8431.43.80.40 - Drill pipe fitted with tool joints

This HTS category, 8431.43.80.40, specifically covers drill pipe that is fitted with tool joints. Drill pipe is the hollow, typically steel, tube used in oil and gas drilling operations to transmit rotary motion and drilling fluid from the surface to the drill bit. The defining characteristic of items classified here is the presence of tool joints, which are specialized couplings designed to connect sections of drill pipe and provide wear resistance. These tool joints are integral to the pipe's function in boring or sinking operations.

This classification distinguishes itself from its sibling, 8431.43.80.20, which is limited to tool joints themselves, whether or not forged, when they are not already attached to drill pipe. In contrast, 8431.43.80.40 encompasses the complete assembly of the pipe with its attached tool joints. The other sibling, 8431.43.80.60, covers any remaining parts for oil and gas field machinery within this sub-chapter that do not fit into the more specific categories.

As a leaf node, this category does not have further subcategories. Therefore, the classification is definitive for drill pipe already equipped with tool joints, serving the oil and gas exploration and extraction industries. Classification hinges on the physical assembly of the pipe and its attached tool joints, signifying a finished or semi-finished component ready for use in drilling machinery.