Customs — HTS Classification (MECE Decomposition)

Industry front door for mece. Adds domain triggers, example, packs only. Parent Process unchanged. Not legal advice. Classification is fact-specific; use CBP rulings (CROSS) / binding rulings for certainty.

Activate when: classifying merchandise under the HTSUS; ambiguous/multi-function goods; "which heading applies?"; a product spanning multiple chapters. Do NOT activate when: an established binding ruling already governs the exact article.

Why this variant

The parent mece forces mutually-exclusive, collectively-exhaustive buckets. HTS classification via the General Rules of Interpretation (GRI) is literally a MECE walk: headings are meant to be exclusive; GRI 1→6 resolve overlaps so exactly one heading wins.

Domain inputs → parent's Process

• GRI 1: classify by heading terms + section/chapter notes (start here, exhaustively).
• If >1 heading fits (not mutually exclusive on its face): GRI 2 (incomplete/mixtures), GRI 3 (most specific → essential character → last in numerical order), GRI 4 (akin), GRI 5 (containers), GRI 6 (subheadings).
• The goal: a single, defensible heading with the reasoning recorded (reasonable care).

Worked example

A multi-tool with knife, screwdriver, LED light. → Not one obvious heading. Apply GRI 3(b) essential character; if indeterminate, GRI 3(c) last-in-order. Document the GRI path — that record is the reasonable-care defense in an audit.