Country of origin marking instructions

2.1 Marking Requirements for Specific Types of Articles

Finished products
These include machines (either shipped as a machine type or part number), supplies (such as ribbons, cartridges, diskettes, etc.), major peripherals (such as keyboards and displays), media recorded with software programs, and publications. Finished products must have the country of origin markings directly on the product itself. In all instances, the immediate container going to the ultimate purchaser of the goods must be marked with the country of origin.

Field Replaceable Units (FRUs)
These include certain sub-assemblies such as circuit cards, power supplies, and other items that are routinely removed and replaced during maintenance operations. These items must have the country of origin markings directly on the product itself, where physically possible. In all instances, the immediate container going to the ultimate purchaser of the goods (which may be sealed protective packaging) must be marked with the country of origin.

Sub-products, excluding FRUs
These include modules, components, parts, sub-assemblies, etc.. Sub-products must have the country of origin markings directly on the sub-product itself, where physically possible. In all instances, the immediate container going to the ultimate purchaser of the goods (which may be sealed protective packaging) must be marked with the country of origin.

2.2 Wording

The following wording should be used for country of origin marking. Any modification to this wording must be approved by IBM legal.

Articles Manufactured in the US:
Articles which are produced from contents, components, and raw materials of mixed national origin and where the US is determined to be the country of origin must be marked:

Articles Manufactured outside the US:
Articles which are made or finally assembled outside of the US and are determined to have undergone a substantial transformation must be marked:

2.3 Container Marking

An immediate container is defined as the innermost level of packaging in which the articles will arrive at the ultimate purchaser. The immediate container must be marked with the full English name of the country of origin of the articles contained within it, using the same wording as the marking on the articles (see above for acceptable wording).

Some immediate containers contain merchandise of different origins. In such an instance, each article within the immediate container must be marked with its country of origin and the immediate container must include a marking statement which summarizes the countries of origin of the articles in the immediate container. The country of origin summary statement begins: "Contains merchandise from the following countries: ... " and is followed by a list of the full English names of the countries of origin of the articles in the immediate container.

Containers designed for or capable of reuse must be individually marked to indicate the country of origin of the container. Use the following marking on containers suitable for reuse: "Container made in xxx", where "xxx" is the full English name of the country of origin of the reusable container. If the reusable container is not empty, and the reusable container is the immediate container, the reusable container must also be marked "Contents made in xxx" (where xxx is the full English name of the country of origin of the contents).

In all instances, the country of origin marking on an immediate container must be in close proximity to any label which designates a US address or the name of a foreign country which is not the country of origin.

No abbreviations, with the exception of UK for United Kingdom and US or USA for the United States of America, are acceptable.

The 2 character International Organization for Standardization (ISO) codes are not acceptable for marking articles or immediate containers.


3.0 Commercial Invoice Requirements
Country of origin information must be provided by you on the commercial invoice for each item, including "No Charge" items provided or returned to IBM. Country of origin information is specific to each line item on the invoice and each line item must have a single country of origin.

The commercial invoice must provide country of origin information using:

UK may be used as an abbreviation for the United Kingdom.

In all instances, the country of origin information on the invoice must be consistent with the country of origin marked on the immediate container and the article, and consistent with the country of origin identified on the packing list (delivery notice). 

4.0 Packing List Requirements
Country of origin information must be provided by you on the packing list (delivery notice) for each item, including "No Charge" items provided or returned to IBM. Country of origin information is specific to each line item on the packing list (delivery notice) and each line item must have a single country of origin.

The packing list (delivery notice) must provide country of origin information using:

In all instances, the country of origin information on the packing list (delivery notice) must be consistent with the country of origin marked on the immediate container and the article, and consistent with the country of origin identified on the invoice.