Examples of Unacceptable vs Acceptable Cargo Descriptions

The following list, provided by CBP, is a guide to acceptable and unacceptable descriptions. This list is not exhaustive and will continue to expand as unacceptable descriptions are identified and acceptable descriptions are further refined. Descriptions in the Acceptable column should be viewed only as examples of the items they actually describe and not as a list of specifically acceptable or restrictive terms.

Unacceptable	Acceptable
“Brand” or “Trade Mark” names by themselves, i.e., “Bubbles Brand”	“Bubbles Brand” Laundry Detergent
	Laundry Detergent
Animals	Horse
	Poultry
	Bovine
Apparel/Clothing/Garments	Shoes, Footwear
Wearing Apparel, Ladies’ Apparel, Men’s Apparel	Women’s Dresses
	Men’s Shirts
	Boy’s Jackets
Appliances	Refrigerator
	Stove
	Microwave Oven
	Coffee Machines
Accessories	Hair Elastics
	Sunglasses
	Socks
Auto Parts	Air Filters
	Automobile Brakes
	Automotive Windshield
	Automotive Wiper Blades
Auto Accessories	Automotive Wiper Blades
Bill of Lading, Sea Waybill, Air Manifest or a reference to another bill of lading number	A clear and concise description of the item is required – see other acceptable descriptions for examples
Blanket	100% Polyester Blanket
Caps	Baseball Caps
	Blasting Caps
	Bottle Caps
	Hub Caps
Chair	Leather Office Chair
Chemicals, hazardous	Actual Chemical Name (not brand name):
Chemicals, hazardous	U.N. HAZMAT Code Identifier
Chemicals, non-hazardous	Aluminum Potassium Sulfate
	Methyl Alcohol
	U.N. HAZMAT Code Identifier
Cleaning Products	Detergents
	Mops
	Window Cleaner
Clothes	100% Wool Poncho
Company Business	A clear and concise description of the item is required – see other acceptable descriptions for examples
Consolidated (on house or simple bills)	Consolidated (only on master bills, where there will be several house bills of varying descriptions)
Consumer Goods	A clear and concise description of the item is required
Crafts/Craft Supplies	Pipe Cleaners
Daily Necessities	A clear and concise description of the item is required (e.g. Plastic Comb, Cosmetic Mirror, Deodorant, Diapers)
Necessities	A clear and concise description of the item is required (e.g. Shampoo, Hand Cream, Toilet Paper)
Handicrafts	Construction paper, cotton balls, pipe cleaners, pompoms, decorative objects made by hand
Electronic Goods	Computers, Monitors, Televisions, Mobile Telephones, DVD players, Electronic Toys, Video Game Consoles, Electronic Dolls
Electronic Device	Kitchen Hand Mixer
Equipment	Oil Well Equipment, Hydro-Electric Turbine
Fitness Equipment	Stationary Exercise Bicycle
Industrial Equipment	Poultry Equipment, Compact Farm Tractor
Film	Camera Film
	Polyethylene Film
	Polyester Film
Flooring	Wood Flooring
	Carpet
	Ceramic Tile
	Marble Flooring
Foodstuffs	Packaged Rice, Bulk Rice, Mangos, Baking Flour
Food	Pasta, Canned Tuna, Corn Tortillas
Meat	Fresh Beef, Frozen Chicken
Fish	Live Trout, Frozen Salmon, Canned Tuna
Produce/Assorted Produce/Mixed produce/Mix Veg	Fresh Oranges, Frozen Broccoli, Canned Peaches
Pet food	Canned Dog Food, Dry Cat Food
Cases of Food	Juice, Olive Oil
Snacks	Soda, Crackers, Potato Chips
Gifts	Dolls, Basketball, Toy Car
Novelty Items	Remote Control Cars, Toy Phone
Frames	Picture Frames
Freight Prepaid	A clear and concise description of the item is required – see other acceptable descriptions for examples
Handle	Interior Brass Door Handle
Hose	Rubber Garden Hose
Household Goods/Personal Effects	Acceptable only when goods are Personal / Used Household Effects transported by a commercial carrier (Goods accounted under a Personal Effects Accounting Document)
Household Items	See Household Goods
Indecipherable descriptions ex. “RED SMOOTH MODULAR”, “CDRE”, “D6T PARTS”, “RIPE”, “Z”, “2”	A clear and concise description of the item is required – see other acceptable descriptions for examples
Iron	Iron Pipes
Iron	Iron Plates
Kitchen Supplies	Stainless Steel Kitchen Knives
Leather Articles	Saddles
	Leather Handbags
	Leather Jackets
	Shoes
Machines	Sewing Machines
Machines	Printing Machines
Machine Parts	Oil Pumps
	Silicone Seals
	Car Engines
Medical Supplies	Medical Gloves, N95 Masks, Rolls of Gauze
Biologicals	Blood, plasma, tissue, semen
Medical Device	Dialysis Machine
Laboratory Goods	Syringes
Laboratory Goods	Glass vials for laboratory use
Medication/Pharmaceuticals	Insulin, Allergy Medication, with the common name or chemical name
Metal	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)
Oil	Mineral Oil
	Motor Oil
	Olive Oil
Online Retailer, Online Retailer Shipment	A clear and concise description of the item is required – see other acceptable descriptions for examples
Ore	Iron Ore
Ore	Copper Ore
Packaging	Corrugated Cardboard Boxes
Boxes	Mailing Envelopes
Cartons	Plastic Bubble Wrap
Palletized Shipment	A clear and concise description of the item is required – see other acceptable descriptions for examples
Paper	Paper Rolls
	Wrapping Paper
	Paper Pulp
	Paper Towel
	Printing Paper
Pipes	Plastic Pipes
	PVC Pipes
	Steel Pipes
Plants/Flowers	Tulips, Daisies, Roses
Cuttings	Cedar Saplings
Cuttings	Tomato Plants
Plastic Goods	Plastic Kitchenware
Industrial Plastics	Plastic Toys
	Plastic Sheets
	Plastic Tubes
Polyurethane	Polyurethane Threads
Polyurethane	Polyurethane Medical Gloves
Powder	Flea Powder
	Baby Powder
	Corn Starch
Promotional Items	A clear and concise description of the item is required – see other acceptable descriptions for examples
Pump	Oil Pump
	Water Pump
	Bicycle Pump
Readymade Garments ~ HTS:610910	Women’s 100% Cotton T-Shirt
Readymade Garments ~ HTS:610910	Men’s 100% Rayon Shorts
Rubber Articles	Rubber Hoses
	Automobile Passenger Tires
	Rubber Toys
	Rubber Conveyor Belts
Rods	Welding Rods
	Rebar
	Aluminum Rods
	Reactor Rods
Sample	Shampoo Sample
	Conditioner Sample
	Makeup Sample
Scrap	Plastic Scrap
	Aluminum Scrap
	Iron Scrap
Serial Number only (“SN HAFR997MJ02041010”)	A clear and concise description of the item is required – see other acceptable descriptions for examples
Shingles	Asphalt Shingles
	Steel Shingles
	Wood Shingles
Spare Parts	Cellphone Replacement Screen
Spare Parts	New Automobile Breaks
Sporting Goods	Hockey Sticks
	Soccer Balls
	Goal Nets
Stone Products	Granite Stone Slabs
STC (Said to Contain)	A clear and concise description of the item is required – see other acceptable descriptions for examples
General Cargo	A clear and concise description of the item is required – see other acceptable descriptions for examples
FAK (Freight of All Kinds)	A clear and concise description of the item is required – see other acceptable descriptions for examples
“No Description”	A clear and concise description of the item is required – see other acceptable descriptions for examples
‘Misc/Miscellaneous’	A clear and concise description of the item is required – see other acceptable descriptions for examples
Various	A clear and concise description of the item is required – see other acceptable descriptions for examples
General	A clear and concise description of the item is required – see other acceptable descriptions for examples
Unknown	A clear and concise description of the item is required – see other acceptable descriptions for examples
UNK	A clear and concise description of the item is required – see other acceptable descriptions for examples
XX	A clear and concise description of the item is required – see other acceptable descriptions for examples
NOI (Not Otherwise Indicated)	A clear and concise description of the item is required – see other acceptable descriptions for examples
NES (Note Elsewhere Specified)	A clear and concise description of the item is required – see other acceptable descriptions for examples
Scooter	Adult Electric Scooter with Battery
Shelf	Metal Shelving Units
Steel	Steel Plates
Steel	Steel Coils
Supplements	Vitamins
Supplements	Protein Powder
Supplies	A clear and concise description of the item is required – see other acceptable descriptions for examples
Stuff	A clear and concise description of the item is required – see other acceptable descriptions for examples
T-Shirt	Men’s 100% Cotton T-Shirt
Taxable Groceries	Ice Cream
Taxable Groceries	Potato Chips
Textiles	Carpets/Rugs
	Silk
	Finished Fabric Rolls
Thing	A clear and concise description of the item is required – see other acceptable descriptions for examples
Tiles	Marble Tiles
Tires, New Tires, Tyre	Automobile Passenger Tires, Bicycle Tire
Toiletries/Bathroom Products	Towels
	Toothbrushes
	Shampoo
Tools	Screwdrivers, Wrenches, Hammers
	Cordless Drills, Circular Saws, Wired Impact Drivers, Pneumatic Ratchets
	Industrial Lathe, Band Saw, Reciprocating Saw
Tool Carts	Plastic Hand Tool Storage Cart
Toys/Games	Wooden Children’s Toys
	Plastic Children’s Toys
	Board Games
	Console Games
Vehicles	Cars, Trucks, Buses, Recreational Vehicle
	Tractors, Combines
	Bicycles
	Boats
Wires	Steel Wire
	Copper Wire
	Auto Harness
	Coiled Wire (Industrial)
Wood	Hemlock logs with bark
	Empty Wood Pallets
	Cut Lumber

If you have any questions or concerns regarding Unacceptable vs Acceptable Cargo Descriptions, do not hesitate to contact John S. James Co. Simply fill-out the below form!

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