I’ll be a diode, cathode, electrode, overload, generator, oscillator…

Once again Presidont Dithering Don, who cannot lose, but might occasionally appear to lose to lesser minds too feeble to move the goalposts for him, has again not not not changed his big strong tariffs-against-China-until-they-kiss-his-ass stance. He merely created a teeny, tiny wafer-thin exception for a few items that hardly anyone uses anyway whether they are exported from China or any other nation.

Naturally reports about the latest not backing down on tariffs are focused on smartphones and laptops. Those are items that everyone, including reporters can easily understand. But I thought it would be interesting to find a complete list of excluded items.

Until I started looking for a complete list.

Fortunately, this helpful blog post included a link to the U.S. Customs & Border Protection which introduced me to the delightfully named Harmonized Tariff Schedule. It sounds like a barbershop quartet is involved. To the best of my knowledge here is a general list of items not subject to the tariff. I did not pull every subsection because life is short and the sun is shining for the first time in days.

• 8471 – Automatic data processing machines and units thereof; magnetic or optical readers, machines for transcribing data onto data media in coded form and machines for processing such data, not elsewhere specified or included:
• 8473.30 – Parts and accessories of the machines of heading 8471. The list includes: Printed circuit assemblies; Memory modules suitable for use solely or principally with machines of heading 8471; Parts and accessories, including face plates and lock latches, of printed circuit assemblies.
• 8486 – Machines and apparatus of a kind used solely or principally for the manufacture of semiconductor boules or wafers, semiconductor devices, electronic integrated circuits or flat panel displays; machines and apparatus specified in note 11(C) to this chapter; parts and accessories:
• 8517.13.00 – Smartphones.
  (So far as I can tell pagers, such as are still relied on by physicians and other healthcare providers, did not make the cut. But who cares if they miss a call, right?)
• 8517.62.00 – Machines for the reception, conversion and transmission or regeneration of voice, images or other data, including switching and routing apparatus. The list includes modems.
• 8523.51.00 – Solid-state non-volatile storage devices. 
• 8524 – Flat panel display modules, whether or not incorporating touch-sensitive screens:
• 8528.52.00 – Capable of directly connecting to and designed for use with an automatic data processing machine of heading 8471.
• 8541.10.00 – Diodes, other than photosensitive or light-emitting diodes (LED). Including: Unmounted chips, dice and wafers; Zener; microwave.
• 8541.21.00 – Transistors, other than photosensitive transistors:
• 8541.29.00 – Includes unmounted chips, dice and wafers.
• 8541.30.00 – Thyristors, diacs and triacs, other than photosensitive devices.
• 8541.49.10 – Other diodes.
• 8541.49.70 – Transistors.
• 8541.49.80 – Optical coupled isolators.
• 8541.49.95 – Other. Includes other semiconductor devices.
• 8541.51.00 – Semiconductor-based transducers.
• 8541.59.00 – Includes unmounted chips, dice and wafers.
• 8541.90.00 – Parts.
• 8542 – Electronic integrated circuits; parts thereof

Dance break! And stay on topic, or you’ll be fed to the androids from a dystopian rockabilly future.