HS Code for Knit Dresses: Classification Guide for Importers

If you import knitted dresses, the hs code for knit dresses is the line your customs entry, duty calculation and origin claim depend on, and the answer starts from a single heading. The Harmonized System is a multipurpose international product nomenclature developed by the World Customs Organization (WCO), comprising more than 5,000 commodity groups, each identified by a six-digit code, and used by more than 200 countries and economies as a basis for their customs tariffs.¹ This guide gives the indicative heading and fibre subheadings, the factors that can move a garment out of that heading, and how to confirm the full national code.

Quick answer: indicative heading 6104

Knitted or crocheted dresses for women or girls sit in heading 6104. The heading text covers "Women's or girls' suits, ensembles, jackets, blazers, dresses, skirts, divided skirts, trousers, bib and brace overalls, breeches and shorts (other than swimwear), knitted or crocheted."² Dresses are named in the heading itself, provided the garment is a dress in the customs sense and is knitted or crocheted.

Within heading 6104, the six-digit subheading for dresses is set by fibre:

The UK tariff page lists the dress lines in this order, from 6104 4100 00 to 6104 4900 00.² Chapter 61 applies only to made up knitted or crocheted articles, so a woven dress is not in this heading at all.² Confirm the full national code for your fibre blend before you file.

How HS codes are structured

The HS is a classification system of approximately 5,000 six-digit product categories organised in a hierarchical structure 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.³

The diagram below summarises the four levels.

Countries subdivide the six-digit categories into regional or national subheadings, and the Combined Nomenclature of the European Union uses eight-digit codes.³ The current version of the system is HS 2022.³ If you are new to the system, read the HS code explainer first, then how to classify your product.

Factors that decide the code for knit dresses

Classification follows the wording of the headings and notes, not the name on a retail listing or invoice.

Knitted or crocheted construction. Chapter 61 applies only to made up knitted or crocheted articles.² Dresses are classified under heading codes 6104 and 6204 as appropriate, the 6104 line for knitted or crocheted dresses and the 6204 line for woven dresses.⁴ A dress cut from woven fabric therefore leaves Chapter 61 entirely, even if the style, fibre and buyer are identical.

The dress test. Dresses are garments intended to cover the whole body, starting from the shoulders, and can extend to the ankles or below, and to be classified as a dress the garment must be capable of being worn without any other garments other than underwear.⁴ Where the upper part consists of braces with bibs at the front or back, the garment counts as a dress only if it can be worn on its own in that sense; if it cannot, it is classified as a skirt.⁴ Long tops run into the same boundary: long garments that extend significantly below the waist and do not need another garment on the lower body must be classified as dresses, and T-shirts, blouses or pullovers that exceed the stated maximum lengths for their size are classified as dresses.⁴

Fibre content. Under heading 6104 the dress lines split only by fibre at six digits: 6104.41 for wool or fine animal hair, 6104.42 for cotton, 6104.43 for synthetic fibres, 6104.44 for artificial fibres and 6104.49 for other textile materials.^{2 5} For a blended dress, record the fibre percentages by weight, because the blend decides the six-digit line and, in the United States, the lines below it. A cotton dress and a polyester dress in the same style share no code beyond the heading.

Wearer group. Heading 6104 is the women's or girls' heading. Chapter 61 note 9 provides the default for garments that cannot be identified as either men's or boys' or women's or girls': they go to the women's or girls' headings.² In the United States the statistical suffix then separates the wearer group, suffix 10 for women's and suffix 20 for girls'.⁵

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

United States: HTS, ten digits. The wool and cotton dress lines run as single lines, 6104.41.00 and 6104.42.00, each split at the statistical suffix between women's and girls'.⁵ The synthetic fibres line splits earlier: 6104.43.10 covers dresses containing 23 percent or more by weight of wool or fine animal hair, and 6104.43.20 covers other synthetic fibre dresses.⁵ The artificial fibres line follows the same pattern at 6104.44.10 and 6104.44.20.⁵ The other textile materials line splits by silk content: 6104.49.10 covers dresses containing 70 percent or more by weight of silk or silk waste, and 6104.49.90 covers other dresses on that line.⁵ A blended synthetic dress can therefore change its US code on wool content alone, while its six-digit subheading stays 6104.43.

European Union: CN at eight digits, TARIC for measures. The Combined Nomenclature integrates the HS and adds eight-digit subdivisions.³ The dress lines run to 6104410000 for wool, 6104420000 for cotton, 6104430000 for synthetic fibres, 6104440000 for artificial fibres and 6104490000 for other textile materials.² Read the measures on that line in TARIC for the entry date and origin Bangladesh, because preferential treatment depends on origin rules and proof of origin.

United Kingdom: commodity code. The UK requires the full commodity code in the UK Trade Tariff. The Northern Ireland Online Tariff page for heading 6104 shows the dress lines extended to ten digits, from 6104 4100 00 to 6104 4900 00, on the same fibre stems as the EU lines.² Confirm the full code and its measures on the import date rather than reusing a US code, because the US splits on wool and silk content have no counterpart on the UK dress lines. Other destinations, including the UAE, share the first six digits and set their own lines after them.³

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: construction (knitted, crocheted or woven), fibre percentages by weight, wool or silk content in a blend, wearer group, and whether the garment can be worn on its own.

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

3. Check published rulings for similar garments. For the United States, the USITC advises traders to research classification in the Customs Rulings Online Search Service (CROSS), where the correct classification of many items can be found.⁶

4. For a borderline garment, such as a long top near the dress lengths, apply for a binding decision before you ship. In the EU, a Binding Tariff Information (BTI) decision needs a separate application for each type of product and a detailed description of the goods.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, request a binding ruling from U.S. Customs and Border Protection when no CROSS ruling covers the merchandise.⁶

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 woven dress under 6104. Heading 6104 covers knitted or crocheted dresses only. Dresses sit under heading codes 6104 and 6204 as appropriate, and a woven dress belongs on the 6204 side.⁴

Filing a long top as a T-shirt or pullover. A long garment that covers the body from the shoulders and can be worn without another lower garment meets the dress description, and tops exceeding the maximum lengths for their size are dresses.⁴

Filing a bib-front style as a dress when it needs an upper garment. If a braces-and-bib garment cannot be worn without another garment other than underwear, it is classified as a skirt, not a dress.⁴

Ignoring blend thresholds in the United States. Two synthetic fibre dresses share subheading 6104.43, but the US line splits at 23 percent or more by weight of wool or fine animal hair, and the other-materials line splits at 70 percent silk.⁵ A fibre sheet giving only the main fibre misses both splits.

Copying a code from another country. A six-digit match does not mean the national code matches. US lines split by wool and silk content and by wearer group, while EU and UK dress lines split by fibre alone.^{2 5}

Accepting the supplier code without checking it. A code quoted for export answers the export side. The import code, its measures and any preference claim are set by the destination tariff, so check the line there before shipping.

Related duties and documents

The code decides which duty line and measures customs applies, but this guide states no duty rate. Rates and preferences depend on destination, origin, tariff edition and entry date, and they change. Read the rate beside the confirmed code in the official tariff for your entry date, and check whether preferential treatment for Bangladesh is available and what proof of origin it requires. Keep the same code on the invoice, packing list and origin declaration, with the fibre evidence in the file.

FAQs

What is the HS code for knit dresses?

Women's or girls' knitted or crocheted dresses sit in heading 6104, and the six-digit subheading is set by fibre: 6104.41 for wool or fine animal hair, 6104.42 for cotton, 6104.43 for synthetic fibres, 6104.44 for artificial fibres and 6104.49 for other textile materials.^{2 5} Verify the full national code for your exact garment and blend 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, and ten digits in the US HTS and the UK commodity code.³

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 notes. Check published rulings, such as CROSS for the United States.⁶ For a borderline garment, apply for a binding decision before shipping: a BTI in the EU,⁷ an Advance Tariff Ruling in the United Kingdom,⁸ or a binding ruling from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.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 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.⁸

Next steps on Exportain

Read how to import knit dresses from Bangladesh for the ordering and shipping steps, and use the knit dresses quality control checklist to check fibre composition against the description you classified. Browse Bangladeshi suppliers, and confirm the full national code before the first order ships.