STEP 1

Start at the order of review

§ 120.11 is mandatory. Identify general characteristics, pick a USML category, then match an enumerated paragraph before any catch-all.

STEP 2

Read the USML legend

Asterisks (SME) and the (MT) Missile Technology legend are in § 120.10. § 121.0 is the Part 121 local vocabulary (CCL, ECCN, EAR, DoD), not the MT legend. Headings are not controls.

STEP 3

Open the matching category

Walk the enumerated paragraphs of § 121.1. Prefer an enumerated entry over a specially-designed catch-all when both could apply.

STEP 4

Apply specially designed

If a USML paragraph uses “specially designed,” that enumeration invokes § 120.41 — it is not the (a) test. Run (a)(1) (properties peculiarly responsible for the controlled performance) and (a)(2) (part/component/accessory/attachment/software for use in or with a defense article), then the (b) exclusions. A (b) exclusion does not auto-clear to the EAR or a 600-series ECCN; resume § 120.11. Unclear → CJ (§ 120.4). Document the (b) paragraph you rely on.

STEP 5

If it is not on the USML

After the USML is clear, § 120.11(d) and § 120.5 hand off to the other agency’s regime. For items that may be subject to the EAR, continue under Supplement No. 4 to Part 774 and Part 732. Do not treat § 120.58 as the classification step — it only defines “subject to the EAR.” A CJ (§ 120.4) is for genuine doubt, not for a paragraph you did not want to read.