3213 - Artists', students' or signboard painters' colors, modifying tints, amusement colors and the like, in tablets, tubes, jars, bottles, pans or in similar forms or packings:

This HTS category, 3213, encompasses a diverse range of coloring materials specifically formulated for artistic, educational, and decorative applications. It includes paints and pigments intended for use by artists, students, and sign painters, whether in the form of solid tablets, convenient tubes, jars, bottles, or pans. The defining characteristic is their application-specific nature, distinguishing them from industrial dyes or pigments that might be used in manufacturing processes. This section is situated within Chapter 32, which broadly covers tanning or dyeing extracts, pigments, and paints, highlighting its place within the chemical industry's output for coloring and surface treatment.

Within the broader HTS structure, Category 3213 differentiates itself from preceding sibling categories like live animals (Chapter 01) by its fundamental material composition and intended use. While siblings in the same chapter might cover raw pigments or industrial paints, 3213 is focused on the finished, ready-to-use coloring agents designed for creative expression or identification. The classification hinges on the product's intended application – for artistic creation, learning, or visual signage – rather than its raw chemical components or bulk industrial use.

Category 3213 is further subdivided into more specific tariff lines to allow for granular tracking and duty assessment. The primary subcategories, 3213.10.00.00 and 3213.90.00.00, differentiate between coloring materials presented as complete sets (e.g., a box of watercolors with multiple colors) and all other forms not specifically packaged as a set. This distinction aids in identifying organized assortments of colors versus individual items or bulk packings of specific colors within the artistic and decorative paint segment.