HS Code for Denim Jeans: Classification Guide for Importers

If you import denim jeans, the hs code for denim jeans is the line your customs entry, duty calculation and origin claim depend on. The Harmonised System is an international classification system developed by the World Customs Organization (WCO), with approximately 5,000 six-digit product categories organised by sections, chapters at two digits, headings at four digits and sub-headings at six digits.¹ Denim jeans are woven trousers, so they fall in Chapter 62, and the wearer group and the fabric composition decide the six-digit line.

Quick answer: indicative headings 6203 and 6204

Men's or boys' cotton denim jeans sit under subheading 6203.42. The United Nations Statistics Division lists chapter 62 as apparel and clothing accessories, not knitted or crocheted, and subheading 620342 as "Trousers, bib and brace overalls, breeches and shorts; men's or boys', of cotton (not knitted or crocheted)".²

Women's or girls' cotton denim jeans sit under subheading 6204.62, listed as "Trousers, bib and brace overalls, breeches and shorts; women's or girls', of cotton (not knitted or crocheted)" under heading 6204.³

There is no six-digit subheading named for denim. Both cotton lines cover trousers in any woven cotton fabric, denim included, and the denim split appears later, in the national extensions covered below. Treat 6203.42 and 6204.62 as the indicative six-digit answer and verify the full national code before you file an entry.

How HS codes are structured

The HS organises approximately 5,000 six-digit product categories by sections, chapters at two digits, headings at four digits and sub-headings at six digits, supported by general rules for interpretation and explanatory notes.¹

The diagram below summarises the four levels.

Countries use the HS as the basis for customs tariffs and statistical data, and they subdivide the six-digit categories into regional or national subheadings; the Combined Nomenclature of the European Union uses eight-digit codes.¹ The current version is HS 2022.¹ New to the system? Read the 6-digit HS code guide and the harmonized system tariff code explainer.

Factors that decide the code for denim jeans

Classification follows the headings and chapter notes, not a retail listing or the word jeans on an invoice.

Woven construction, not knitted. Chapter 62 of the US Harmonized Tariff Schedule applies only to made up articles of any textile fabric other than wadding, excluding knitted or crocheted articles.⁴ Denim for jeans is woven, so a standard pair belongs in Chapter 62. A knitted pair in a denim style, such as a knitted jegging, is outside it: the European Commission's textile guidance places trousers, dungarees and shorts under heading codes 6103, 6104, 6203 or 6204 as appropriate, with the knitted headings first.⁵

The trousers test. Trousers cover each leg separately, cover the knees and usually reach down to or below the ankles.⁵ Shorts have the other features of trousers but do not cover the knee, and shorts are classified within the same group as trousers.⁵ A denim short for the same wearer group therefore shares the six-digit cotton subheading,² and bib and brace overalls are named in the same subheading text as well.³

What denim means in the tariff. For the fabric subheadings 5209.42 and 5211.42, denim means a warp-faced 3-thread or 4-thread twill, including broken twill, made from yarns of different colours: the warp yarns are all one colour and the weft yarns are unbleached, bleached, dyed grey or a lighter shade of the warp colour.⁶ That twill construction is what makes a woven cotton fabric denim rather than a plain cotton drill.

Fibre composition and blends. The six-digit split inside headings 6203 and 6204 is by textile material. Cotton jeans use 6203.42 or 6204.62,^{2 3} while neighbouring lines cover other materials, such as 6203.43 and 6204.63 for synthetic fibres.⁴ For a blend, the textile section notes classify a mixture as the single textile material that predominates by weight over any other single material.⁶ A stretch jean in which cotton predominates by weight stays on the cotton line; a jean in which polyester predominates moves to the synthetic fibres line. Record the exact fibre percentages by weight for every style.

Wearer group and closure. Headings 6203 and 6204 split by wearer group before material, men's or boys' in 6203² and women's or girls' in 6204.³ Chapter 62 note 9 in the US schedule adds the closure rule: a left over right front closure marks a men's or boys' garment and a right over left closure a women's or girls' garment, and a garment that cannot be identified as either goes to the women's or girls' headings.⁴ A unisex style with no clear wearer indication can land on the women's line by default.

National codes: US HTS, EU CN and TARIC, UK commodity code

United States: HTS, ten digits. The US schedule splits the cotton subheadings further at eight digits, separating lines such as bib and brace overalls from the other trousers lines under 6203.42 and 6204.62.⁴ The statistical suffix then separates blue denim: suffix 11 covers men's trousers and breeches of blue denim,⁴ and suffix 11 also covers women's trousers and breeches of blue denim.⁴ Because several eight-digit lines carry a blue denim suffix, read the full ten-digit line for your garment type rather than copying a code from a similar style.

European Union: CN at eight digits, TARIC for measures. The Combined Nomenclature integrates the HS and adds EU subdivisions, producing eight-digit codes.¹ Denim is named at that level: in the Northern Ireland online tariff, which presents the EU-style nomenclature, men's trousers of denim appear as commodity code 6203423100, "Of denim", with 6203 4231 as the code for exporting and Intrastat reporting.⁷ For women's jeans, read the line under subheading 6204.62 in TARIC for the entry date and for origin Bangladesh, because preferential treatment depends on origin rules and proof of origin rather than on the code alone.

United Kingdom: commodity code. The UK builds its commodity code on the same first six digits and sets its own extension after them, in the same way other countries subdivide the six-digit categories into national subheadings.¹ Take the full code from the UK Trade Tariff for your garment and entry date; the GOV.UK tariff service shows the men's denim line running to ten digits as 6203423100 in the Northern Ireland tariff.⁷ Never reuse a US code for a UK entry.

How to confirm the code officially

Use this sequence for each style, and keep the evidence in the shipment file.

1. Write a precise description: woven construction, fibre percentages by weight, garment type (trousers, shorts or bib and brace overalls), wearer group, and the front closure direction.

2. Start from the official tariff for the destination: the USITC HTS, TARIC or the UK Trade Tariff. Read the heading text and chapter notes, not only the search result line.

3. Check published rulings for similar garments. For the United States, the USITC advises traders to use the Customs Rulings Online Search Service (CROSS), because the correct classification of many items can be found there.⁸

4. For a borderline garment, such as a knitted denim-look style or a blend near the cotton majority, apply for a binding decision before you ship. In the EU, a Binding Tariff Information (BTI) application needs a separate application for each type of product and a detailed description of the goods.⁹ In the United Kingdom, a legally binding decision is generally valid for 3 years, through an Advance Tariff Ruling.¹⁰ In the United States, if the merchandise is not described in any ruling on CROSS, you may submit a request for a binding ruling to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.⁸

5. Give your broker the description and the confirmed code, and use the same code on the invoice, packing list and declaration.

Common classification mistakes

Filing a knitted garment under 6203 or 6204. Chapter 62 excludes knitted or crocheted articles,⁴ and trousers fall under the knitted headings 6103 or 6104 when they are knitted or crocheted.⁵ A knitted jegging in a denim print is not a Chapter 62 jean.

Using the men's code for a women's style. The wearer group is decided before the material: men's or boys' cotton trousers are 6203.42² and women's or girls' cotton trousers are 6204.62.³

Assuming every colour uses the blue denim suffix. In the US schedule the statistical suffix names blue denim specifically, with other fabrics carried on separate suffix lines for other trousers.⁴ A black or grey denim jean does not take the blue denim suffix.

Filing a synthetic-predominant blend as cotton. A mixture is classified as the material that predominates by weight.⁶ If polyester outweighs cotton, the line is 6203.43 or 6204.63,⁴ not the cotton line.

Copying a code from another country. A six-digit match does not mean the national code matches. The EU extends the six digits to eight in the Combined Nomenclature,¹ and the Northern Ireland tariff runs the men's denim line to ten digits as 6203423100.⁷ A code quoted for export also answers only the export side, so check the import line in the destination tariff before shipping.

Related duties and documents

The code decides which duty line and measures customs applies, but this guide states no general duty rate. On the Northern Ireland tariff page for commodity code 6203423100, the schedule lines show a third country duty of 12.00% and a GSP-EBA tariff preference line of 0.00%.⁷ Those lines are indicative only for that code on that tariff: read the rate beside your confirmed code for your origin and entry date, and check what proof of origin a preference claim requires.

FAQs

What is the HS code for denim jeans?

Men's or boys' cotton denim jeans sit at subheading 6203.42, "Trousers, bib and brace overalls, breeches and shorts; men's or boys', of cotton (not knitted or crocheted)".² Women's or girls' cotton denim jeans sit at subheading 6204.62, on the same wording for women's or girls' garments.³ Denim has no separate six-digit line, so verify the full national code before use.

Is the HS code the same in every country?

Only the first six digits are harmonized. Beyond six digits, each country sets its own lines: eight digits in the EU Combined Nomenclature,¹ and ten digits in the United States, where the statistical suffix separates blue denim from other trousers,⁴ and in the Northern Ireland tariff, where the men's denim line is 6203423100.⁷

How do I confirm the correct code?

Describe the garment precisely, look the code up in the destination tariff, and read the heading text and chapter notes. Check published rulings, such as CROSS for the United States.⁸ For a borderline garment, apply for a binding decision before shipping: a BTI in the EU,⁹ an Advance Tariff Ruling in the United Kingdom,¹⁰ or a binding ruling from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.⁸

What happens if I use the wrong code?

Duty, licensing and quota treatment are worked out from the code on the declaration, so a wrong code means those treatments come from the wrong line. GOV.UK notes that a binding decision helps calculate customs duties, licensing requirements, quotas and other restrictions in advance,¹⁰ which is why confirming the code before the first shipment is cheaper than correcting entries afterwards.

Next steps on Exportain

Read how to import denim jeans from Bangladesh for the ordering and shipping steps, and work through the denim jeans quality control checklist before approving a bulk order. Browse Bangladeshi suppliers and post the confirmed code in your requirement.