HS Code for Men's Woven Shirts: Classification Guide for Importers

If you import men's woven shirts, the hs code for men's woven shirts 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 A woven men's shirt falls in Chapter 62, and the fibre decides the six-digit line under heading 6205.

Quick answer: indicative heading 6205

Men's or boys' woven shirts sit under heading 6205, "Men's or boys' shirts", in Chapter 62, the chapter for apparel and clothing accessories that are not knitted or crocheted.

The six-digit split under heading 6205 is by fibre:

The Czech Statistical Office classification record lists item 620520 as "Men's or boys' shirts of cotton (excl. knitted or crocheted, nightshirts, singlets and other vests)", under heading 6205.² The United States schedule carries the same three-way split: 6205.20 "Of cotton", 6205.30 "Of man-made fibers" and 6205.90 "Of other textile materials".³

Treat 6205.20, 6205.30 and 6205.90 as the indicative six-digit answer for a woven shirt. Verify the full national code in the destination tariff before you file an entry, because the duty line and any preference claim attach to the national code, not to the six digits alone.

How HS codes are structured

The HS is supported by general rules for interpretation and explanatory notes.¹ Each level below adds two digits of detail.

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 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 men's woven shirts

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.³ A woven shirt therefore belongs in Chapter 62 and heading 6205. A knitted men's shirt leaves this heading: the European Commission's textile guidance states that shirts are classified under heading code 6105 if knitted or crocheted, or 6205 if not knitted or crocheted.⁴ Check the fabric construction first, because a knitted polo-style shirt is not a 6205 shirt.

The shirt test. Chapter 62 note 4 states that headings 6205 and 6206 do not cover garments with pockets below the waist, with a ribbed waistband or other means of tightening at the bottom of the garment, and that heading 6205 does not cover sleeveless garments.³ The same note defines shirts as garments designed to cover the upper part of the body, having long or short sleeves and a full or partial opening starting at the neckline, and shirts may also have a collar.³ The Northern Ireland online tariff carries the same chapter note wording.⁵ A sleeveless woven top, or an overshirt with pockets below the waist and a tightening hem, can fail this test, so record pocket position, hem finish and sleeve type for every style.

Closure direction and wearer group. Heading 6205 covers men's or boys' shirts only. The European Commission's textile guidance states that a male shirt must have a left over right fastening in front or a left over right flap, with long or short sleeves, and that garments with a right over left fastening are usually classified as women's garments.⁴ The US chapter notes carry the same rule, and garments that cannot be identified as either men's or women's go to the women's or girls' headings.³ A unisex woven shirt with no clear wearer indication can therefore land under heading 6206, for women's or girls' blouses, shirts and shirt-blouses.³

Fibre composition. Inside heading 6205, the material decides the subheading: cotton shirts use 6205.20,² man-made fibre shirts use 6205.30 and shirts of other textile materials use 6205.90.³ Record the exact fibre percentages by weight for every style and keep the mill composition sheet in the shipment file.

Blends and predominance by weight. For a shirt woven from two or more textile materials, the textile section notes classify a mixture as the one textile material that predominates by weight over any other single textile material, with the heading that occurs last in numerical order used when no one material predominates.⁶ A cotton shirt with a small elastane share, in which cotton predominates by weight, stays on the cotton line; a polyester-cotton shirt in which polyester predominates moves to 6205.30. National lines then apply their own weight thresholds: the US schedule carries a separate line under 6205.30 for shirts containing 36 percent or more by weight of wool or fine animal hair.³ A blend near a threshold needs mill or laboratory weight figures, not an estimate.

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

United States: HTS, ten digits. The US schedule extends each six-digit subheading to eight digits and adds a two-digit statistical suffix. Under 6205.20, the eight-digit lines separate certified hand-loomed and folklore products at 6205.20.10 from other cotton shirts at 6205.20.20, and the suffixes then separate dress shirts from other shirts and men's from boys' shirts.³ 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 For a cotton shirt, the eight-digit code is 62052000, recorded as the correspondence for HS item 620520.² For man-made fibre and other-material shirts, read the eight-digit line under subheadings 6205.30 and 6205.90 in TARIC for your entry date and for origin Bangladesh, because preferential treatment depends on the origin rules and the proof of origin, not 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 The UK tariff services carry the same Chapter 62 notes, including the rule that heading 6205 does not cover sleeveless garments.⁵ Take the full ten-digit code from the UK Trade Tariff for your shirt and entry date. Never reuse a US or EU code without checking that the UK extension matches.

How to confirm the code officially

1. Write a precise description: woven construction, fibre percentages by weight, garment type, sleeve type, pocket position, hem finish, 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 the 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.⁷

4. For a borderline garment, 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.⁸ In the United Kingdom, a legally binding decision is generally valid for 3 years, through an Advance Tariff Ruling.⁹ 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.⁷

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 shirt under 6205. Chapter 62 excludes knitted or crocheted articles,³ and knitted men's shirts fall under heading 6105.⁴

Filing a sleeveless woven top as a shirt. Heading 6205 does not cover sleeveless garments.³ A sleeveless woven top needs its own heading check before you ship it.

Using the men's heading for a women's style. Heading 6205 covers men's or boys' shirts,³ and a right over left front closure usually marks a women's garment.⁴ Women's woven shirts and blouses sit under heading 6206.³

Filing a blend on the wrong fibre line. A mixture is classified as the material that predominates by weight.⁶ If polyester outweighs cotton, the line is 6205.30,³ not 6205.20.²

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, with 62052000 for cotton shirts,² and the United States runs the cotton lines to ten digits.³ 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 US schedule line for other cotton shirts, subheading 6205.20.20, the General rate of duty shown in the 2026 Revision 17 schedule is 19.7%.³ That line is indicative only for that US subheading in that schedule revision: 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 same confirmed code on the commercial invoice, packing list and customs declaration, with the fibre composition sheet in the shipment file. A binding decision helps calculate customs duties, licensing requirements, quotas and other restrictions in advance.⁹

FAQs

What is the HS code for men's woven shirts?

Men's or boys' woven shirts sit under heading 6205. The six-digit subheading follows the fibre: 6205.20 for cotton,² 6205.30 for man-made fibres and 6205.90 for other textile materials.³ Verify the full national code in the destination tariff 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, with 62052000 for cotton shirts,² and ten digits in the United States.³ The United Kingdom also extends the shared six digits with its own commodity code.¹

How do I confirm the correct code?

Describe the shirt 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.⁷ For a borderline garment, apply for a binding decision before shipping: a BTI in the EU,⁸ an Advance Tariff Ruling in the United Kingdom,⁹ or a binding ruling from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.⁷

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,⁹ which is why confirming the code before the first shipment is cheaper than correcting entries afterwards.

Next steps on Exportain

Read how to import men's woven shirts from Bangladesh for the ordering and shipping steps, and work through the men's woven shirts quality control checklist before approving a bulk order. Browse Bangladeshi suppliers and put the confirmed code in your requirement.