HS Code for Frozen Shrimp: Classification Guide for Importers

If you import frozen shrimp for a retail chain, foodservice distributor or processing plant, the hs code for frozen shrimp is the line your customs entry, duty calculation and origin claim depend on. The Harmonized System is a multipurpose international product nomenclature developed by the World Customs Organization (WCO), used by more than 200 countries and economies as a basis for their customs tariffs.¹ For shrimp, the deciding facts are species and state. The ordering steps are in how to import frozen shrimp from Bangladesh and the inspection points in the frozen shrimp quality control checklist.

Quick answer: indicative HS heading (with verify note)

The HS organizes its approximately 5,000 six-digit product categories by sections, chapters (2 digits), headings (4 digits) and sub-headings (6 digits).² Frozen shrimp is a crustacean, so it sits in Chapter 3 under heading 0306, in the frozen block of that heading, where the split runs by species group.

Verify the species and the state, not the product name. The United States carries the two shrimp lines at 0306.16.00 and 0306.17.00 and then splits them with statistical suffixes.³ The European Union splits 0306.17 further by species and family at eight digits.⁴ Confirm the full national code before filing.

How HS codes are structured (2-4-6 digits)

Each pair of digits narrows the category: chapter 3 for fish and crustaceans, heading 0306 for crustaceans, then a six-digit subheading by state and species group, for example 0306.17 for other shrimps and prawns, frozen, and a national extension of 8 to 10 digits.²

Countries subdivide the six-digit categories into national subheadings for their tariffs and statistics, and the current version is HS 2022.² Read the 6-digit HS code guide for more on the structure, and how to classify your product for the classification method.

Factors that decide the code for frozen shrimp

Species comes first: the cold-water test. Subheading 0306.16 is limited to cold-water shrimps and prawns, named in the schedule as Pandalus spp. and Crangon crangon.⁴ Every other frozen shrimp or prawn, including the warm-water species farmed and caught around Bangladesh such as black tiger (Penaeus monodon) and vannamei, falls to 0306.17.

Inside 0306.17, the EU splits by genus and family; the United States does not. The EU Combined Nomenclature divides other frozen shrimps and prawns at eight digits: 0306 17 91 deepwater rose shrimps (Parapenaeus longirostris), 0306 17 92 genus Penaeus, 0306 17 93 family Pandalidae other than genus Pandalus, 0306 17 94 genus Crangon other than Crangon crangon, and 0306 17 99 other.⁴ A black tiger shipment for the EU therefore reads 0306 17 92, and a TARIC subdivision under that line, 0306 17 92 20, names Penaeus vannamei and Penaeus monodon, not cooked, for processing.⁵

Freezing keeps shrimp in the frozen block, and two treatments do not move it. Heading 0306 covers crustaceans whether in shell or not, and its frozen lines are written to include shrimp that is smoked, and shrimp in shell cooked by steaming or by boiling in water.⁴ A frozen smoked shrimp, and a frozen shrimp cooked in its shell, stay in 0306.16 or 0306.17, and peeling alone does not move the line either.⁴

Shell-on or peeled, count size and farmed or wild decide the US suffix, not the subheading. The US schedule keeps every other frozen shrimp at 0306.17.00 and separates it with statistical suffixes: farmed and not farmed, shell-on by count size bands per kilogram, and peeled, where farmed peeled takes 0306.17.0041 and not farmed peeled takes 0306.17.0042.³ Peeled cold-water shrimp takes 0306.16.0040.³ Record count size, shell state and farmed status for every lot: the US entry needs all three.

A fresh or chilled shipment leaves the frozen block. Live, fresh or chilled shrimp sits in the second block of heading 0306, at 0306.35 for cold-water and 0306.36 for other shrimps and prawns.³ The EU splits those lines by species as well, at 0306 35 10 and 0306 35 90 for cold-water and 0306 36 10, 0306 36 50 and 0306 36 90 for the other line.⁴

Dried, salted, in brine or smoked-only shrimp takes the third block, at subheading 0306.95, where the US schedule separates shell-on shrimp at 0306.95.0020 from peeled at 0306.95.0040,³ and the EU carries the other shrimps and prawns of that block at 0306 95 90.⁴

Preparation beyond the heading 0306 states moves the product to heading 1605, which covers crustaceans that are prepared or preserved. Breaded shrimp is the clearest boundary case: the US schedule names frozen breaded shrimp, not in airtight containers, at 1605.21.1020, and prepared meals at 1605.21.0500 when not in airtight containers and 1605.29.0500 when in airtight containers.³ The six-digit split follows the packing: 1605.21 for shrimps and prawns not in airtight containers, with the EU line at 1605 21 90,⁵ and 1605.29 for other prepared or preserved shrimps and prawns, which the EU lists at 1605 29 00 as in airtight containers.⁴ A breaded, battered, marinated or meal-ready shrimp product is never filed on a 0306 line, however it is frozen.

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

United States: HTS, ten digits. The US schedule builds its ten-digit lines on the same first six digits, so a frozen shrimp entry starts at 0306.16.00 or 0306.17.00, and the statistical suffixes then separate farmed or not farmed, shell-on count size bands, and peeled.³ Read the full ten-digit line for each presentation.

European Union: CN at eight digits, TARIC for measures. The Combined Nomenclature integrates the HS and adds EU subdivisions, producing eight-digit codes.² For frozen shrimp the split is by species and family, at 0306 16 91 for Crangon crangon and 0306 16 99 for Pandalus spp. on the cold-water line, and at 0306 17 91 to 0306 17 99 on the other line.⁴ TARIC adds further subdivisions for specific measures, such as the for-processing line for Penaeus vannamei and Penaeus monodon under 0306 17 92.⁵ Read the confirmed line in TARIC for the entry date and for origin Bangladesh.

United Kingdom: commodity code. The UK builds its commodity code on the same first six digits, with its own extension after them.² The UK code therefore starts from the same 0306.16 and 0306.17 subheadings, but the full ten-digit code must be read in the UK Trade Tariff for your species, presentation and entry date rather than copied from a US or EU entry.

How to confirm the code officially

1. Write a precise description: species with its scientific name, frozen or chilled state, shell-on or peeled, count size, farmed or wild-caught, any smoking or in-shell cooking, and any coating or marinade.

2. Start from the official tariff for the destination: the USITC HTS, TARIC or the UK Trade Tariff, and read the heading text and the chapter notes for Chapter 3 and, for prepared products, Chapter 16.

3. Check published rulings for similar products. 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.⁶

4. For a borderline product, such as a lightly coated shrimp, 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.⁷ In the United Kingdom, a legally binding decision is generally valid for 3 years, through an Advance Tariff Ruling.⁸ In the United States, if the merchandise is not described in any ruling on CROSS, you may request a binding ruling from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.⁶

5. Give your broker the description and the confirmed code for each presentation.

Common classification mistakes

Filing warm-water shrimp on the cold-water line. Subheading 0306.16 names Pandalus spp. and Crangon crangon only.⁴ Black tiger, vannamei and every other warm-water species take 0306.17.

Filing breaded or marinated shrimp under 0306. Preparation moves the product to heading 1605: frozen breaded shrimp sits at 1605.21.1020 in the US schedule, and prepared meals at 1605.21.0500 or 1605.29.0500 by packing.³

Filing a chilled shipment on the frozen lines. The live, fresh or chilled block takes 0306.35 and 0306.36.³

Copying the EU species split into a US entry, or the US count size split into an EU entry. The EU divides 0306.17 by genus and family and has no count size lines.⁴ The United States divides 0306.17.00 by farmed status, shell state and count size and has no genus lines.³

Treating smoked shrimp as prepared. The frozen lines of heading 0306 are written to include smoked shrimp, and shrimp in shell cooked by steaming or by boiling in water.⁴ Smoking or in-shell boiling alone does not move a frozen shrimp to heading 1605.

Related duties and documents

This guide states no duty rates: the code decides which duty line customs applies, and a rate read beside the cold-water line does not carry to the other shrimp line, to a fresh shipment or to a prepared product. Read the rate beside your confirmed code for your origin and entry date. Keep the regulatory file beside the classification file. In the United States, shrimp is a monitored species group: the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration lists the shrimp HTS codes, from the 0306 frozen lines through the 1605 prepared lines, in its Seafood Import Monitoring Program code list.³ Keep the species and count size evidence, the confirmed national code per presentation, any binding decision and the origin evidence with the shipment documents, and run the inspection points in the frozen shrimp quality control checklist before the container is sealed.

FAQs

What is the HS code for frozen shrimp?

Frozen shrimp sits in heading 0306. Cold-water shrimps and prawns, Pandalus spp. and Crangon crangon, take subheading 0306.16, and other frozen shrimps and prawns take 0306.17.⁴ The United States carries those lines at 0306.16.00 and 0306.17.00 with suffixes by farmed status, shell state and count size,³ and the EU splits 0306.17 by genus and family at eight digits.⁴

Is the HS code the same in every country?

Only the first six digits are harmonized. Beyond six digits, each country adds its own lines: eight digits in the EU Combined Nomenclature,² and ten in the United States, where the shrimp lines split by farmed status, shell state and count size rather than by species.³

How do I confirm the correct code?

Describe the product precisely, with the species and scientific name, the frozen or chilled state, shell state, count size and any coating, read the heading text and notes in the destination tariff, and check published rulings, such as CROSS for the United States.⁶ For a borderline product, apply for a binding decision before shipping: a BTI in the EU,⁷ an Advance Tariff Ruling in the United Kingdom,⁸ or a CBP binding ruling in the United States.⁶

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 brings the wrong treatment. Taking a binding decision in advance helps you calculate the duties and restrictions that will apply.⁸

Next steps on Exportain

Browse Bangladeshi suppliers on Exportain, a B2B marketplace where supplier profiles carry document and photo review badges, and post a free RFQ at Exportain RFQs with the confirmed code stated per presentation. The harmonized system explainer and the guide to classifying your product are the background reads. Exportain is not a party to the goods contract and does not inspect goods, book freight or clear customs.