Thermocouple?

I think that Del nailed it , But I'll be happy to take a look at my harmonized tariff code book in the morning.

milo

Thanks Milo I just needed to know more about the thermocouple itself. The tariff I know about, been playing with it since before it was adopted in Canada, over 20 years ago. Some days I love the job, imagine a book which has a number for everything in the world and I'm supposed to know them all? So the book and its rules and regulations I know well enough but its some of the terms in it, and relating real life products to those terms I have trouble with. As always though you guys at CR4 can strip away the complexity and explain to a poor old paper pusher what is meant by the guys who wrote the darn book in the first place.

Based on what I've learned here a thermocouple will be classified as a "part" of the machine or device for which it is intended, or if imported with no specific end use intended then under 8543.70 "Electrical machines and apparatus having individual functions, not specified or included elsewhere in this chapter."

Good luck with that NEC call out. What is the rate of duty?

Do you know what it is to be included in?

If you know the machine that it goes into (say a boiler or furnace) and that machine (boiler or furnace) is listed in part 84, your 8543.70 caption may not be accepted. What does the thermocouple ultimately go in? The customs folks always gave me a hard time over NEC as if it was a character flaw. (Sloth in their mind)

Personally I would go for 8417.90.00 Industrial or laboratory furnaces and ovens including incinerators, nonelectric and parts thereof the duty class is just 3.9%

If its for refrigeration most of those general duties are free. 8418...

Nice talking with you.

milo

You ca_ught.

Ugh (This is for A GA I had to give) - If thermocouple is a thermometer , anything in the world is one. Each of them change some physical property due to heat input. Then you have to measure it this property change and that whole thing then becomes a thermometer.

The sensor of the purometer - is a photocell, and that definitely is not a thermometer. A baloon filled with air- will expand on heat (unfortunately on pressure too) - but this doesnot make it a thermometer and ...

In my opinion its a sensor not a meter so you can call it a temp sensor not temp-meter,it don't indicate reading itself. For that matter they should also call Mercury as thermometer. Other argument is what if someone is using it for thermo electricity? In that case isn't it a cell.

I'll join the bandwagon and say that alcohol should be a thermometer too

I'll go with the cat on this one.

LL

If the customs think it is a Thermometer than give them only the thermocouple and ask them to tell the tempreature, only with the supporting electronics, it becomes a thermometer.

Perhaps the answer is in trying to define what ELSE a thermocouple can do? Alcohol CAN be used to measure temperature, but I can think of at least one more use for it.

And a better one too.

Byt after using the thermometer er Alcohol to better use, the temperatures may run high ? (It may infact run high if others thermometers are used on the customs guys too )

The difference has to be done between SENSOR and METER.

A sensor is a device which changes one of its parameters proportionally (does not mean linear) to the change of its environment.

A meter is a device which allows an observer to obtain a quantified information about a change of the sensor's parameters.

With this definition the thermocouple is a sensor since one needs a supplementary device in order to obtain the information about temperature changes.

Thermocouples convert changes in temperature to voltage signals.

That is to say, thermocouples generate an EMF (Electromotive force)

That then this EMF is converted to temperature with an electronic device.

(Thermocouple meter) So, thermocouples alone are not thermometers.

But that is the final application the kernel of the area under discussion.

Thanks guys, as always you keep me informed, educated .... and amused.

It makes perfect sense to me now and the timing turns out to be perfect. My original inquiry was related to a small value shipment and as the replies piled up and my eyes were opening, doesn't another co-worker come up and ask me about thermocouples. She has a much larger shipment of the gizmos for another client.

With your help I was able to confidently advise where they get classified and if Customs kicks up a fuss explain to them why they are NOT thermometers.

CUZ CR4 SAYS SO!!!!!

Thermocouple ==> Thermometer like

Gear ==> Transmission

No, it is not a thermometer.

It uses two dissimilar metals to find a temperature (or voltage) difference. You will not know the actual temperature unless you are given a reference temperature. In that case, the temperature is read or obtained by actually using a thermometer-type device.