Tariff Category
Customs nomenclatures use specific multi-digit codes to categorize woven fabrics composed of bast fibers. Under this international system, HS Heading 5309 designates woven fabrics of flax, covering both pure linen materials and blends containing a majority of flax by weight. This category is bounded on one side by raw yarn codes and on the other by finished made up articles.
It governs only woven piece goods, excluding knit fabrics and nonwoven mats.
Fiber Composition
To fall under this specific tariff line, the material must contain at least eighty-five percent flax by weight for the pure category, or a lower percentage if flax remains the predominant textile fiber by weight in a blend. The classification of imports under HS Heading 5309 requires laboratory testing of the warp and weft yarn composition to verify fiber content. For example, a mixed weave containing sixty percent flax and forty percent cotton is classified here because flax represents the largest single fiber constituent.
Such analytical verification ensures that mill blends are declared correctly at the port of entry.
Trade Implication
Duty structures for these woven fabrics depend on whether the material is unbleached, bleached, dyed or printed. Correct declaration under this heading determines the origin rules and preferential tariff access under bilateral trade agreements.