Per the Frequently Asked Questions Inbound Vessel Only - Trade Act of 2002 Final Rule CBP Document:
What is considered bulk cargo?
For the purposes of the
24-hour advanced manifest rule only, the following definition will be used for
bulk cargo: “Homogenous cargo that is stowed loose in the hold
and is not enclosed in any container
such as a box, bale, bag, cask, or the like.
Such cargo is also described as bulk freight. Specifically, bulk cargo is composed of
either: (A) free flowing articles such as oil, grain, coal, ore, and the like
which can be pumped or run through a chute or handled by dumping; or (B)
uniform cargo that stows as solidly as bulk cargo and requires mechanical
handling for lading and discharging.”
Customs and Border
Protection (CBP), Border Targeting and Analysis (BTA) has determined that the
following list of commodities and commodity types can be classified as bulk
cargo. To be classified as bulk, this
cargo may not be containerized and must be easily identifiable as laden on the
vessel. Any bundling of the following
commodities must only be for the purposes of securing the cargo. This list may be changed and updated as
deemed appropriate by CBP.
·
Coils
of steel and other metals
·
Rails
of steel and other metals
·
Wire
rods of steel and other metals (may be coiled or flat)
·
Ingots
of metal (precious or otherwise)
·
Round
bars of steel or other metal
·
Deformed
Bars/Rebars (of metal)
·
Plates
(of metal)
·
Billets
(of metal)
·
Slabs
(of metal)
·
Pipes
(of metal)
·
Beams
(of metal)
·
Tubes/Tubing
(of metal)
·
Angles,
shapes and sections (of metal)
·
Sheets
(of metal)
·
Expanded
metal
·
Flat
bars (of metal)
·
Strand
wire (of metal)
·
Sawn
Timber/Lumber as a commodity (not as packaging material)
·
Paperboard/Fiberboard/Plywood
as a commodity (not as packaging material)
·
Paper
products as commodity (wood pulp, newsprint and paper rolls and not as
packaging material)
·
Certain
perishable goods, not in boxes, bags or containerized, and not frozen, but
laden and stowed in a way similar to other types of bulk cargo (includes
seafood and produce)
·
Blooms
(similar to “billets and of metal)
·
Anodes/Cathodes,
in sheets only (may be corrugated)
What is considered break bulk cargo?
Break bulk cargo will be
defined as cargo that is not containerized and that cannot be classified
as “bulk” cargo under the above definition.
For example, new and used vehicles will be classified as break bulk
cargo. Although uniform in nature,
vehicles have identifying marks (such as a Vehicle Identification Number or
VIN). One necessary aspect of bulk cargo
is fungibility. The presence of a VIN
removes that component from the shipment of new or used vehicles.
It is important to note that
the difference between bulk and break bulk is based not only on the type of
cargo, but also on the way in which the cargo is stowed or loaded. For example, bananas stowed loosely in a hold
(not in boxes or containers) will be considered bulk. Palletized boxes of bananas loaded directly
into a hold (but not loose or containerized) will be considered break
bulk.