HS Code for Medical Scrubs: Classification Guide for Importers

If you import scrubs for a hospital group or clinic chain, the hs code for medical scrubs 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), 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 For scrubs, the code turns on garment construction, not on the word medical in a product listing: scrubs are workwear garments, and the tariff classifies them as garments. This guide covers classification only; the ordering steps are in how to import medical scrubs from Bangladesh and the inspection points in the medical scrubs quality control checklist.

Quick answer: the indicative hs code for medical scrubs

The HS organises its approximately 5,000 six-digit product categories by sections, chapters (2 digits), headings (4 digits) and sub-headings (6 digits).² Most export scrubs are woven, and woven scrubs sit in Chapter 62, not knitted or crocheted. A typical woven scrub top, with patch pockets below the waist, falls outside the shirt headings and is tested against heading 6211, other garments.³

Verify the garment, not the label. Inside heading 6211, the split runs by wearer group and then by fibre: men's or boys' other garments sit at 6211.32 for cotton and 6211.33 for man-made fibres, and women's or girls' at 6211.42 for cotton and 6211.43 for man-made fibres.³ Treat 6211 as indicative and confirm the full national code before filing.

How HS codes are structured

Each pair of digits narrows the category: chapter 62 for woven apparel, heading 6211 for other garments, then a six-digit subheading by wearer group and fibre, for example 6211.42 for women's or girls' other garments of cotton, and a national extension of 8 to 10 digits.²

Countries subdivide the six-digit categories into national subheadings for their tariffs and statistics.² The current version is HS 2022.² Read the 6-digit HS code guide for more on the structure.

Factors that decide the code for medical scrubs

The top is tested against the shirt headings first. Chapter 62 note 4 states that headings 6205 and 6206 do not cover garments with pockets below the waist or with tightening at the bottom.³ A standard scrub top has patch pockets below the waist, and many styles add a drawstring hem, so it fails the shirt test and moves to heading 6211. A plain top with chest pockets only can stay in 6205 or 6206.

Woven construction, not knitted. Chapter 62 applies only to made up articles of any textile fabric other than wadding, excluding knitted or crocheted articles.³ A knitted scrub set sits in Chapter 61 instead, where the European guidance treats heading 6114 as the knitted other-garments heading.⁴ GOV.UK states the split directly: garments are classified under Chapter 61 if made from knitted or crocheted fabric, and Chapter 62 covers clothing made from woven or non-woven fabrics.⁵

Fibre composition and blends. Inside heading 6211, the six-digit split is by wearer group and textile material: 6211.32 and 6211.42 are the cotton lines, 6211.33 and 6211.43 the man-made fibre lines, and 6211.39 and 6211.49 cover other textile materials.³ For a blend, the textile section notes classify a mixture as the single textile material that predominates by weight.⁶ Record the fibre percentages by weight for every style: a polyester-predominant version of the same top moves to the man-made fibre line.

Wearer group and closure. Chapter 62 note 9 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.³ Many scrubs are unisex pull-on styles with no closure, so the wearer group on the order settles the line.

A scrub set does not take one code automatically. The textile section notes classify garments of different headings in their own headings even if put up in sets for retail sale.⁶ Classify top and trousers separately, every time.

Coatings can move the garment, and scrubs are not surgical gowns. Chapter 62 note 6 provides that garments classifiable both in heading 6210 and in other headings of the chapter are classified in heading 6210.³ GOV.UK notes that garments made from felt or other non-wovens are classified under heading 6210.⁵ A coated or nonwoven garment needs the 6210 test before you settle on 6211. Separately, the US schedule lists surgical and isolation gowns on their own lines inside heading 6211 hospital apparel.³ Do not file scrubs on a gown line, or a gown as scrubs.

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

United States: HTS, ten digits. The US schedule splits the 6211 subheadings further. Under the women's or girls' cotton line 6211.42.10, the statistical suffixes separate blouses excluded from heading 6206, and a separate block for hospital, clinic, laboratory or contaminated-area apparel, where gowns take one suffix and other apparel another.³ The men's man-made fibre line likewise separates hospital-use shirts excluded from heading 6205.³ Scrub trousers sit with trousers, at 6203.42 and 6204.62 for cotton.³ Read the full ten-digit line for each piece.

European Union: CN at eight digits, TARIC for measures. The Combined Nomenclature integrates the HS and adds EU subdivisions, producing eight-digit codes.² At eight digits, the structure for heading 6211 separates industrial and occupational clothing inside each wearer and fibre line.⁷ Read the confirmed line in TARIC for the entry date and for origin Bangladesh, and check the origin rules behind any preference claim.

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 tariff page for heading 6211 lists the full ten-digit codes under each six-digit line, including the industrial and occupational lines at 6211 3210 for men's cotton and 6211 4210 for women's cotton.⁷ Take the full code from the UK Trade Tariff for your garment and entry date.

How to confirm the code officially

1. Write a precise description: woven or knitted construction, fibre percentages by weight, garment type, pocket positions, hem tightening, wearer group, and any coating.

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

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 scrub top with chest pockets only, 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.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 request a binding ruling from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.⁸

5. Give your broker the description and the confirmed code for each piece, and use the same codes throughout the entry.

Common classification mistakes

Filing the whole set under 6211. Garments of different headings keep their own headings even in retail sets.⁶ The trousers take 6203.42 or 6204.62 for cotton,³ not 6211.

Filing every scrub top as a shirt. Headings 6205 and 6206 do not cover garments with pockets below the waist or tightening at the bottom.³ The patch pockets on a standard scrub top take it out of the shirt headings; a plain top that meets the shirt definition belongs in 6205 or 6206.⁴

Filing a knitted set under Chapter 62. Chapter 62 excludes knitted or crocheted articles.³ Knitted scrubs belong in Chapter 61, at heading 6114.⁴

Filing a polyester-predominant blend as cotton. A mixture is classified as the material that predominates by weight.⁶ If polyester outweighs cotton, the line is 6211.33 or 6211.43,³ not the cotton line.

Treating scrubs and surgical gowns as one product. The US schedule lists gowns on separate statistical lines.³ Keep the products and codes separate.

Copying a code from another country. The EU extends the six digits to eight,² and the United States and the United Kingdom split the 6211 lines further.^{3 7}

Related duties and documents

This guide states no duty rates: the code decides which duty line customs applies, and a rate on a women's cotton line does not carry to a men's or man-made fibre line. Read the rate beside your confirmed code for your origin and entry date, and check what proof of origin a preference claim requires.

Keep the regulatory boundary separate from classification. Ordinary reusable scrubs are workwear garments, not medical devices. Surgical gowns are treated differently: the UK guidance on Regulation (EU) 2016/425 explains that a medical gown is a medical device if its purpose is to protect the patient from the healthcare worker, and personal protective equipment if its purpose is to protect the healthcare worker from the patient, and a product serving both purposes must meet both sets of requirements.¹¹ Confirm the regulatory status of any gowns before shipping. Keep the style description, fibre composition, confirmed codes, any binding decision and the origin evidence together in the shipment file, with tops and trousers as separate invoice lines.

FAQs

What is the HS code for medical scrubs?

There is no single six-digit code for a scrub set. A woven scrub top with pockets below the waist is tested against heading 6211, at 6211.32 or 6211.33 for men's or boys' garments and 6211.42 or 6211.43 for women's or girls' garments, by fibre.³ Scrub trousers take the trouser lines of headings 6203 and 6204, at 6203.42 and 6204.62 for cotton.³

Is the HS code the same in every country?

Only the first six digits are harmonised. 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 6211 lines split further.³

How do I confirm the correct code?

Describe each garment precisely, read the heading text and chapter notes in the destination tariff, and 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 CBP binding ruling in the United States.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 brings the wrong treatment. Taking a binding decision in advance helps you calculate the duties and restrictions that will apply.¹⁰

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 codes stated per piece. The harmonized system tariff code explainer is the background read. Exportain is not a party to the goods contract and does not inspect goods, book freight or clear customs, so keep your broker and your binding decision at the centre of the entry.