Find HS Code and trade information for board games

Board Games

Board games are tabletop games that involve an element of strategy, chance, or both, played on a pre-marked surface or "board". They represent a diverse category of entertainment with a history spanning millennia.

Materials

Historically, board games were crafted from materials like wood, stone, ivory, and clay. Modern board games utilize a wider range of components including:

• Cardboard: Predominantly used for the game board itself, tiles, and cards.
• Plastic: Commonly found in game pieces, dice, and other components requiring durability or specific shapes.
• Wood: Used for higher-quality game pieces, often for aesthetic purposes.
• Paper: Used for rulebooks, score trackers, and some cards.
• Metal: Occasionally used for game pieces or tokens, particularly in collectible or premium editions.
• Cloth: Used for game boards (e.g., felt for roll-and-move games) or component storage.

Purpose

The primary purpose of board games is entertainment and social interaction. However, they often serve additional functions:

• Strategic Thinking: Many games require players to plan ahead, anticipate opponents’ moves, and adapt to changing circumstances.
• Cognitive Skill Development: Board games can enhance memory, problem-solving abilities, and spatial reasoning.
• Social Skills: Games encourage communication, negotiation, and teamwork (depending on the game).
• Educational Value: Some games are designed to teach specific subjects like history, geography, or mathematics.

Function

Board games function through a combination of:

• Rules: Define the permissible actions players can take, the game's objective, and how the game progresses.
• Gameplay Mechanics: These are the core actions and processes within the game, such as dice rolling, card drawing, resource management, and movement.
• Player Interaction: Games can be competitive (players directly oppose each other), cooperative (players work towards a common goal), or solitary.
• Randomness: Dice, cards, or other random elements introduce uncertainty and variability into the gameplay.

Usage Scenarios

Board games are played in a variety of settings:

• Family Game Nights: A common activity for families to spend quality time together.
• Social Gatherings: Used as a form of entertainment at parties or with friends.
• Game Stores & Conventions: Dedicated spaces for playing and purchasing board games.
• Educational Settings: Used as learning tools in classrooms or workshops.
• Solitary Play: Many games can be played alone, offering a relaxing or challenging pastime.

Common Types

Board games are categorized in numerous ways, but some common types include:

• Abstract Strategy: Focus on pure strategy with minimal luck or theme (e.g., Chess, Go, Checkers).
• Eurogames (German-style games): Emphasize resource management, engine-building, and indirect player interaction (e.g., Catan, Ticket to Ride, Agricola).
• Ameritrash (American-style games): Focus on theme, player conflict, and dice rolling (e.g., Risk, Monopoly, Talisman).
• Cooperative Games: Players work together to achieve a common goal (e.g., Pandemic, Gloomhaven).
• Party Games: Designed for large groups and emphasize social interaction and lighthearted fun (e.g., Codenames, Cards Against Humanity).
• War Games: Simulate military conflicts and often involve complex rules and historical accuracy (e.g., Axis & Allies, Memoir '44).
• Roll-and-Move Games: Players move around a board based on dice rolls (e.g., Monopoly, Snakes and Ladders).
• Tile-Laying Games: Players place tiles on a board to create patterns or structures (e.g., Carcassonne, Azul).
• Deck-Building Games: Players construct a deck of cards during the game to improve their abilities (e.g., Dominion, Clank!).
• Legacy Games: Games that change permanently over multiple play sessions (e.g., Pandemic Legacy, Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion).

Board games fall under various classifications depending on their specific composition and features. Here's a breakdown of relevant HS codes based on the provided information:

• 9504906000: This HS code covers “Video game consoles and machines, table or parlor games, including pinball machines, billiards, special tables for casino games and automatic bowling equipment, amusement machines operated by coins, banknotes, bank cards, tokens or by any other means of payment.” Specifically, it includes “Chess, checkers, parchisi, backgammon, darts and other games played on boards of a special design, all the foregoing games and parts there of (including their boards); mah-jong and dominoes; any of the foregoing games in combination with each other, or with other games, packaged together as a unit in immediate containers of a type used in retail sales; poker chips and dice”. The tariff details are a base rate of 0.0%, a surcharge of 0.0%, and a surcharge of 30% after April 2, 2025, resulting in a total tariff of 30.0%.
• 3926904000: This HS code is for “Other articles of plastics and articles of other materials of headings 3901 to 3914”, specifically “Imitation gemstones”. While not directly board games, this code could apply if the board game includes plastic gemstones as components. The tariff details are a base rate of 2.8%, a surcharge of 0.0%, and a surcharge of 30% after April 2, 2025, resulting in a total tariff of 32.8%.
• 3923900080: This HS code covers “Articles for the conveyance or packing of goods, of plastics; stoppers, lids, caps and other closures, of plastics”, specifically “Other Other”. This code could apply to plastic components used for packaging or containing the board game. The tariff details are a base rate of 3.0%, a surcharge of 25.0%, and a surcharge of 30% after April 2, 2025, resulting in a total tariff of 58.0%.

According to the provided reference material, the HS code options related to 'board games' are limited, with only the following 3 found.