---
kind: "section"
citation: "19 C.F.R. § 10.176"
title: "19"
number: "10.176"
heading: "Country of origin criteria."
url: "https://uscodex.org/cfr/19/10.176"
---

# §10.176. Country of origin criteria.

- (a) **Merchandise produced in a beneficiary developing country or any two or more countries which are members of the same association of countries—**
  - (1) **General.** Except as otherwise provided in this section, any article which either is wholly the growth, product, or manufacture of, or is a new or different article of commerce that has been grown, produced, or manufactured in, a beneficiary developing country may qualify for duty-free entry under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP). No article will be considered to have been grown, produced, or manufactured in a beneficiary developing country by virtue of having merely undergone simple (as opposed to complex or meaningful) combining or packaging operations or mere dilution with water or mere dilution with another substance that does not materially alter the characteristics of the article. Duty-free entry under the GSP may be accorded to an article only if the sum of the cost or value of the materials produced in the beneficiary developing country or any two or more countries that are members of the same association of countries and are treated as one country under section 507(2) of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended ([19 U.S.C. 2467(2)](/usc/19/2467.md?p=2)), plus the direct costs of processing operations performed in the beneficiary developing country or member countries, is not less than 35 percent of the appraised value of the article at the time it is entered.
  - (2) **Combining, packaging, and diluting operations.** No article which has undergone only a simple combining or packaging operation or a mere dilution in a beneficiary developing country within the meaning of [paragraph (a)(1)](#a-1) of this section will be entitled to duty-free treatment even though the processing operation causes the article to meet the value requirement set forth in that paragraph. For purposes of this section:
    - (i) Simple combining or packaging operations and mere dilution include, but are not limited to, the following:
      - (A) The addition of batteries to devices;
      - (B) Fitting together a small number of components by bolting, glueing, soldering, etc.;
      - (C) Blending foreign and beneficiary developing country tobacco;
      - (D) The addition of substances such as anticaking agents, preservatives, wetting agents, etc.;
      - (E) Repacking or packaging components together;
      - (F) Reconstituting orange juice by adding water to orange juice concentrate; and
      - (G) Diluting chemicals with inert ingredients to bring them to standard degrees of strength;
    - (ii) Simple combining or packaging operations and mere dilution will not be taken to include processes such as the following:
      - (A) The assembly of a large number of discrete components onto a printed circuit board;
      - (B) The mixing together of two bulk medicinal substances followed by the packaging of the mixed product into individual doses for retail sale;
      - (C) The addition of water or another substance to a chemical compound under pressure which results in a reaction creating a new chemical compound; and
      - (D) A simple combining or packaging operation or mere dilution coupled with any other type of processing such as testing or fabrication (for example, a simple assembly of a small number of components, one of which was fabricated in the beneficiary developing country where the assembly took place); and
    - (iii) The fact that an article has undergone more than a simple combining or packaging operation or mere dilution is not necessarily dispositive of the question of whether that processing constitutes a substantial transformation for purposes of determining the country of origin of the article.
- (b) [Reserved]
- (c) **Merchandise grown, produced, or manufactured in a beneficiary developing country.** Merchandise which is wholly the growth, product, or manufacture of a beneficiary developing country, or an association of countries treated as one country under section 507(2) of the Trade Act of 1974 ([19 U.S.C. 2467(2)](/usc/19/2467.md?p=2)) and [§ 10.171(b)](/cfr/19/10.171.md?p=b), and manufactured products consisting of materials produced only in such country or countries, shall normally be presumed to meet the requirements set forth in this section.

## Notes

### Amendments

[T.D. 76-2, 40 FR 60048, Dec. 31, 1975, as amended by T.D. 80-271, 45 FR 75641, Nov. 17, 1980; T.D. 00-67, 65 FR 59675, Oct. 5, 2000]

### Authority

Authority: 19 U.S.C. 66, 1202 (General Note 3(i), Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS)), 1321, 1481, 1484, 1498, 1508, 1623, 1624, 4513. Section 10.17 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 1401a, 1402; Sections 10.25 and 10.26 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 3592; Sections 10.41, 10.41a, 10.107 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 1322; Section 10.41b also issued under 19 U.S.C. 1202 (Chapter 98, Subchapter III, U.S. Note 3, HTSUS); Section 10.53 also issued under 16 U.S.C. 1521, et seq.; Section 10.59 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 1309, 1317; Sections 10.61, 10.62, 10.63, 10.64, 10.64a also issued under 19 U.S.C. 1309; Sections 10.62a, 10.65 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 1309, 1317, 1555, 1556, 1557, 1646a; § 10.62b also issued under 19 U.S.C. 1557; Sections 10.70, 10.71 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 1486; Sections 10.80, 10.81, 10.82, 10.83 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 1313 (e) and (i); Section 10.91 also issued under Pub. L. 106-476 (114 Stat. 2101), sections 1434, 1435; Section 10.121 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 2501. Sections 10.171 through 10.178a also issued under 19 U.S.C. 2461 et seq.; Section 10.183 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 1202 (General Note 6, HTSUS); Sections 10.191 through 10.199 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.; Sections 10.201 through 10.207 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 3203; Sections 10.211 through 10.217 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 3721; Sections 10.221 through 10.228 and §§ 10.231 through 10.237 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 2701 et seq. Sections 10.241 through 10.248 and §§ 10.251 through 10.257 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 3203. Sections 10.401 through 10.490 also issued under Pub. L. 108-77, 117 Stat. 909 (19 U.S.C. 3805 note). Sections 10.501 through 10.570 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 1202 (General Note 25, HTSUS) and Pub. L. 108-78, 117 Stat. 948 (19 U.S.C. 3805 note). Sections 10.581 through 10.625 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 1202 (General Note 29, HTSUS), 19 U.S.C. 1520(d), and Pub. L. 109-53, 119 Stat. 462 (19 U.S.C. 4001 note). Section 10.699 also issued under Pub. L. 109-53, 119 Stat. 462. Sections 10.701 through 10.712 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 1202 (General Note 18, HTSUS) and Pub. L. 107-43, 115 Stat. 243 (19 U.S.C. 2112 note). Sections 10.721 through 10.748 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 1202 (General Note 28, HTSUS) and Pub. L. 108-286, 118 Stat. 919 (19 U.S.C. 3805 note). Sections 10.761 through 10.789 also issued under Pub. L. 108-302, 118 Stat. 1103 (19 U.S.C. 3805 note). Sections 10.801 through 10.829 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 1202 (General Note 30, HTSUS) and Pub. L. 109-169, 119 Stat. 3581 (19 U.S.C. 3805 note). Sections 10.841 through 10.850 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 2703A. Sections 10.861 through 10.890 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 1202 (General Note 31, HTSUS) and Pub. L. 109-283, 120 Stat. 1191 (19 U.S.C. 3805 note). Sections 10.901 through 10.934 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 1202 (General Note 32, HTSUS), 19 U.S.C. 1520(d), and Pub. L. 110-138, 121 Stat. 1455 (19 U.S.C. 3805 note). Sections 10.1001 through 10.1034 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 1202 (General Note 33, HTSUS), 19 U.S.C. 1520(d), and Pub. L. 112-41, 125 Stat. 428 (19 U.S.C. 3805 note). Sections 10.2001 through 10.2034 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 1202 (General Note 35, HTSUS), 19 U.S.C. 1520(d), and Pub. L. 112-43, 125 Stat. 497 (19 U.S.C. 3805 note). Sections 10.3001 through 10.3034 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 1202 (General Note 34, HTSUS), 19 U.S.C. 1520(d), and Pub. L. 112-42, 125 Stat. 462 (19 U.S.C. 3805 note).

### Source

Source: 28 FR 14663, Dec. 31, 1963, unless otherwise noted.

### Amendments

[T.D. 76-2, 40 FR 60048, Dec. 31, 1975, as amended by T.D. 80-271, 45 FR 75641, Nov. 17, 1980; T.D. 00-67, 65 FR 59675, Oct. 5, 2000]