CSMS 45271041·Trade policy·December 23, 2020·View on csms.cbp.gov ↗

GUIDANCE: Additional Section 232 Steel and Aluminum Product Exclusions and Revisions to Exclusion Process

Plain-English explanation

CSMS 45271041 is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Cargo Systems Messaging Service bulletin (trade policy), published on December 23, 2020. It carries the official CBP guidance brokers and importers must follow for the topic — "GUIDANCE: Additional Section 232 Steel and Aluminum Product Exclusions and Revisions to Exclusion Process". CSMS messages are the operational layer between Commerce determinations and at-the-border collections: when Commerce publishes a new rate, scope ruling, or instruction, CBP turns it into a CSMS that ACE/ACS systems and brokers act on.

Message body

Full text as published by U.S. Customs and Border Protection

CSMS #45271041 - GUIDANCE: Additional Section 232 Steel and Aluminum Product Exclusions and Revisions to Exclusion Process U.S. Customs and Border Protection sent this bulletin at 12/23/2020 04:50 PM EST Cargo Systems Messaging Service CSMS #45271041 - GUIDANCE: Additional Section 232 Steel and Aluminum Product Exclusions and Revisions to Exclusion Process The purpose of this message is to provide guidance on the Department of Commerce’s December 14, 2020 interim final rule issuing new Section 232 exclusions. BACKGROUND On December 14, 2020, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) of the U.S. Department of Commerce published Federal Register (FR) Notice 85 FR 81060 , revising aspects of Commerce’s process for requesting product exclusions from Section 232 measures on steel and aluminum imports, and issuing 123 new Section 232 exclusions. These new exclusions are called General Approved Exclusions (GAEs), and exclude 123 entire Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) classifications from the Section 232 measures. The exclusions are effective for article entered for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after December 29, 2020. The functionality for the acceptance of the GAEs will be available in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) as of 7 am eastern standard time, December 29, 2020. GUIDANCE BIS has granted 108 GAEs for steel products and 15 GAEs for aluminum products. GAEs may be used by any importer and have no quantitative limit. Exclusions are effective starting December 29, 2020, and no retroactive relief will be granted. Please review the list of excluded HTS classifications in the attached chart. When an importer reports an excluded 10 digit HTS classification on an entry summary line, ACE will not require the Section 232 duties for that line. We note that the FR Notice states that, in order to use a GAE for an exclusion for Section 232 duties, the importer must reference the GAE identifier in the ACE system that corresponds to the steel or aluminum articles being imported. In ACE, the GAE identifiers are the excluded 10 digit HTS classifications. Importers should not report any other Section 232 exclusion number or Chapter 99 Section 232 HTS classification on an entry summary line when importing goods under a GAE. This guidance only applies to Section 232 duty exclusions under a GAE. Separate guidance will be issued for entry summary reporting requirements for Section 232 quota exclusions under a GAE. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION For questions regarding Section 232 trade remedies, please refer to CSMS message # 42203908 (Information on Trade Remedy Questions and Resources) https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDHSCBP/bulletins/283fb04 . For questions regarding Section 232 and quota, please contact the HQ Quota mailbox at HQQuota@cbp.dhs.gov . Related messages include: 42566154, 42355735, 41981999, 41538803, 39633923, 18-000424, 18-000378, 18-000372, 18-000352, 18-000258, 18-000249, 18-000240 Section 232 GAEs attachment.pdf Update your subscriptions, modify your password or e-mail address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page . You will need to use your e-mail address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please contact subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com . This service is provided to you at no charge by U.S. Customs and Border Protection . Privacy Policy | GovDelivery is providing this information on behalf of U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and may not use the information for any other purposes. Powered by Privacy Policy | Cookie Statement | Help

Frequently asked questions

What is CSMS 45271041?

CSMS 45271041 is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Cargo Systems Messaging Service bulletin titled "GUIDANCE: Additional Section 232 Steel and Aluminum Product Exclusions and Revisions to Exclusion Process". CSMS bulletins are the operational instructions CBP issues to brokers, importers, and ACE filers covering rate changes, system updates, scope guidance, and other day-to-day customs-operations changes.

When was CSMS 45271041 published?

CBP published CSMS 45271041 on December 23, 2020. The bulletin's instructions are typically operative as of the publication date unless the body specifies a different effective date.

Is the CBP CSMS the legally binding instruction?

Yes — for at-the-border filing and entry collection. CSMS messages translate Commerce's Federal Register determinations into operational CBP instructions that ACE/ACS systems and brokers execute. The Federal Register notice is the underlying legal authority; the CSMS is the operational implementation. Both should be read together when reconciling a rate or scope change.

Learn more

Tandom guides relevant to CBP CSMS messages

Subscribe to and triage CBP CSMS messages

How to subscribe to CBP Cargo Systems Messaging Service and triage the messages that change broker filing behavior, without losing the ones that matter.

Open resource

Real-time alerts when a CSMS message changes a duty rate

Set up alerts when a CBP CSMS message changes a duty rate on an HTS code you depend on. Built for brokers, forwarders, and importer compliance teams.