal. 8527 does not apply.
Step 5 — 8543 exclusion
8543 is a residual heading applicable only when goods are not specified or included elsewhere. Because 8518 covers loudspeakers mounted in enclosures, 8543 is precluded.
Step 6 — Subheading selection (GRI 6)
Within 8518, the product is a loudspeaker mounted in an enclosure:
- 8518.21.00.00 — single loudspeaker in enclosure
- 8518.22.00.00 — multiple loudspeakers in same enclosure
Portable Bluetooth speakers of this type typically incorporate at least two drivers (e.g., woofer + tweeter, or two full-range drivers for stereo). H167260 (Jambox) and H310177 (Sonos with multiple drivers) both resolved at 8518.22.00. The product description does not specify a single-driver design; the fabric-wrapped portable form factor is consistent with multi-driver units ruled at 8518.22.00. If upon physical inspection only a single driver is confirmed, reclassify to 8518.21.00.00 (same duty rate).
Step 7 — Duty rate
- General (Column 1): Free (as stated in HTS row 8518.22.00.00)
- Column 2 ("other"): 35%
- 9903 overlay: The footnote on 8518.22.00.00 references 9903.88.15 as an additional-overlay flag — verify applicability at time of entry; do not apply an assumed rate.
- Origin — Vietnam: Eligible for Column 1 general rate (Free) absent any active 9903 overlay.
Step 8 — 10-digit statistical suffix
8518.22.00.00 appears in the verified HTS rows as the complete 10-digit code.
Cited CBP rulings
Every ruling below was fetched from CBP’s public CROSS database and verified to exist before this page was published. Links go to the official ruling text.
What it classified: Jawbone Jambox — portable Bluetooth wireless speaker with built-in microphone and speakerphone capability, imported with charging cables, stereo cable, AC charger, carrying case, and user guide
Why it’s analogous: Directly on-point: same product archetype (rechargeable Bluetooth speaker with integrated microphone). CBP HQ held under Section XVI Note 3 that principal function is loudspeaker amplification, not wireless data transmission, classifying at 8518.22.00. The speakerphone/microphone feature did not shift classification away from 8518.
What it classified: Sonos Play:3, ZonePlayer S5, and SUB — multifunction wireless speakers that stream audio over Wi-Fi/Bluetooth networks with multiple integrated amplifiers and drivers
Why it’s analogous: CBP HQ revoked prior 8517.62 classifications and confirmed 8518.22.00 for wireless speakers with multiple drivers. Establishes that wireless connectivity does not override the loudspeaker classification where sound reproduction is the principal function.
What it classified: Mo'Beats portable stereo Bluetooth speaker/stand with rechargeable lithium-ion battery and aux-in port
Why it’s analogous: CBP held that a rechargeable portable Bluetooth speaker is classified in heading 8518 because it is always ready to amplify audio regardless of whether connected via Bluetooth or aux-in. Confirms that Bluetooth capability does not displace the loudspeaker heading.
What the duty looks like
Duty math shown for illustrative declared values — $11.20 per unit at 8,000 units per year is our assumption for this explainer, not a measurement of anyone's imports. Your numbers will differ.
- Base duty rate (column 1, general)
- Free
- Annual declared value at the illustrative numbers
- $89,600
- Base duty per year (illustrative)
- $0
Chapter-99 overlay headings flagged on this code
- 9903.88.15 — The duty provided in the applicable subheading + 7.5%. Except as provided in headings 9903.88.39, 9903.88.42, 9903.88.44, 9903.88.47, 9903.88.49, 9903.88.51, 9903.88.53, 9903.88.55, 9903.88.57, 9903.88.65, 9903.88.66, 9903.88.67, 9903.88.68, or 9903.88.69, articles the product of China, as provided for in U.S. note 20(r) to this subchapter and as provided for in the subheadings enumerated in U.S. note 20(s)
Overlay applicability depends on origin, entry date, and any active exclusions — verify at entry.
Alternatives considered
The full candidate set from the fetched tariff rows — including rows that would carry a higher duty. Shown so the reasoning is checkable, not to offer a rate menu.
| Code | Description | General rate | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8518.21.00.00 | Single loudspeakers, mounted in their enclosures | Free | Applicable if physical inspection confirms the unit contains only a single loudspeaker driver. Same general duty rate (Free) and same 9903.88.15 overlay flag. Recommend verifying driver count before filing. |
| 8517.62.00.90 | Machines for the reception, conversion and transmission or regeneration of voice, images or other data, including switching and routing apparatus | Free | Argued when Bluetooth wireless transmission/reception is viewed as the essential character. CBP precedent (H167260, H310177) has moved away from this classification for speaker-primary devices. N246030 classified a Bluetooth headset — a two-way voice communication device — at 8517.62.0050, but that product's principal function was voice communication, not audio playback. Not recommended here. |
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