LED desk lamp with adjustable gooseneck, touch dimmer, and integrated USB charging port
Country of origin for this scenario: China.
Recommended HTS code
9405.21.60
Other
MEDIUM confidence. Heading 9405 is clearly correct for an LED desk lamp with gooseneck under GRI 1; multiple on-point rulings confirm desk/table lamps belong in 9405.20 (now restructured as 9405.21 for LED-specific subheadings). The primary ambiguity is material composition (base metal vs. other) and the precise 10-digit statistical suffix (Household vs. Other), which requires physical verification of the lamp body material. The cited rulings predate the current LED-specific subheading structure (9405.21 vs. 9405.29), so no ruling directly addresses 9405.21.60. The integrated USB charging port does not change essential character — the lamp remains a luminaire.
Classification analysis generated on July 22, 2026 from the current Harmonized Tariff Schedule and published CBP rulings, for the product description shown — our analysis, not legal advice.
The question to put to a licensed broker
Is the lamp body/housing predominantly of base metal (steel, aluminum, etc.) or of plastic/other material, and is this product intended for household use? This determines whether the correct subheading is 9405.21.60 (base metal, other) vs. 9405.21.80 (other material) and the correct 10-digit suffix (.10 Household vs. .20 Other).
How the classification was reached
GRI Reasoning
GRI 1 — Heading Determination
The product is an LED desk lamp with adjustable gooseneck, touch dimmer, and integrated USB charging port. Under GRI 1, we look to the terms of the heading and any relevant legal notes.
Heading 9405 covers "Luminaires and lighting fittings…not elsewhere specified or included." An LED desk lamp is plainly a luminaire. The USB charging port is an ancillary feature that does not transform the article into something other than a lamp; its essential character under GRI 3(b) remains that of a luminaire designed to provide light at a desk/table surface.
Heading 8513 covers portable electric lamps designed to function by their own source of energy (batteries, etc.). A mains-powered AC desk lamp with a USB port does not qualify — the USB port does not make it battery-operated. Ruling N015144 classified a battery-powered gooseneck LED reading lamp under 9405.20.8010, confirming that even battery-operated LED desk lamps go to 9405, not 8513. An AC-powered lamp is even more clearly excluded from 8513.
Heading 8543 is a residual provision for electrical machines not elsewhere specified. Because the article is specifically provided for in 9405, 8543 cannot apply (Note 1(m) to Chapter 85 excludes articles of Chapter 94).
GRI 6 — Subheading Determination
Within 9405, the relevant group is: "Electric table, desk, bedside or floor-standing luminaires"
- The desk lamp clearly falls here.
- Because it is designed for use solely with LED light sources, the applicable subheading branch is 9405.21 (LED-specific), not 9405.29 (Other).
Material of construction:
- If the lamp body is of base metal (steel, aluminum — typical for gooseneck lamps per rulings N308972 and N059057): → 9405.21.60 (base metal, other than brass) — general rate 6%
- If the lamp body is of brass: → 9405.21.40 — general rate 3.7%
- If the lamp body is of other material (predominantly plastic): → 9405.21.80 — general rate 3.9%
Given that gooseneck desk lamps are overwhelmingly constructed with steel/aluminum bases and shafts (confirmed by N308972 — steel gooseneck lamps classified as "of base metal"), 9405.21.60 is the most probable subheading.
10-digit suffix:
- 9405.21.60.10 — Household
- 9405.21.60.20 — Other
A desk lamp sold at a $6.30 unit value for consumer use is almost certainly "Household" (suffix .10). However, this must be confirmed.
Note on Ruling Currency
The cited rulings (N308972, N059057, N015144, R04061) all reference the former subheading 9405.20.60 or 9405.20.80. The HTS has since been restructured to create LED-specific subheadings (9405.21 for LED table/desk lamps). The classification logic from the rulings remains directly analogous — the only change is the code structure, not the classification principle.
Section 301 / Chapter 99 Overlay
All 9405.21 subheadings in the supplied evidence carry the footnote: "See 9903.88.03." This is an additional-duty overlay flag (Section 301, China). Per ruling N308972, goods of China classified under 9405.20.6010 (now analogous to 9405.21.60) were subject to an additional 25% ad valorem under 9903.88.03. Importers must report 9903.88.03 at entry in addition to the base classification subheading. The current applicability and rate of 9903.88.03 must be verified at time of importation as Section 301 rates are subject to change.
Duty Summary (as appearing in supplied HTS rows)
- 9405.21.60 general rate: 6%
- 9903.88.03 additional overlay: flag to verify (additional Section 301 duty)
- Column 2 ("other") rate: 45%
- Special (GSP, FTA): Free for qualifying countries; China does not qualify
Rejected Alternatives
- 8513.10.40.00: Requires lamp to function by its own source of energy (batteries). An AC-powered desk lamp with USB output port does not qualify.
- 8543.70.98: Residual; excluded because 9405 specifically provides for luminaires (Chapter 85 Note 1(m)).
- 9405.29.60: Would apply only if lamp is NOT designed solely for LED use; this lamp has integrated LED, so 9405.21 is correct.
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: Gooseneck desk lamps and floor-standing lamps of steel/base metal construction, household use, from China
Why it’s analogous: Directly on point: CBP classified gooseneck-style adjustable desk lamps of steel/base metal as 9405.20.6010 (now restructured as 9405.21.60 for LED-specific subheading) and confirmed applicability of 9903.88.03 Section 301 additional duty for Chinese-origin lamps.
What it classified: Dual-shade and adjustable desk lamps with flexible steel gooseneck, steel base, from China
Why it’s analogous: CBP confirmed that steel-body adjustable gooseneck desk lamps are classified as 'of base metal' under 9405.20.6010, supporting the base-metal material determination for similar construction.
What it classified: Mini reading lamp — battery-powered gooseneck LED desk lamp, plastic and steel construction, from China
Why it’s analogous: CBP classified a gooseneck LED desk lamp (even battery-operated) under 9405.20.8010, confirming that LED desk lamps belong in heading 9405 as luminaires; also confirms that the integrated power/charging feature does not remove the article from 9405.
What it classified: Clip-on lamp with flexible metal gooseneck, from China
Why it’s analogous: Illustrates CBP's approach to gooseneck lamps and the distinction between desk lamps (9405.20) and other configurations; confirms gooseneck is a feature of the lamp itself, not determinative of a different heading.
What it classified: Electric desk lamp and floor lamp, plastic gooseneck, fluorescent bulb, from China
Why it’s analogous: CBP classified plastic-body gooseneck desk lamps under 9405.20.80 ('Other' material), establishing the material-of-construction bifurcation between base-metal (.60) and other-material (.80) subheadings within the desk lamp group.
What the duty looks like
Duty math shown for illustrative declared values — $6.30 per unit at 9,000 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)
- 6%
- Annual declared value at the illustrative numbers
- $56,700
- Base duty per year (illustrative)
- $3,402
Chapter-99 overlay headings flagged on this code
- 9903.88.03 — The duty provided in the applicable subheading + 25%. Except as provided in headings 9903.88.13, 9903.88.18, 9903.88.33, 9903.88.34, 9903.88.35, 9903.88.36, 9903.88.37, 9903.88.38, 9903.88.40, 9903.88.41, 9903.88.43, 9903.88.45, 9903.88.46, 9903.88.48, 9903.88.56, 9903.88.64, 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(e) to this subchapter and as provided for in the subheadings enumerated in U.S. note 20(f)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9405.21.60.10 | Other | 6% | Full 10-digit statistical code if lamp body is confirmed as base metal (non-brass) AND intended for household use. General rate: 6%. Additional 9903.88.03 overlay to verify. This is the most likely complete code pending material confirmation. |
| 9405.21.80.10 | Other | 3.9% | Applicable if lamp body/housing is determined to be predominantly plastic or other non-base-metal material. General rate: 3.9%. Column 2: 35%. 9903.88.03 overlay still applies for China-origin goods. |
| 9405.29.60.10 | Other | 6% | Would apply only if CBP determines the lamp is NOT designed solely for LED light sources (e.g., accepts other bulb types). General rate: 6%. Unlikely given integrated LED design. |
| 8513.10.40.00 | Other | 3.5% | Portable electric lamps by own energy source — excluded if lamp is AC-powered (mains). Only relevant if lamp operates primarily on internal battery with USB as supplemental charging. General rate: 3.5%. Confirm primary power source. |
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