2515.11.00.00 - Crude or roughly trimmed

This HTS category, 2515.11.00.00, specifically covers marble, travertine, and other calcareous monumental or building stones with an apparent specific gravity of 2.5 or more, as well as alabaster, in their crude or roughly trimmed state. This means that the material, even if it has undergone initial shaping or breaking, has not been further processed into more finished forms like blocks or slabs specifically cut by sawing or other means for immediate use in construction or monumental purposes. The key criterion here is the lack of precise cutting into regular geometric shapes.

This classification is distinct from its sibling category, 2515.12, which covers marble, travertine, and similar stones that have been "merely cut, by sawing or otherwise, into blocks or slabs of a rectangular (including square) shape." While both categories deal with the same types of stone, the crucial difference lies in the degree of processing. Category 2515.11.00.00 encompasses the raw or minimally worked material, whereas 2515.12 includes stones that have undergone a specific, rectangular cutting process, indicating a higher stage of preparation for subsequent use.

As this is a leaf node within the HTS structure, there are no further subcategories to introduce. Classification under 2515.11.00.00 relies entirely on the physical state of the material: whether it is crude, broken, or roughly trimmed, and crucially, whether it has been cut into rectangular blocks or slabs. The specific gravity of 2.5 or more is a defining characteristic for inclusion, ensuring that the category applies to dense calcareous stones commonly used for building and monumental works.