What makes a mark valid
The US rule, 19 CFR Part 134, is the strictest common case and a good test for any market. A valid mark is:
- On the article itself, unless the article is excepted, in which case the outer container carries it.
- Conspicuous: easy to find without taking the product apart or lifting a cushion.
- Legible and permanent: it stays on until the final buyer has it. Branding, etching, sewn labels or durable adhesive labels work; a loose hangtag usually does not.
- In English, with the country's name. Where “USA”, a US city or another country appears on the product, the origin must sit close by in comparable size, with words such as “Made in”.
Unmarked goods entering the US can face an extra duty of 10% of their value unless they are marked, exported or destroyed under customs supervision.
Worked example: a design-brand table
A sheesham console table for a US retailer carries a brass plate on the drawer front reading “Studio Copenhagen”. The only origin mark is a paper sticker on the carton. Two problems follow: the table itself is unmarked, and the Danish city name on the plate could suggest the table was made in Denmark. The fix is a permanent “Made in India” mark on the table, for example branded on the back panel, plus a “Made in India” line near the plate or a plate that no longer names a city.
How Clear To Load uses it
Origin marking is checked on sampled units and cartons against your approved label list on every pre-shipment inspection: presence, wording, position and a rub or pull test on adhesive labels. Each one is photographed. Market-by-market rules are on our product labelling and country of origin page.