5105 - Wool and fine or coarse animal hair, carded or combed (including combed wool in fragments):

This HTS category, 5105, encompasses wool and fine or coarse animal hair that has undergone mechanical processing through carding or combing. Carding aligns fibers into a parallel, web-like structure, while combing further refines this alignment, removing shorter fibers to produce a more uniform, lustrous strand known as "tops" or combed wool in fragments. This category is distinct from earlier chapters in Section XI that deal with live animals or raw, uncarded/uncombed animal hair.

While siblings like Chapters 0101 through 0105 focus on live animals, Category 5105 deals specifically with processed animal hair fibers intended for further textile manufacturing. It is a precursor to yarns and fabrics, differing from finished textile articles in its stage of production. The key distinguishing factor is the carding or combing process applied to the raw wool or animal hair.

Within 5105, further subdivisions exist to differentiate the specific type of animal hair and its processing. For instance, separate headings exist for carded wool, distinguishing it from wool tops and other combed wool. Additionally, classifications distinguish between fine animal hair and coarse animal hair, both of which are covered by this heading when carded or combed. These subcategories allow for more precise tariff application based on the material's characteristics and the degree of processing.