Trading card|HTS Code

Trading card harmonized system code

Product Overview Trading card defined under HTSUS 4911.91 is a printed card manufactured primarily of paper or paperboard, specifically produced for collection, trading, or gaming purposes. Typical dimensions range from 63 mm × 88 mm to 70 mm × 120 mm, grammage commonly 200–350 g/m², single- or multi-ply substrate, optionally coated (e.g., gloss, matte, or aqueous varnish). Processing includes lithographic or digital printing, die-cutting, corner rounding, foiling, embossing, and lamination; cards may be packaged as singles, packs, or sets with backing boards or sleeves. Quality attributes relevant to classification and customs valuation include GSM, coating type, print run size, color process (CMYK plus spot), presence of metallic or holographic elements, and whether hand-signed or machine-inserted. Subcategories within 4911.91 are typically delineated by finished use and embellishment: standard printed trading cards, laminated cards, foil-stamped or hologram-enhanced cards, and cards with attached accessories (stickers, inserts). Commercial applications encompass retail collectible sales, promotional marketing inserts, organized gaming events, and secondary-market trading and authentication services. HTS Code Classification & Trade Specifications Complete HTS Code Structure: Chapter 49 (Printed books, newspapers, pictures and other products of the printing industry); Heading 4911 (Other printed matter, including printed pictures and photographs); Subheading 4911.91 (Trading cards and other printed articles specified by the subheading). Full six-digit classification for US customs purposes generally recorded as 4911.91.0000 with additional statistical suffixes for national subheadings. Classification rationale: product definition hinges on material composition (paper/paperboard), primary function as collectible or gaming card, and level of printing/finishing rather than textual content; embellishments (foil, lamination, holograms) do not alter chapter/heading but can affect national treatment and duty assessment. Trade considerations: common commercial packaging includes sealed polybags, blister packs, and tuck-end boxes with carton-level master cases palletized on standard 48"×40" pallets; recommended preservation is desiccant inclusion and climate-controlled containers for high-value runs. Shipping documentation should state GSM, ply, dimensions, print method, copy count, packing configuration, and any manufacturer declarations for origin. Quality standards reference ISO 12647 (printing) and ISO 9706/9701 where applicable.

Trading card Chapter Note

1.- This Chapter does not cover : (a) Photographic negatives or positives on transparent bases (Chapter 37); (b) Maps, plans or globes, in relief, whether or not printed (heading 90.23); (c) Playing cards or other goods of Chapter 95; or (d) Original engravings, prints or lithographs (heading 97.02), postage or revenue stamps, stamppostmarks, first-day covers, postal stationery or the like of heading 97.04, antiques of an age exceeding one hundred years or other articles of Chapter 97. 2.- For the purposes of Chapter 49, the term “printed” also means reproduced by means of a duplicating machine, produced under the control of an automatic data processing machine, embossed, photographed, photocopied, thermocopied or typewritten. 3.- Newspapers, journals and periodicals which are bound otherwise than in paper, and sets of newspapers, journals or periodicals comprising more than one number under a single cover are to be classified in heading 49.01, whether or not containing advertising material. 4.- Heading 49.01 also covers : (a) A collection of printed reproductions of, for example, works of art or drawings, with a relative text, put up with numbered pages in a form suitable for binding into one or more volumes; (b) A pictorial supplement accompanying, and subsidiary to, a bound volume; and (c) Printed parts of books or booklets, in the form of assembled or separate sheets or signatures, constituting the whole or a part of a complete work and designed for binding. However, printed pictures or illustrations not bearing a text, whether in the form of signatures or separate sheets, fall in heading 49.11. 5.- Subject to Note 3 to this Chapter , heading 49.01 does not cover publications which are essentially devoted to advertising (for example, brochures, pamphlets, leaflets, trade catalogues, year books published by trade associations, tourist propaganda). Such publications are to be classified in heading 49.11. 6.- For the purposes of heading 49.03, the expression “children's picture books” means books for children in which the pictures form the principal interest and the text is subsidiary.