HS Code for Puffer Jackets: Classification Guide for Importers

A puffer jacket reaches a buyer as one style number, but customs classifies a garment, not a style number: its construction, outer fabric, length, wearer and filling. 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 covers classification only, for woven puffer jackets, and states no duty rates.

Quick answer: indicative HS heading (with verify note)

The indicative headings for a woven puffer jacket are 6201 for men's or boys' garments and 6202 for women's or girls' garments. The United States schedule covers overcoats, anoraks including ski jackets, windbreakers and similar articles, including padded, sleeveless jackets, other than those of heading 6203 for men and boys and heading 6204 for women and girls.² A puffer jacket sits inside that text as an anorak or similar article, not because the word puffer appears in the tariff.

Treat those lines as indicative. In the current United States schedule, the six-digit split is by fibre, and the overcoat against anorak split happens at the eight-digit level below it.² Confirm the full code for each wearer group and fibre.

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

The Harmonised System runs from sections to chapters at two digits, headings at four digits and sub-headings at six digits, with approximately 5,000 six-digit product categories, in the current version, HS 2022.³ Countries then subdivide the six-digit categories, and the Combined Nomenclature of the European Union uses eight-digit codes.³

Two shipments can therefore share 6201.40 and still need different full codes.^{2 3}

Factors that decide the code for puffer jackets

Woven construction comes first. Chapter 62 applies only to made up articles of any textile fabric other than wadding, excluding knitted or crocheted articles.² A knitted puffer-look jacket is tested in Chapter 61 instead.

The anorak test, not the trade name, decides the heading. European guidance defines anoraks as garments from well below waist length to mid-thigh, with a hood, a complete front opening, a lining that may be quilted or padded, and long sleeves, usually with a tightening, close-fitting sleeve ends, a collar or pockets.⁴ Similar articles include garments with those features except for a hood or a lining.⁴ Most puffer jackets pass even without a hood, because they have a padded lining and a full front opening.

Length draws the overcoat boundary inside the same heading. Overcoats cover the body to at least the mid-thigh and must meet minimum sizes, measured from the collar seam at the nape to the bottom edge laid flat: men 86, 90 and 92 centimetres for small, medium and large, and women 84, 86 and 87 centimetres.⁵ A parka runs from mid-thigh to knee, with a hood, a complete front opening and a quilted lining.⁵

Shell fibre decides the six-digit line; filling does not decide the heading. Record shell, lining and filling separately, by weight. A filling does not create a new heading, but in the United States it creates a separate eight-digit line for anoraks containing 15 percent or more by weight of down and waterfowl plumage, of which down comprises 35 percent or more by weight, or containing 10 percent or more by weight of down.² A man-made fibre shell with down filling and the same shell with synthetic filling therefore start from the same six-digit line and diverge only nationally.

Blends follow weight. Goods of a mixture of textile materials are classified as if consisting wholly of the material which predominates by weight, and when none predominates, as the material covered by the heading occurring last in numerical order.⁶ Apply that test to the fabric that gives the garment its character, not to a heavy filling.

Wearer group follows closure, then cut. Garments designed for left over right closure are men's or boys' garments, and right over left closure are women's or girls' garments, unless the cut clearly indicates otherwise.² Garments which cannot be identified as either are classified in the women's or girls' headings.² Record the wearer group from the cut and the order, not from a marketing label.

Coatings and nonwovens move the garment out of the heading. The overcoat, parka and anorak headings exclude felt or other non-wovens, classified under heading 6210, and a woven fabric with a visible non-cellular coating on one surface is also classified under heading 6210, while a knitted fabric with such a coating goes to heading 6113.⁴ Garments classifiable both in heading 6210 and in other Chapter 62 headings are classified in heading 6210.²

Panelled shells, ski suits and babies' sizes are the remaining boundaries. A jacket or blazer outer shell, excluding sleeves, can comprise three or more panels, two at the front, sewn together lengthwise, but anoraks and similar garments are classified elsewhere under their dedicated headings.⁴ A tailored, panelled padded jacket with no anorak features must be tested against headings 6203 and 6204 first. A padded, sleeveless jacket worn over a ski overall can form part of a ski ensemble, tested under heading 6211, while a standalone sleeveless padded body stays inside headings 6201 and 6202.² Babies' garments, for young children of a body height not exceeding 86 centimetres, are classified in heading 6209 where they are classifiable both there and in other headings.²

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

United States: HTS, ten digits. Start from the fibre line, then read the anorak line and the wearer suffix. For a men's or boys' man-made fibre puffer that is not a down garment, not water resistant and not recreational performance outerwear, the other anorak line is 6201.40.75, with suffix 11 for men's and 21 for boys' garments, giving 6201.40.7511 and 6201.40.7521.² The matching women's line is 6202.40.75, giving 6202.40.7511 and 6202.40.7521.² A down anorak takes 6201.40.55 and 6202.40.55, a water-resistant anorak takes 6201.40.70 and 6202.40.70, and a padded, sleeveless jacket takes 6201.40.60 and 6202.40.60.²

European Union: CN at eight digits, TARIC for measures. The Combined Nomenclature uses eight-digit codes, built on the same six-digit subheadings, and TARIC adds the measures for the entry date.³ Start from 6201.40 or 6202.40 and read the CN and TARIC lines for the length group and overcoat or anorak character. Do not carry a United States code into an EU entry.

United Kingdom: commodity code. The United Kingdom builds its commodity code on the same first six digits, with its own extension, read from the UK Trade Tariff for the garment and the entry date. Confirm the extension rather than reusing a United States or EU code.

How to confirm the code officially

1. Write a precise description: construction, shell, lining and filling fibres by weight, length measured flat, hood and opening, tightening, wearer group, 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, not a supplier's code list.

3. Check published rulings for similar padded garments. For the United States, the USITC advises traders to use the Customs Rulings Online Search Service (CROSS).⁷

4. For a borderline garment, apply for a binding decision before you ship. In the EU, a Binding Tariff Information application needs a separate application for each type of product and a detailed description.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 request a binding ruling from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.⁷

5. Give your broker the description and confirmed code for each style, wearer group and fibre.

Common classification mistakes

Filing a puffer on an old six-digit anorak line. Older references list anorak lines at 6201.91 to 6201.99 and 6202.91 to 6202.99, with overcoat lines at 6201.11 to 6201.19 and 6202.11 to 6202.19.¹⁰ Current schedules split headings 6201 and 6202 by fibre at six digits, with the overcoat or anorak split below six digits.²

Filing a coated woven puffer without the 6210 test. A woven fabric with a visible non-cellular coating on one surface is classified under heading 6210, and garments classifiable both in heading 6210 and in other Chapter 62 headings are classified in heading 6210.^{2 4} Test coating before choosing a 6201 or 6202 line.

Letting the filling choose the fibre line. A filling does not change the heading or automatically change the six-digit fibre line.² It creates a separate United States national line, at the down lines, and it must be recorded separately from the shell fibre.²

Filing a long padded parka on a short anorak line. Overcoats cover the body to at least the mid-thigh, while anoraks run from well below waist length to mid-thigh.⁵ Measure flat; a knee-length parka and a waist-length puffer share a heading and fibre line, but not a national line.

Filing a puffer set as one code. Textile garments of different headings are classified in their own headings even if put up in sets for retail sale.⁶ A puffer sold with trousers takes a jacket code and a trouser code.

Related duties and documents

This guide states no duty rates: the code decides which duty line customs applies, and a rate on one line does not carry to another 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 style description, compositions, flat length, wearer determination, confirmed codes, any binding decision and origin evidence together in the shipment file, with each style, wearer group and fibre as a separate invoice line.

FAQs

What is the HS code for puffer jackets?

There is no single code printed under the name puffer. A woven puffer jacket is tested under heading 6201 for men's or boys' garments and heading 6202 for women's or girls' garments, at the fibre line 6201.20, 6201.30, 6201.40 or 6201.90, or the matching 6202 line.² The full national code must be read from the destination tariff.

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, and ten in the United States and the United Kingdom.^{3 2}

How do I confirm the correct code?

Describe each garment precisely, read the heading text and chapter notes in the destination tariff, and check rulings such as CROSS.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 CBP binding ruling in the United States.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 brings the wrong treatment.

Next steps on Exportain

Browse Bangladeshi suppliers on Exportain, and read the HS code explainer and how to classify your product before confirming codes with your broker. Exportain is not a party to the goods contract and does not inspect goods, book freight or clear customs.