0904.11.00 - Neither crushed nor ground

This HTS category encompasses dried pepper of the genus Piper that has not undergone crushing or grinding. It specifically refers to whole peppercorns, such as black peppercorns (Piper nigrum) in their whole, intact form. The key characteristic for classification within this subheading is the absence of any physical alteration that breaks down the peppercorn into smaller particles.

This classification distinguishes itself from its sibling category, 0904.12.00.00, which explicitly covers pepper that has been either crushed or ground. Therefore, if the pepper has been processed to any degree beyond its natural whole form, even if only partially broken, it would fall under the crushed or ground classification.

Within this category, further subdivisions exist to distinguish between different types of whole peppercorns. The subcategories 0904.11.00.20 and 0904.11.00.40 differentiate between black and white peppercorns, respectively, based on their processing and color characteristics while remaining in their whole, uncrushed, and unground state.