3603 60 000 0 — Safety fuses; detonating fuses; percussion or detonating caps; igniters; electric detonators: electric detonators

3603 Fire-conductor cords; detonating cords; percussion or detonating capsules; fuses; electrodetonators

These products, commonly referred to as explosive accessories, are required to ignite gunpowder and explosives. This heading covers: (A) Fire conducting cords. Fire conductive cords (slow-burning or beakford cords) are devices designed to carry a flame towards a conventional fuse or detonator. They usually consist of a thin shell of flax text material, tarred or impregnated with rubber or plastic, inside which is a linear (all along the length) charge of black powder. (B) Detonating cords. Detonating cords are used to carry the initiating signal to one or more detonators and are usually a waterproof sheath of textile material or plastic (flexible cords) with a core of TEN or pentrite (pentaerythritite tetranitrate) or other explosive. The velocity of the TEN explosion is about 6.5 km (4 miles) per second. Detonating cords initiate the detonation of most industrial explosives (dynamite, helignite, activated gels, etc.), but they do not initiate the detonation of such less sensitive explosives as ASDT (explosive mixture of amma ion nitrate with diesel fuel). They are most often used in mines and quarries, as well as in civil engineering projects. (B) Impact caps: (1) Impact capsules consist of a small container, usually metallic, containing, as a rule, a mixture based on lead trinitroresorcinate (lead stifnate) with the addition of tetrazene and various oxidative and reducing agents; charges from this explosive mixture usually have a mass of 10 to 200 mg. These capsules are designed to fix them in the base of the cartridge sleeve and are used to ignite gunpowder. Shock caps are made small for pistols and larger for rifles and carbines. (2) Friction percussion capsules or incendiary tubes, usually consist of two concentric metal or cardboard tubes containing two different charges. The explosive material placed in the inner tube is ignited when the jagged wire is pulled out, which leads to a fire charge of gunpowder between the two tubes. Like the capsules described in paragraph (1) above, incendiary tubes are used to ignite gunpowder. Detonating caps (other than electrical and electronic detonators) Detonating capsules (explosive capsules, detonators) consist of small charges of fuse explosives plus a charge, for example, TENA or pentrite, hexogen or tetrile, placed in a tube of metal or plastic in a protective capsule. They're used.

to set fire to explosive compounds other than gunpowder, and are usually set on fire by a fire cord attached to them. (E) Fuses: (1) Electric fuses consisting of an electric ignition and a small charge of gunpowder, usually black powder. The electric ignition consists of two insulated conductors, to the ends of which a thread of metal is soldered, forming a bridge of electrical resistance; this thread is sealed in an incendiary ball (ball of incendiary substance). It is used to ignite a gunpowder charge or initiate a ignition explosive. (2) Chemical fuses, such as fuses consisting of a cylinder containing a glass ampoule filled with a chemical product (for example, sulfuric acid), and a charge of potassium chlorate, both of these substances are separated by a metal diaphragm. When the ampoule is broken, the acid corrodes the metal diaphragm (which serves as an element that slows the explosion process) and reacts with potassium chlorate, while intensively releasing heat that can lead to the ignition of a powder charge or fire conductor cord. (E) Electrical detonators (including electronic detonators): (1) Electric detonators consist of an electric igniter, as described above in Part (D)(1), which resides in a tube of metal (or possibly plastic), a small charge of the initiating explosive (50 to 500 mg of the composition, usually based on lead azide), and a larger charge of another explosive (e.g., TEN or pentrite, hexogen or tetrile). This category includes some electrical detonators known as electric fuses. Often they are miniaturized and instead of an electric ignition, a substance is added to the main explosive that makes this composition electrically conductive, which allows ignition due to electric current. (2) Electronic detonators, unlike conventional electrical detonators described in paragraph (E)(1) above, contain timers in the form of integrated circuits (ICs) as a means of deceleration, which ensures exceptionally accurate delay time. This heading does not include: (a) paraffined strips or rollers used in miner's lamps, and caps for toy pistols (heading 3604); (b) articles containing no explosive or flammable materials (small capsules, tubes, electric apparatus, etc.) which are classified according to their nature in the relevant headings; (c) fuses for projectiles and cartridge casings with or without capsules (heading 9306).

Notes

English text as published in Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2021/1832 (Combined Nomenclature). The EAEU tariff and the EU nomenclature copy these notes from the same convention. For a Russian declaration the binding version is the Russian one: Annex to Decision No 80 of the EEC Council of 14 September 2021.

1. This chapter does not cover separate chemically defined compounds other than those described in note 2(a) or (b) below.

2. The expression ‘articles of combustible materials’ in heading 3606 applies only to:

(a) metaldehyde, hexamethylenetetramine and similar substances, put up in forms (for example, tablets, sticks or similar forms) for use as fuels; fuels with a basis of alcohol, and similar prepared fuels, in solid or semi-solid form;

(b) liquid or liquefied-gas fuels in containers of a kind used for filling or refilling cigarette or similar lighters and of a capacity not exceeding 300 cm3; and

(c) resin torches, firelighters and the like.