5603 12 — Nonwovens, whether or not impregnated, coated, covered or laminated, n.e.s., of man-made filaments, weighing > 25 g/m² but <= 70 g/m²

5603 Nonwovens, whether or not impregnated, coated or laminated: – Of man-made filaments: 5603 11 – – Weighing not more than 25 g/m2 5603 12 – – Weighing more than 25 g/m2 but not more than 70 g/m2 5603 13 – – Weighing more than 70 g/m2 but not more than 150 g/m2 5603 14 – – Weighing more than 150 g/m2 – Other: 5603 91 – – Weighing not more than 25 g/m2 5603 92 – – Weighing more than 25 g/m2 but not more than 70 g/m2 5603 93 – – Weighing more than 70 g/m2 but not more than 150 g/m2 5603 94 – – Weighing more than 150 g/m2

A nonwoven is a sheet or web of predominantly textile fibres, oriented or randomly arranged, and bonded. These fibres may be of natural or man-made origin. They may be staple fibres (natural or man-made), man-made filaments, or threads formed in the course of manufacturing the nonwoven. Nonwovens can be made in various ways and their production can be divided into three stages: web formation, bonding and finishing. I. Web formation. There are four main methods: (a) carding or air-laying of fibres to form a web. These fibres may be oriented in parallel, cross-laid or randomly arranged (dry-laid process); (b) extrusion of filaments which are oriented in a particular way, cooled and laid directly into a web, or which, in the wet process of manufacture, are coagulated, washed and laid directly into a web (spunlaid process); (c) deposition of fibres from aqueous suspensions or dispersions onto a wire screen and formation of the web by removal of the water (wet-laid, paper-making process); (d) various special processes in which fibre production, web formation and bonding take place simultaneously (in situ process). II. Bonding. After web formation the fibres are bonded throughout the thickness and width of the web (continuous method) or at points or in certain areas (discontinuous method). Bonding may be of three types:

(a) chemical bonding, in which the fibres are bonded by means of a binder. This may be done by impregnation with adhesive binders such as rubber, resin, starch, glue or plastics, in solution or in emulsion, by heat treatment with plastics in powder form, by solvents, etc. Binding fibres may also be used for chemical bonding; (b) thermal bonding, in which the fibres are bonded by heat (or ultrasonic) treatment, by passing the web through an oven or between heated rollers (area bonding) or through heated embossing calenders (point bonding). Binding fibres may also be used for thermal bonding; (c) mechanical bonding, in which the web is consolidated by physical entanglement of its constituent fibres. This may be achieved by means of high-pressure air jets or water jets, or by needle-punching, but not by stitch-bonding. However, needle-punched products which may be classified as nonwovens are limited to: – webs consisting of filaments; – fibrous webs in which needle-punching supplements other types of bonding. These various bonding processes may also often be combined. III. Finishing. Nonwovens may be dyed, printed, impregnated, coated or laminated. Nonwovens covered on one or both sides (by gluing, stitching or any other means) with textile fabrics or with sheets of any other material are classified in this heading if their essential character is given by the nonwoven. This heading covers, inter alia, adhesive tape consisting of a nonwoven coated with an adhesive of rubber, plastics or a mixture of these materials. The heading also covers "roofing felt", in which the textile fibres are agglomerated with tar or similar substances, and certain materials known as "bitumenised felt", obtained in the same way but incorporating a small quantity of pieces of cork. However, the heading excludes the following products, which fall in Chapter 39 or 40: (a) 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; (b) plates, sheets or strips or tapes of cellular plastics or cellular rubber combined with nonwovens, 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). Nonwovens vary in thickness and in characteristics (flexibility, elasticity, resistance to abrasion, absorbency, stability, etc.) according to the processes of manufacture or bonding, the density of the fibres or filaments and the number of webs superimposed. Some nonwovens resemble paper, paperboard, cellulose wadding, chamois leather or the wadding of heading 5601. They may be distinguished from paper, paperboard or cellulose wadding by the fact that the textile fibres are not digested during manufacture.

Finally, the fact that the textile fibres or filaments are bonded throughout the thickness and, as a rule, throughout the width of the web or sheet also helps to distinguish these materials from certain types of wadding of heading 5601 (see the Explanatory Note to heading 5601). Certain nonwovens can be washed or wrung like other textile fabrics. Except where they are covered by more specific headings in the Nomenclature, this heading covers nonwovens in the piece, cut to length or simply cut to rectangular (including square) shape from larger pieces without other working, whether or not presented folded or put up in packings (e.g., for retail sale). They include: facings (top layers) for combination with plastics laminates; top sheets for the manufacture of disposable babies' napkins or sanitary towels; fabrics for the manufacture of protective clothing or of interlinings for clothing; fabrics for the filtration of liquids or air, for use as stuffing material, as sound-insulating material, for filtration or separation in road construction or in other civil engineering works; bottom layers for the manufacture of bituminised roofing materials; primary or secondary backing for tufted carpets, etc.; handkerchiefs, bed linen, table linen, etc. The heading also excludes: (a) dressings impregnated or coated with pharmaceutical substances or put up for retail sale (heading 3005); (b) nonwovens 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; (c) needle-punched felt or fur felt (heading 5602); (d) carpets and other floor coverings of nonwovens of Chapter 57; (e) tufted nonwovens of heading 5802; (f) bolducs (heading 5806); (g) embroidered nonwovens in the piece, in strips or in motifs (heading 5810); (h) quilted textile products in the piece, composed of one or more layers of textile materials assembled with a padding layer of nonwoven material by stitching or otherwise, other than embroidery of heading 5810 (heading 5811); (ij) nonwovens for technical uses of heading 5911; (k) nonwovens coated with abrasive powder or grain (heading 6805) or with agglomerated or reconstituted mica (heading 6814); (l) metal foil on a backing of nonwovens (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.