HS Codes for Auto Parts — 8708 and the Parts That Classify Elsewhere

Short answer: in the US Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS), most passenger-car parts fall under heading 8708 ("parts and accessories of the motor vehicles of headings 8701 to 8705"), and most 8708 lines for ordinary cars carry a 2.5% general (MFN) duty. But a large share of the parts buyers source from China are classified outside 8708 — spark plugs, ignition coils, starters and alternators in 8511, ball bearings in 8482, filters in 8421, rubber hoses in 4009, headlamps in 8512, mirrors in 7009. Some of those lines carry different general rates, and one family (tapered roller bearings) is also under a US antidumping order.

This guide maps the categories in the PartzealHQ catalog to the HTS lines they usually fall under. The duty rates quoted are the general column as published in the USITC HTS search at the time of writing. They do not include Section 301, reciprocal or other China-specific duties, which change often — see US import duties on Chinese auto parts and confirm with a licensed customs broker before you price an order.

What is the difference between an HS code and an HTS code?

The Harmonized System (HS) is the international nomenclature: the first six digits are shared by every country that uses it. The US adds two more digits for the tariff rate line (eight digits) and two statistical digits (ten digits) — that ten-digit number is the HTS code you declare on a US entry. A Chinese factory's export paperwork will show China's own 10-digit code, which usually matches the US code only at six digits. Do not copy the supplier's code onto your US entry without checking it.

Which parts fall under heading 8708?

Within 8708, the six-digit subheading follows the vehicle system. For parts of ordinary passenger cars and light trucks (not agricultural tractors), the schedule lists:

• 8708.10 — bumpers and parts of bumpers (2.5%). Relevant categories: bumper covers.
• 8708.30 — brakes and servo-brakes and parts thereof; line 8708.30.50 (2.5%) splits statistically into brake drums, brake rotors (discs), mounted brake linings, and "other". Relevant categories: brake pads, brake rotors, brake shoes, calipers, master cylinders.
• 8708.40 — gear boxes and parts thereof (2.5% for most passenger-vehicle lines).
• 8708.50 — drive axles with differential and non-driving axles, with half-shafts broken out separately (2.5%). Relevant categories: CV axles.
• 8708.70 — road wheels and parts and accessories; wheel covers and hubcaps sit in 8708.70.60 (2.5%).
• 8708.80 — suspension systems and parts thereof, including shock absorbers; McPherson struts have their own line 8708.80.13 (2.5%). Relevant categories: shock absorbers, control arms, sway bar links.
• 8708.91 — radiators and parts thereof; 8708.91.50 for passenger vehicles (2.5%). Relevant categories: radiators.
• 8708.92 — mufflers and exhaust pipes and parts thereof (2.5%). Relevant categories: mufflers.
• 8708.93 — clutches and parts thereof (2.5% for passenger-vehicle lines). Relevant categories: clutch discs.
• 8708.94 — steering wheels, steering columns and steering boxes, and parts thereof (2.5%).
• 8708.99 — "other" parts. This catch-all has several lines that matter to parts buyers: 8708.99.58 for double flanged wheel hub units incorporating ball bearings (2.5%), 8708.99.68 for other power-train parts such as drive shafts (2.5%), and 8708.99.81 for everything else, which statistically includes brake hoses of plastics with attached fittings and double flanged wheel hub units not incorporating ball bearings.

Note that a part's six-digit subheading depends on what it is part of. A tie rod end is a steering part, a ball joint is usually treated as a suspension part, and a caliper bracket follows the brake. Where a part could plausibly sit in two places, ask your broker to check US Customs (CBP) binding rulings in the CROSS database before your first shipment.

Which common car parts are classified outside 8708?

Heading 8708 excludes parts that are more specifically described elsewhere in the schedule. In the USITC HTS search, these are the lines that cover categories PartzealHQ lists:

• Spark plugs — 8511.10.00 (2.5%). Category: spark plugs.
• Ignition coils — 8511.30.00, statistical suffix .80 (2.5%). Category: ignition coils.
• Starter motors — 8511.40.00 (2.5%). Category: starter motors.
• Alternators ("other generators") — 8511.50.00 (2.5%). Category: alternators.
• Headlamps and other lighting equipment — 8512.20.20 (free); visual signaling equipment such as turn-signal lamps — 8512.20.40 (2.5%); horns (sound signaling) — 8512.30.00 (2.5%). Categories: headlights, tail lights, fog lights, horns.
• Oil and fuel filters — 8421.23.00 (2.5%). Category: oil filters.
• Intake air filters — 8421.31.00 (2.5%). Category: air filters.
• Fuel pumps for piston engines — 8413.30.90, statistical suffix .30 (2.5%). Category: fuel pumps.
• Rubber hoses of vulcanized rubber — heading 4009 (2.5% on the lines shown), with brake-hose statistical suffixes on the "with fittings" lines. Categories: brake hoses, radiator hoses, A/C hoses.
• Rear-view mirrors for vehicles — 7009.10.00 (3.9%). Category: car mirrors.
• Ignition wiring sets and other vehicle wiring sets — 8544.30.00 (5%).
• Motor-vehicle air-conditioning machines — 8415.20.00 (1.4%). Individual A/C components (compressors, condensers, evaporators) are classified on their own and are not automatically under this line — confirm with your broker.
• Aluminum cylinder heads for spark-ignition engines — 8409.91.30 (2.5%).

Why do bearings need extra care?

Bearings are the clearest example of why "it's a car part" is not a classification. In the USITC schedule:

• Ball bearings — 8482.10.50 "other" ball bearings carry a 9% general rate, not 2.5%.
• Tapered roller bearings — 8482.20.00 carries 5.8%.
• Double flanged wheel hub units incorporating ball bearings — 8708.99.58 at 2.5%.

On top of that, tapered roller bearings from China have been under a long-standing US antidumping duty order (Commerce cites the order as amended in the Federal Register on 26 February 1990, 55 FR 6669). The order covers tapered roller bearings and parts "whether or not for automotive use", and the HTS lines it lists include 8482.20.00, several 8483 lines, and 8708 lines such as 8708.99.81.15 (double flanged wheel hub units not incorporating ball bearings). In its September 2026 final results, the US Department of Commerce kept the cash deposit rate for Chinese exporters without a separate rate at the China-wide rate of 92.84%. If you source wheel bearings or wheel hubs, ask the factory whether the part uses ball or tapered rollers before you price it. See how to source wheel bearings and hub assemblies from China.

How should I check a code before the first shipment?

1. Describe the part precisely — what it is, what it is made of, which vehicle system it belongs to, and whether it is a complete assembly or a component.
2. Look it up in the USITC HTS search (hts.usitc.gov) and read the heading notes, not just the line description.
3. Search CBP's CROSS rulings for the same product. A ruling issued to another importer is not binding on you, but it shows how CBP has reasoned about the part.
4. Check AD/CVD scope with your broker for anything containing bearings, and for any steel or aluminum product.
5. Write the agreed code into your purchase order and ask the factory to use a consistent product description on the commercial invoice, so the description and the code match.

Sources

• USITC Harmonized Tariff Schedule search, queries for 8708.10, 8708.30, 8708.40, 8708.50, 8708.70, 8708.80, 8708.91–8708.99, 8511, 8512, 8482, 8421, 8413.30, 4009, 7009.10, 8544.30, 8415, 8409.91 — hts.usitc.gov, retrieved November 2026.
• US Department of Commerce, Tapered Roller Bearings and Parts Thereof, Finished and Unfinished, From the People's Republic of China: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review, Federal Register, 21 September 2026 (doc. 2026-19262) — federalregister.gov.
• Same proceeding, Preliminary Results, Federal Register, 15 May 2026 (doc. 2026-09756), appendix "Scope of the Order" — federalregister.gov.

This guide is general information, not a classification ruling or legal advice. Rates and orders change; your customs broker is responsible for the code you declare.