Any plant engaged in smelting or refining, or both, of metal-bearing materials as defined in this section may, upon the giving of satisfactory bond, be designated a bonded smelting or refining warehouse. Metal-bearing materials may be entered into a bonded smelting or refining warehouse without the payment of duties thereon and there smelted or refined, or both, together with metal-bearing materials of domestic or foreign origin. Upon arrival of imported metal-bearing materials at the warehouse they shall be sampled according to commercial methods and assayed, both under customs supervision. The bond shall be charged with a sum equal in amount to the duties which would be payable on such metal-bearing materials in their condition as imported if entered for consumption, and the bond charge shall be adjusted to reflect changes in the applicable rate of duty occurring while the imported materials are still covered by the bond.

The several charges against such bond may be canceled in whole or in part—

upon the exportation from the bonded warehouses which treated the metal-bearing materials, or from any other bonded smelting or refining warehouse, of a quantity of the same kind of metal contained in any product of smelting or refining of metal-bearing materials equal to the dutiable quantity contained in the imported metal-bearing materials less wastage provided for in subsection (c); except that—

(A) in the case of a withdrawal for exportation of such a product to a NAFTA country, as defined in section 3301(4) of this title, if any of the imported metal-bearing materials are goods subject to NAFTA drawback, as defined in section 3333(a) of this title, the duties on the materials shall be paid, and the charges against the bond canceled, before the 61st day after the date of exportation; but upon the presentation, before such 61st day, of satisfactory evidence of the amount of any customs duties paid to the NAFTA country on the product, the duties on the materials may be waived or reduced (subject to section 1508(b)(2)(B) of this title) in an amount that does not exceed the lesser of— (i) the total amount of customs duties owed on the materials on importation into the United States, or (ii) the total amount of customs duties paid to the NAFTA country on the product, and

(B) in the case of a withdrawal for exportation of such a product to Chile, if any of the imported metal-bearing materials are goods subject to Chile FTA drawback, as defined in section 203(a) of the United States-Chile Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act, the duties on the materials shall be paid, and the charges against the bond canceled, before the 61st day after the date of exportation, except that the duties may be waived or reduced by— (i) 100 percent during the 8-year period beginning on January 1, 2004, (ii) 75 percent during the 1-year period beginning on January 1, 2012, (iii) 50 percent during the 1-year period beginning on January 1, 2013, and (iv) 25 percent during the 1-year period beginning on January 1, 2014, or

(2) upon payment of duties on the dutiable quantity of metal contained in the imported metal-bearing materials, or

(3) upon the transfer of the bond charges to another bonded smelting or refining warehouse by physical shipment of a quantity of the same kind of metal contained in any product of smelting or refining of metal-bearing materials equal to the dutiable quantity contained in the imported metal-bearing materials less wastage provided for in subsection (c), or

upon the transfer of the bond charges to a bonded customs warehouse other than a bonded smelting or refining warehouse by physical shipment of a quantity of the same kind of metal contained in any product of smelting or refining equal to the dutiable quantity contained in the imported metal-bearing materials less wastage provided for in subsection (c), and upon withdrawal from such other warehouse for exportation or domestic consumption the provisions of this section shall apply; except that—

(A) in the case of a withdrawal for exportation of such a product to a NAFTA country, as defined in section 3301(4) of this title, if any of the imported metal-bearing materials are goods subject to NAFTA drawback, as defined in section 3333(a) of this title, the duties on the materials shall be paid, and the charges against the bond canceled, before the 61st day after the date of exportation; but upon the presentation, before such 61st day, of satisfactory evidence of the amount of any customs duties paid to the NAFTA country on the product, the duties on the materials may be waived or reduced (subject to section 1508(b)(2)(B) of this title) in an amount that does not exceed the lesser of— (i) the total amount of customs duties owed on the materials on importation into the United States, or (ii) the total amount of customs duties paid to the NAFTA country on the product, and

(B) in the case of a withdrawal for exportation of such a product to Chile, if any of the imported metal-bearing materials are goods subject to Chile FTA drawback, as defined in section 203(a) of the United States-Chile Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act, the duties on the materials shall be paid, and the charges against the bond canceled, before the 61st day after the date of exportation, except that the duties may be waived or reduced by— (i) 100 percent during the 8-year period beginning on January 1, 2004, (ii) 75 percent during the 1-year period beginning on January 1, 2012, (iii) 50 percent during the 1-year period beginning on January 1, 2013, and (iv) 25 percent during the 1-year period beginning on January 1, 2014, or

(5) upon the transfer to another bonded smelting or refining warehouse without physical shipment of metal of bond charges representing a quantity of dutiable metal contained in imported metal-bearing materials less wastage provided for in subsection (c) of the plant of initial treatment of such materials provided there is on hand at the warehouse to which the transfer is made sufficient like metal in any form to satisfy the transferred bond charges.

For purposes of paragraphs (1), (3), (4), and (5) of subsection (b), due allowances shall be made for wastage of metals other than copper, lead, and zinc, as ascertained from time to time by the Secretary of the Treasury.

Upon the exportation of a product of smelting or refining other than refined metal the bond shall be credited with a quantity of metal equivalent to the quantity of metal contained in the product exported less the proportionate part of the deductions allowed for losses in determination of the bond charge being cancelled that would not ordinarily be sustained in production of the specific product exported as ascertained from time to time by the Secretary of the Treasury; except that—

in the case of a withdrawal for exportation to a NAFTA country, as defined in section 3301(4) of this title, if any of the imported metal-bearing materials are goods subject to NAFTA drawback, as defined in section 3333(a) of this title, charges against the bond shall be paid before the 61st day after the date of exportation; but upon the presentation, before such 61st day, of satisfactory evidence of the amount of any customs duties paid to the NAFTA country on the product, the bond shall be credited (subject to section 1508(b)(2)(B) of this title) in an amount not to exceed the lesser of—

(A) the total amount of customs duties paid or owed on the materials on importation into the United States, or

(B) the total amount of customs duties paid to the NAFTA country on the product; and

in the case of a withdrawal for exportation to Chile, if any of the imported metal-bearing materials are goods subject to Chile FTA drawback, as defined in section 203(a) of the United States-Chile Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act, charges against the bond shall be paid before the 61st day after the date of exportation, and the bond shall be credited in an amount equal to—

(A) 100 percent of the total amount of customs duties paid or owed on the materials on importation into the United States during the 8-year period beginning on January 1, 2004,

(B) 75 percent of the total amount of customs duties paid or owed on the materials on importation into the United States during the 1-year period beginning on January 1, 2012,

(C) 50 percent of the total amount of customs duties paid or owed on the materials on importation into the United States during the 1-year period beginning on January 1, 2013, and

(D) 25 percent of the total amount of customs duties paid or owed on the materials on importation into the United States during the 1-year period beginning on January 1, 2014.

Two or more smelting or refining warehouses may be included under one general bond and the quantities of each kind of metal subject to duty on hand at all of such warehouses may be aggregated to satisfy the bond obligation.

For purposes of this section—

(1) the term “metal-bearing materials” means metal-bearing ores and other metal-bearing materials provided for in chapter 26 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, metal waste and scrap and unwrought metal to be smelted or refined provided for in chapters 71 through 83 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, and metal compounds to be processed for the recovery of their metal content;

the term “smelting or refining” embraces only pyrometallurgical, hydrometallurgical, electrometallurgical, chemical, or other processes—

(A) for the treatment of metal-bearing materials to reduce the metal content thereof to a metallic state in the course of recovering it in forms which if imported would be classifiable in chapters 71 through 83 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States as unwrought metal, or in the form of oxides or other compounds which are obtained directly from the treatment of materials provided for in chapter 26 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, and

(B) for the treatment of unwrought metal or metal waste and scrap to remove impurities or undesired components; and

(3) the term “product of smelting or refining” means metals or metal-bearing materials resulting directly from smelting or refining processes, but does not include metal-bearing ores of chapter 26 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States.

Labor performed and services rendered pursuant to this section shall be under the supervision of an officer of the customs, to be appointed by the Secretary of the Treasury and at the expense of the manufacturer. The Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to make such rules and regulations as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this section.

(June 17, 1930, ch. 497, title III, § 312, 46 Stat. 692; Pub. L. 87–456, title III, § 301(b), May 24, 1962, 76 Stat. 75; Pub. L. 100–418, title I, § 1214(h)(1), Aug. 23, 1988, 102 Stat. 1157; Pub. L. 100–449, title II, § 204(c)(2), Sept. 28, 1988, 102 Stat. 1862; Pub. L. 103–182, title II, § 203(b)(2), Dec. 8, 1993, 107 Stat. 2088; Pub. L. 108–77, title II, § 203(b)(2), Sept. 3, 2003, 117 Stat. 925.)