8429.20.00.00 - Graders and levelers

This HTS category, 8429.20.00.00, specifically covers graders and levelers. These are self-propelled machines designed for shaping and smoothing surfaces, particularly for road construction, site preparation, and agricultural land management. Their primary function is to manipulate the ground to create a uniform plane or specific contours, often involving a movable blade positioned between the front and rear axles.

While part of the broader classification for self-propelled earth-moving machinery, graders and levelers are distinct from their siblings. Bulldozers and angledozers (8429.10) use a blade mounted at the front for pushing large quantities of material. Scrapers (8429.30) are designed to excavate, transport, and deposit material in a single operation with a cutting edge and a hopper. Tamping machines and road rollers (8429.40) are for compacting surfaces. Mechanical shovels, excavators, and shovel loaders (8429.51-8429.59) are primarily for digging and lifting. Graders and levelers are differentiated by their specific task of surface finishing and precise contouring.

As a leaf node within this HTS chapter, 8429.20.00.00 does not have further subcategories. Therefore, the classification of a machine under this heading relies heavily on its principal function and design features, confirming it is a self-propelled grader or leveler intended for surface shaping and smoothing, rather than pushing, excavating, or compacting.