(a) General. The preferential treatment referred to in §10.221 applies to the following textile and apparel articles that are imported directly into the customs territory of the United States from a CBTPA beneficiary country:

(1) Apparel articles sewn or otherwise assembled in one or more CBTPA beneficiary countries from fabrics wholly formed and cut, or from components knit-to-shape, in the United States, from yarns wholly formed in the United States (including fabrics not formed from yarns, if those fabrics are classifiable under heading 5602 or 5603 of the HTSUS and are wholly formed and cut in the United States) that are entered under subheading 9802.00.80 of the HTSUS, and provided that any other processing involving the article conforms to the rules set forth in paragraph (b) of this section;

(2) Apparel articles sewn or otherwise assembled in one or more CBTPA beneficiary countries from fabrics wholly formed and cut, or from components knit-to-shape, in the United States, from yarns wholly formed in the United States (including fabrics not formed from yarns, if those fabrics are classifiable under heading 5602 or 5603 of the HTSUS and are wholly formed and cut in the United States) that are entered under Chapter 61 or 62 of the HTSUS, if, after that assembly, the articles would have qualified for entry under subheading 9802.00.80 of the HTSUS but for the fact that the articles were embroidered or subjected to stone-washing, enzyme-washing, acid washing, perma-pressing, oven-baking, bleaching, garment-dyeing, screen printing, or other similar processes in a CBTPA beneficiary country, and provided that any other processing involving the article conforms to the rules set forth in paragraph (b) of this section;

(3) Apparel articles sewn or otherwise assembled in one or more CBTPA beneficiary countries with thread formed in the United States from fabrics wholly formed in the United States and cut in one or more CBTPA beneficiary countries from yarns wholly formed in the United States, or from components knit-to-shape in the United States from yarns wholly formed in the United States, or both (including fabrics not formed from yarns, if those fabrics are classifiable under heading 5602 or 5603 of the HTSUS and are wholly formed in the United States), and provided that any other processing involving the article conforms to the rules set forth in paragraph (b) of this section;

(4) Apparel articles (other than socks provided for in heading 6115 of the HTSUS) knit to shape in a CBTPA beneficiary country from yarns wholly formed in the United States, and knitted or crocheted apparel articles (other than non-underwear t-shirts classifiable under subheadings 6109.10.00 and 6109.90.10 of the HTSUS and described in paragraph (a)(5) of this section) cut and wholly assembled in one or more CBTPA beneficiary countries from fabrics formed in one or more CBTPA beneficiary countries or in one or more CBTPA beneficiary countries and the United States from yarns wholly formed in the United States (including fabrics not formed from yarns, if those fabrics are classifiable under heading 5602 or 5603 of the HTSUS and are formed in one or more CBTPA beneficiary countries);

(5) Non-underwear t-shirts, classifiable under subheadings 6109.10.00 and 6109.90.10 of the HTSUS, made in one or more CBTPA beneficiary countries from fabric formed in one or more CBTPA beneficiary countries from yarns wholly formed in the United States;

(6) Brassieres classifiable under subheading 6212.10 of the HTSUS, if both cut and sewn or otherwise assembled in the United States, or in one or more CBTPA beneficiary countries, or in both, other than articles entered as articles described in paragraphs (a)(1) through (a)(5), paragraphs (a)(7) through (a)(9), or paragraph (a)(12), and provided that any applicable additional requirements set forth in §10.228 are met;

(7) Apparel articles, other than articles described in paragraph (a)(6) of this section, that are both cut (or knit-to-shape) and sewn or otherwise assembled in one or more CBTPA beneficiary countries, from fabrics or yarn that is not formed in the United States or in one or more CBTPA beneficiary countries, to the extent that apparel articles of those fabrics or yarn would be eligible for preferential treatment, without regard to the source of the fabrics or yarn, under Annex 401 of the NAFTA;

(8) Apparel articles that are both cut (or knit-to-shape) and sewn or otherwise assembled in one or more CBTPA beneficiary countries from fabrics or yarn that the President or his designee has designated in the Federal Register as not available in commercial quantities in the United States;

(9) A handloomed, handmade, or folklore textile or apparel article of a CBTPA beneficiary country that the President or his designee and representatives of the CBTPA beneficiary country mutually agree is a handloomed, handmade, or folklore article and that is certified as a handloomed, handmade, or folklore article by the competent authority of the CBTPA beneficiary country;

(10) Textile luggage assembled in a CBTPA beneficiary country from fabric wholly formed and cut in the United States, from yarns wholly formed in the United States, that is entered under subheading 9802.00.80 of the HTSUS;

(11) Textile luggage assembled in a CBTPA beneficiary country from fabric cut in a CBTPA beneficiary country from fabric wholly formed in the United States from yarns wholly formed in the United States;

(12) Knitted or crocheted apparel articles cut and assembled in one or more CBTPA beneficiary countries from fabrics wholly formed in the United States from yarns wholly formed in the United States, or from components knit-to-shape in the United States from yarns wholly formed in the United States, or both (including fabrics not formed from yarns, if those fabrics are classifiable under heading 5602 or 5603 of the HTSUS and are formed wholly in the United States), provided that the assembly is with thread formed in the United States, and provided that any other processing involving the article conforms to the rules set forth in paragraph (b) of this section; and

(13) Apparel articles sewn or otherwise assembled in one or more CBTPA beneficiary countries with thread formed in the United States:

(i) From components cut in the United States and in one or more CBTPA beneficiary countries from fabric wholly formed in the United States from yarns wholly formed in the United States (including fabrics not formed from yarns, if those fabrics are classifiable under heading 5602 or 5603 of the HTSUS);

(ii) From components knit-to-shape in the United States and one or more CBTPA beneficiary countries from yarns wholly formed in the United States; or

(iii) From any combination of two or more of the cutting or knitting-to-shape operations described in paragraph (a)(13)(i) or paragraph (a)(13)(ii) of this section; and

(iv) Provided that any processing not described in this paragraph (a)(13) conforms to the rules set forth in paragraph (b) of this section.

(b) Dyeing, printing, finishing and other operations—(1) Dyeing, printing and finishing operations. Dyeing, printing, and finishing operations may be performed on any yarn, fabric, or knit-to-shape or other component used in the production of any article described under paragraph (a) of this section without affecting the eligibility of the article for preferential treatment, provided that the operation is performed in the United States or in a CBTPA beneficiary country and not in any other country and subject to the following additional conditions:

(i) In the case of an article described in paragraph (a)(1), (a)(2), (a)(3), (a)(12), or (a)(13) of this section that is entered on or after September 1, 2002, and that contains a knitted or crocheted or woven fabric, or a knitted or crocheted or woven fabric component produced from fabric, that was wholly formed in the United States from yarns wholly formed in the United States, any dyeing, printing, or finishing of that knitted or crocheted or woven fabric or component must have been carried out in the United States; and

(ii) In the case of assembled luggage described in paragraph (a)(10) of this section, an operation may be performed in a CBTPA beneficiary country only if that operation is incidental to the assembly process within the meaning of §10.16.

(2) Other operations. An article described under paragraph (a) of this section that is otherwise eligible for preferential treatment will not be disqualified from receiving that treatment by virtue of having undergone one or more operations such as embroidering, stone-washing, enzyme-washing, acid washing, perma-pressing, oven-baking, bleaching, garment-dyeing or screen printing, provided that the operation is performed in the United States or in a CBTPA beneficiary country and not in any other country. However, in the case of assembled luggage described in paragraph (a)(10) of this section, an operation may be performed in a CBTPA beneficiary country without affecting the eligibility of the article for preferential treatment only if it is incidental to the assembly process within the meaning of §10.16.

(c) Special rules for certain component materials—(1) Foreign findings, trimmings, interlinings, fibers and yarns—(i) General. An article otherwise described under paragraph (a) of this section will not be ineligible for the preferential treatment referred to in §10.221 because the article contains:

(A) Findings and trimmings of foreign origin, if the value of those findings and trimmings does not exceed 25 percent of the cost of the components of the assembled article. For purposes of this section “findings and trimmings” include, but are not limited to, hooks and eyes, snaps, buttons, “bow buds,” decorative lace trim, elastic strips (but only if they are each less than 1 inch in width and are used in the production of brassieres), zippers (including zipper tapes), labels, and sewing thread except in the case of an article described in paragraph (a)(3) or (a)(12) of this section;

(B) Interlinings of foreign origin, if the value of those interlinings does not exceed 25 percent of the cost of the components of the assembled article. For purposes of this section “interlinings” include only a chest type plate, a “hymo” piece, or “sleeve header,” of woven or weft-inserted warp knit construction and of coarse animal hair or man-made filaments;

(C) Any combination of findings and trimmings of foreign origin and interlinings of foreign origin, if the total value of those findings and trimmings and interlinings does not exceed 25 percent of the cost of the components of the assembled article; or

(D) Fibers or yarns not wholly formed in the United States or in one or more CBTPA beneficiary countries if the total weight of all those fibers and yarns is not more than 7 percent of the total weight of the article, except in the case of any apparel article described in paragraph (a)(1) through (a)(5) or (a)(12) of this section containing elastomeric yarns which will be eligible for preferential treatment only if those yarns are wholly formed in the United States.

(ii) “Cost” and “value” defined. The “cost” of components and the “value” of findings and trimmings or interlinings referred to in paragraph (c)(1)(i) of this section means:

(A) The price of the components, findings and trimmings, or interlinings when last purchased, f.o.b. port of exportation, as set out in the invoice or other commercial documents, or, if the price is other than f.o.b. port of exportation:

(1) The price as set out in the invoice or other commercial documents adjusted to arrive at an f.o.b. port of exportation price; or

(2) If no exportation to a CBTPA beneficiary country is involved, the price as set out in the invoice or other commercial documents, less the freight, insurance, packing, and other costs incurred in transporting the components, findings and trimmings, or interlinings to the place of production if included in that price; or

(B) If the price cannot be determined under paragraph (c)(1)(ii)(A) of this section or if Customs finds that price to be unreasonable, all reasonable expenses incurred in the growth, production, manufacture, or other processing of the components, findings and trimmings, or interlinings, including the cost or value of materials and general expenses, plus a reasonable amount for profit, and the freight, insurance, packing, and other costs, if any, incurred in transporting the components, findings and trimmings, or interlinings to the port of exportation.

(iii) Treatment of fibers and yarns as findings or trimmings. If any fibers or yarns not wholly formed in the United States or one or more beneficiary countries are used in an article as a finding or trimming described in paragraph (c)(1)(i)(A) of this section, the fibers or yarns will be considered to be a finding or trimming for purposes of paragraph (c)(1)(i) of this section.

(2) Special rule for nylon filament yarn. An article otherwise described under paragraph (a)(1), (a)(2), (a)(3) or (a)(12) of this section will not be ineligible for the preferential treatment referred to in §10.221 because the article contains nylon filament yarn (other than elastomeric yarn) that is classifiable under subheading 5402.10.30, 5402.10.60, 5402.31.30, 5402.31.60, 5402.32.30, 5402.32.60, 5402.41.10, 5402.41.90, 5402.51.00, or 5402.61.00 of the HTSUS duty-free from Canada, Mexico or Israel.

(3) Dyed, printed, or finished thread. An article otherwise described under paragraph (a) of this section will not be ineligible for the preferential treatment referred to in §10.221 because the thread used to assemble the article is dyed, printed, or finished in one or more CBTPA beneficiary countries.

(d) Imported directly defined. For purposes of paragraph (a) of this section, the words “imported directly” mean:

(1) Direct shipment from any CBTPA beneficiary country to the United States without passing through the territory of any country that is not a CBTPA beneficiary country;

(2) If the shipment is from any CBTPA beneficiary country to the United States through the territory of any country that is not a CBTPA beneficiary country, the articles in the shipment do not enter into the commerce of any country that is not a CBTPA beneficiary country while en route to the United States and the invoices, bills of lading, and other shipping documents show the United States as the final destination; or

(3) If the shipment is from any CBTPA beneficiary country to the United States through the territory of any country that is not a CBTPA beneficiary country, and the invoices and other documents do not show the United States as the final destination, the articles in the shipment upon arrival in the United States are imported directly only if they:

(i) Remained under the control of the customs authority of the intermediate country;

(ii) Did not enter into the commerce of the intermediate country except for the purpose of sale other than at retail, and the Center director is satisfied that the importation results from the original commercial transaction between the importer and the producer or the producer's sales agent; and

(iii) Were not subjected to operations other than loading or unloading, and other activities necessary to preserve the articles in good condition.

[T.D. 00-68, 65 FR 59658, Oct. 5, 2000; 65 FR 67262, Nov. 9, 2000, as amended by T.D. 01-74, 66 FR 50537, Oct. 4, 2001; T.D. 03-12, 68 FR 13832, Mar. 21, 2003]