5602 10 38 — Felt in the form of stitch-bonded fibre fabrics, not impregnated, coated, covered or laminated, n.e.s. (excl. that of wool or of fine animal hair)

5602 Felt or fur felt, whether or not impregnated, coated, covered or laminated: 5602 10 – needleloom felt or fur felt and stitch-bonded fibre fabrics – other felt or fur felt, not impregnated, coated, covered or laminated: 5602 21 – – of wool or fine animal hair 5602 29 – – of other textile materials 5602 90 – other

Felt or fur felt is usually obtained by superimposing several layers of textile fibres (usually webs produced by carding or by air-laying); these are then moistened (usually with steam or hot soapy water) and subjected to heavy pressure and a rubbing or beating action. This causes the fibres to interlock and form a sheet of uniform thickness, much more compact and difficult to separate than wadding, and readily distinguishable from fulled fabrics (mainly of Chapters 50 to 55). Felt or fur felt is usually made of wool or other animal hair, or of mixtures of these fibres with other natural fibres (e.g., vegetable fibres, horsehair) or with man-made fibres. Felt or fur felt is used in the manufacture of clothing, hats, footwear, shoe soles, piano hammers, furnishing articles, decorative articles, etc., for various technical purposes, as heat- or sound-insulating material, etc. The heading also covers needleloom felt or fur felt, which is made: (1) by punching a web or batt of textile fibres (natural or man-made) without a textile base with notched needles; or (2) by stitching such textile fibres through a base of textile or other material, which is ultimately more or less covered by the fibres. The needleloom technique makes it possible to obtain felt or fur felt from non-felting vegetable fibres (e.g., jute) or man-made fibres. A needled batt of fibres where the needling supplements other types of bonding, and a needled layer of yarns, are regarded as nonwovens (heading 5603). The heading also covers stitch-bonded fabrics,

the essential feature of which is that they consist of a web of textile fibres, the cohesion of which has been enhanced by drawing fibres from the web itself through it, without the use of textile yarns. The fibres are drawn through the web by needles and form rows of chain stitches on the surface. Some of these materials may have a pile surface (cut or uncut pile) and may be reinforced with a base of textile or other material. The stitch-bonding process is described in the General Explanatory Note to Chapter 60. Except where they are covered by more specific headings in the Nomenclature, this heading covers felt or fur felt in the piece or simply cut to length or simply cut to rectangular (including square) shape from larger pieces without other working (e.g., dusting cloths or blankets), whether or not presented folded or put up in packings (e.g., for retail sale). The felt or fur felt may be dyed, printed, impregnated, coated, laminated or reinforced (e.g., with textile yarns or wire). It may be covered on one or both sides with paper, paperboard, textile fabric, etc. (e.g., by stitching or gluing), provided that the essential character of the product is determined by that of the felt or fur felt. However, the heading excludes the following articles, which fall in Chapter 39 or 40: (a) felt and fur felt impregnated, coated or laminated with plastics or rubber, containing 50 % or less by weight of textile material, or felt and fur felt completely embedded in plastics or rubber; (b) plates, sheets or strips or tapes of cellular plastics or cellular rubber combined with felt or fur felt, where the textile material is present merely for reinforcing purposes (see the General Explanatory Note to Chapter 39, part entitled "Plastics and textile combinations", and Item (A) of the Explanatory Note to heading 4008). This heading covers roofing felt produced by a felting process and then impregnated with tar or similar substances. The heading also excludes: (a) felt and fur felt impregnated or coated with substances or preparations (e.g., perfumes or cosmetics (Chapter 33), soaps or detergents (heading 3401), polishes, creams or similar preparations (heading 3405), fabric softeners (heading 3809)), where the textile material is present merely as a carrying medium; (b) horse-cloths and saddle-pads (heading 4201); (c) carpets and other floor coverings of felt or fur felt (Chapter 57); (d) tufted felt or fur felt of heading 5802; (e) embroidered felt or fur felt, in the piece, in strips or in motifs (heading 5810); (f) quilted textile products in the piece, composed of one or more layers of textile materials assembled with padding by stitching or otherwise, other than embroidery of heading 5810 (heading 5811); (g) floor coverings consisting of a coating applied on a base of felt or fur felt, whether or not cut to shape (heading 5904); (h) felt or fur felt coated, covered or laminated with rubber, leather or other material, of a kind used for card clothing, and similar materials used for other technical purposes, of heading 5911; (ij) felt or fur felt coated with abrasive powder or grain (heading 6805) or with agglomerated or reconstituted mica (heading 6814); (k) building boards made of several layers of textile fibres completely coated with asphalt or similar material (heading 6807);

(l) Metal foil on a backing of felt or fur felt (generally Section XIV or XV).

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:

(a) wadding, felt or nonwovens, impregnated, coated or covered with substances or preparations (for example, perfumes or cosmetics of Chapter 33, soaps or detergents of heading 3401, polishes, creams or similar preparations of heading 3405, fabric softeners of heading 3809), where the textile material is present merely as a carrying medium;

(b) textile products of heading 5811;

(c) natural or artificial abrasive powder or grain, on a backing of felt or nonwovens (heading 6805);

(d) agglomerated or reconstituted mica, on a backing of felt or nonwovens (heading 6814);

(e) metal foil on a backing of felt or nonwovens (generally, Section XIV or XV); or

(f) sanitary towels (pads) and tampons, napkins (diapers) and napkin liners and similar articles of heading 9619.

2. The term ‘felt’ includes needleloom felt and fabrics consisting of a web of textile fibres the cohesion of which has been enhanced by a stitch-bonding process using fibres from the web itself.

3. Headings 5602 and 5603 cover, respectively, felt and nonwovens, impregnated, coated, covered or laminated with plastics or rubber, whatever the nature of these materials (compact or cellular). Heading 5603 also includes nonwovens in which plastics or rubber forms the bonding substance. Headings 5602 and 5603 do not, however, cover:

(a) felt impregnated, coated, covered or laminated with plastics or rubber, containing 50 % or less by weight of textile material or felt completely embedded in plastics or rubber (Chapter 39 or 40);

(b) nonwovens, either completely embedded in plastics or rubber, or entirely coated or covered on both sides with such materials, provided that such coating or covering can be seen with the naked eye with no account being taken of any resulting change of colour (Chapter 39 or 40); or

(c) plates, sheets or strip of cellular plastics or cellular rubber combined with felt or nonwovens, where the textile material is present merely for reinforcing purposes (Chapter 39 or 40).

4. Heading 5604 does not cover textile yarn, or strip or the like of heading 5404 or 5405, in which the impregnation, coating or covering cannot be seen with the naked eye (usually Chapters 50 to 55); for the purpose of this provision, no account should be taken of any resulting change of colour.