HTSUS General Rules of Interpretation on the Customs Broker Exam
64 of the 1,261 questions CBP has released are answered from the HTSUS General Rules of Interpretation — 5.1% of every question on record, about 3.8 on a paper of 80. Cited in 15 of the 17 published sittings.
Questions
64
Sittings cited in
15 of 17
Per paper
~3.8
What CBP asks out of the HTSUS General Rules of Interpretation
The General Rules of Interpretation are the six rules printed at the front of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, and every classification question is decided by applying them in order — GRI 1 first, and the later rules only when the earlier ones leave the question open.
The questions are not spread evenly. Classification accounts for 63 of them, which is where to start if this is a weak spot.
| Topic | Questions | Share of these |
|---|---|---|
| Classification | 63 | 98% |
| Entry & Entry Summary | 1 | 2% |
Questions answered from the HTSUS General Rules of Interpretation
The 24 most recent, newest sitting first. Each one shows CBP's official answer and the exact citation behind it.
- April 2026 Q32Of the four choices below, which is the best CLASSIFICATION of alloy steel coils? The cold-rolled steel is successively superimposed in…7225.50.8010 · HTSUS General Rule of Interpretation (GRI) 1Answer →
- April 2026 Q37Of the four choices below, which is the best CLASSIFICATION of linoleum tiles? The tiles are composed of solidified linseed oil, pine…5904.10.0000 · GRI 1Answer →
- April 2026 Q38Of the four choices below, which is the best CLASSIFICATION of sound insulating panels? The panels are two centimeters thick and imported…6808.00.0000 · GRI 1Answer →
- April 2026 Q39Of the four choices below, which is the best CLASSIFICATION for a plastic brush with metal bristles used to groom a dog or cat that at time…9603.90.8050 · GRI 1Answer →
- April 2026 Q40Of the four choices below, which is the best CLASSIFICATION of pure silver (99.99%) coins that are minted in South Africa, have legal…7118.90.0055 · GRI 1Answer →
- October 2025 Q32Of the four choices below, which is the best CLASSIFICATION of a pair of men’s trousers made up of 100 percent polyester knit pile fabric,…GRI 1 · Chapter 54Answer →
- October 2025 Q34Of the four choices below, which is the best CLASSIFICATION of a machine that produces glass fibers? This machine is a highly specialized…8475.29.0000 HTSUS · GRI 2(a)Answer →
- October 2025 Q36Diamond Vision imports eyeglass (spectacle) frames and lenses as disassembled parts into the United States. The frame part is a single…GRI 1 · 2(a)Answer →
- April 2025 Q26What is the CLASSIFICATION of a chocolate production line that includes a conveyor belt, a mixer, cooling tunnel, and cutters? The entire…GRI 1 · GRI 2(a)Answer →
- April 2025 Q29What is the CLASSIFICATION of semi-refined solid paraffin wax with an oil content of .05% by weight? The product will be imported in solid…GRI 1 · GRI 6Answer →
- April 2025 Q34What is the CLASSIFICATION of a hot-rolled, stainless-steel sheet imported in coils? The stainless-steel sheet measures 750 millimeters in…GRI 1 · HTSUS Chapter 72Answer →
- April 2025 Q35What is the CLASSIFICATION of a new road tractor, with both compression-ignition internal combustion piston engine and electric motor as…GRI 1 · GRI 6Answer →
- April 2025 Q37Which of the following is a TRUE statement regarding the principles governing the classification of goods in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule…GRI 1 · GRI 6Answer →
- April 2025 Q40What is the CLASSIFICATION of synthetic ice panels from Sweden consisting of interlocking tiles manufactured from high density polyethylene…GRI 1 · GRI 6Answer →
- October 2024 Q26What is the CLASSIFICATION for a plastic tripod designed for use with a digital camera?HTSUS 9620.00.5000 · General Rules of Interpretation (GRI) 1Answer →
- October 2024 Q27The Explanatory Notes (ENs) to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) define sets as follows: “for the purposes of…GRI 3(b)Answer →
- October 2024 Q28What is the CLASSIFICATION of an artificial floral bouquet that consists of purple and pink flowers made from natural ostrich feathers that…HTSUS 6702.90.1000 · GRI 1Answer →
- October 2024 Q36What is the CLASSIFICATION of a set of four (4) molded, high-grade thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) floor mats, specifically shaped for…HTSUS 8708.99.8180 · GRI 1Answer →
- October 2024 Q39What is the CLASSIFICATION of a beverage dispenser machine designed to dispense both soda and non-carbonated soft drinks? The dispenser is…HTSUS 8481.80.9005 · GRI 1Answer →
- October 2024 Q40What is the CLASSIFICATION and duty rate for a button of acrylic resin, not covered with textile material? The finished button is a product…GRI 1 · General Notes 2Answer →
- May 2024 Q30What is the CLASSIFICATION of floor tiles, which measure approximately fifteen (15) centimeters long by fifteen (15) centimeters wide by…6811.82.0000 · GRI 1Answer →
- May 2024 Q31What is the CLASSIFICATION of a sound signaling apparatus imported with two components, Part A and Part B, that is battery operated,…8531.80.1500 · GRI 1Answer →
- May 2024 Q33What is the CLASSIFICATION of nonalloy (carbon) steel doors to be used in offshore windmill turbines? The doors will be used to access the…GRI 1 · HTSUS 7308.30.5050Answer →
- May 2024 Q34What is the CLASSIFICATION of a cat harness, developed by the Princess Paws Pet Company. The harnesses are designed for cats and are…GRI 3(a) · Heading 4201Answer →
Where the text is
The exam is open book, so the only thing that matters on the day is how fast you reach the right paragraph.
Open the Harmonized Tariff Schedule at the USITC →
Question counts are from CBP's published papers and answer keys, 2018–2026, checked October 6, 2026 against CBP's own release. One count per question: a question citing three subsections counts once.
Questions candidates ask about this
- How many Customs Broker Exam questions come from the HTSUS General Rules of Interpretation?
- 64 of the 1,261 questions CBP has released are answered from the HTSUS General Rules of Interpretation — 5.1% of everything on record, about 3.8 on a paper of 80. The HTSUS General Rules of Interpretation have been cited in 15 of the 17 released sittings, averaging 3.8 questions a paper.
- What do the HTSUS General Rules of Interpretation cover?
- The General Rules of Interpretation are the six rules printed at the front of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, and every classification question is decided by applying them in order — GRI 1 first, and the later rules only when the earlier ones leave the question open. On the exam they show up mostly in Classification (63 questions), Entry & Entry Summary (1 questions).
- Are the HTSUS General Rules of Interpretation worth tabbing?
- The HTSUS General Rules of Interpretation have been cited in 15 of the 17 released sittings, averaging 3.8 questions a paper. The exam is open book and runs at about three minutes a question, which makes anything at that frequency worth reaching in seconds rather than minutes.
What else answers these questions
Find out where you actually lose marks
Knowing that this carries 64 questions is only useful next to knowing how many of them you get right. The diagnostic is weighted like a real paper and takes fifteen minutes.