4401 - Fuel wood, in logs, in billets, in twigs, in faggots or in similar forms; wood in chips or particles; sawdust and wood waste and scrap, whether or not agglomerated in logs, briquettes, pellets or similar forms:

This HTS category, 4401, encompasses a broad range of wood materials primarily intended for fuel or processing into other products. It includes raw, unprocessed wood in forms such as logs, billets, twigs, and faggots, all of which are ready for combustion or further reduction. Additionally, it covers wood in fragmented states like chips and particles, as well as the finer residues of wood processing, specifically sawdust and wood waste or scrap. The key defining characteristic of this section is the raw or minimally processed nature of the wood, often destined for energy generation or as raw material for other wood-based industries.

It is crucial to distinguish HTS 4401 from other categories within the Harmonized System. Unlike finished wood products classified in later chapters, or even processed wood panels and articles of wood found in Chapter 44, the goods here are fundamentally in a raw or waste form. While other sections might deal with live animals or minerals, HTS 4401 is exclusively dedicated to wood in its preliminary stages. The classification hinges on the physical form and intended use, differentiating it from, for example, lumber ready for construction.

The subcategories within HTS 4401 provide further precision in classifying these diverse wood materials. They differentiate based on the form of the wood – specifically, whether it is in log, billet, twig, or faggot form for direct fuel use, or processed into chips and particles. Furthermore, a critical distinction is made between agglomerated and non-agglomerated sawdust, wood waste, and scrap. Agglomerated forms, such as logs, briquettes, or pellets, indicate that these residues have been compressed or bound for easier handling and more efficient burning, representing a step beyond simple waste material.