HS Code for Sanitary Ware: Classification Guide for Importers

If you import bathroom suites, washbasins or toilet fixtures from Bangladesh, the hs code for sanitary ware is the line your customs entry, duty treatment and origin claim depend on. The tariff tests each fixture by what it is made of, how it is fired, and whether it is a fixture or a bathroom accessory. This guide works through those tests for ceramic sanitary ware, with the national codes for the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom. For the general method, read the HS code hub and the step-by-step classification guide.

Quick answer: the indicative HS heading for sanitary ware

Ceramic sanitary fixtures sit in heading 6910, which covers ceramic sinks, washbasins, washbasin pedestals, baths, bidets, water closet pans, flushing cisterns, urinals and similar sanitary fixtures.¹ The six-digit split is by body material only: 6910.10 for porcelain or china, and 6910.90 for other ceramic ware.¹ Treat both lines as indicative and confirm the full national code before filing.

How HS codes are structured

The Harmonized System comprises more than 5,000 commodity groups, each identified by a six-digit code, and is used by more than 200 countries and economies as a basis for their customs tariffs.³ The structure runs in stages: sections, then chapters (2 digits), headings (4 digits) and subheadings (6 digits).⁴ Countries subdivide the six-digit categories into national subheadings for their tariffs and statistics.⁴ The current version is HS 2022.⁴

For sanitary ware, the ladder reads: Chapter 69 for ceramic products, heading 6910 for ceramic sanitary fixtures, subheading 6910.10 or 6910.90 by body material, then a national extension of 8 to 10 digits.^{1 4}

Factors that decide the code for sanitary ware

Ceramic and fired first. Chapter 69 applies only to ceramic products which have been fired after shaping, and articles heated below 800 °C for purposes such as curing resins or removing water are not considered fired and are excluded from the chapter.¹ A resin-cast lookalike that was never fired is not a Chapter 69 article.

Fixture, not accessory. Heading 6910 names the fixed pieces of a bathroom or washroom: sinks, basins, pedestals, baths, bidets, water closet pans, flushing cisterns and urinals.¹ The EU line for 6910 10 00 expressly excludes soap dishes, sponge holders, tooth-brush holders, towel hooks and toilet paper holders, which are toilet articles rather than sanitary fixtures.² Test accessories separately.

The porcelain or china test. In the United States, porcelain, china and chinaware mean ceramic ware other than stoneware, whether or not glazed or decorated, having a fired white body (unless artificially colored) which will not absorb more than 0.5 percent of its weight of water and is translucent in thicknesses of several millimeters.¹ Stoneware is separately defined as clay-based ware that absorbs not more than 3 percent of its weight of water and is naturally opaque.¹

A ruling that shows the test biting. United States Customs tested a glazed ceramic toilet entered as porcelain or china: the tank absorbed 0.56 percent of its weight of water and the bowl 0.99 percent, and the ware was translucent only below 3 mm, against a 4 mm translucency standard. Both pieces failed the porcelain test, and the toilet was classified in 6910.90.00, other, rather than 6910.10.00.⁵ Ask the supplier for fired-body test evidence before you accept a porcelain claim on a quotation.

Bowl, cistern and one-piece suite are separate lines in the United States. Under 6910.10.00, the statistical suffixes separate flushometer-type water closet bowls, water closet bowls with tanks in one piece, flush tanks, other water closet bowls, sinks and lavatories, and other articles.¹ A two-piece suite needs a line for the bowl and a line for the cistern; only a one-piece bowl-with-tank combination has its own suffix.

Material decides the chapter before function decides the heading. Heading 6910 covers ceramic fixtures only.¹ A bath of iron or steel sits in heading 7324, sanitary ware and parts thereof of iron or steel, split between stainless steel sinks and washbasins, cast iron baths, other baths, and other sanitary ware.⁶ A bath or basin of plastics is not ceramic either, so it cannot sit in 6910 whatever its shape.

Fittings travel separately. Heading 6910 names the ceramic fixture itself, not the metalwork around it. A tap, valve or flush mechanism packed with a basin or cistern is not pulled into 6910 by the packing: test each fitting under its own heading, and keep it on its own invoice line.

Fixed or portable changes the question. Heading 6910 describes sanitary fixtures, articles installed as part of a bathroom or washroom. A portable unit that is not installed as a fixture needs its own heading test rather than an automatic 6910 filing.

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

United States: HTS, ten digits. The US schedule carries 6910.10.00 for porcelain or china and 6910.90.00 for other ceramic ware, with statistical suffixes under the porcelain line for flushometer bowls, one-piece bowls with tanks, flush tanks, other bowls, sinks and lavatories, and other articles.¹ Read the full ten-digit line for each piece, bowl and cistern separately.

European Union: CN at eight digits, TARIC for measures. The Combined Nomenclature of the European Union uses eight-digit codes, comprising the HS codes with further EU subdivisions.⁴ Sanitary ware appears as 6910 10 00 for porcelain or china and 6910 90 00 for other ceramic ware, with the small toilet articles excluded from the porcelain line.² Read the confirmed line in TARIC for the entry date and for origin Bangladesh.

United Kingdom: commodity code. The UK tariff lists 6910 10 00 00 for porcelain or china sanitary fixtures and 6910 90 00 00 for other ceramic sanitary fixtures.^{7 8} Take the full code from the UK Trade Tariff for your fixture and entry date.

How to confirm the code officially

1. Write a precise description: ceramic body type, fired-body test evidence, fixture type, whether the suite is one-piece or two-piece, and any fittings shipped with it.

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 fixtures. 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.⁹

4. For a borderline fixture, such as a stoneware-look basin claimed as porcelain, apply for a binding decision before you ship. In the EU, Binding Tariff Information is issued through the European Binding Tariff Information system.¹⁰ In the United Kingdom, a legally binding decision is generally valid for 3 years, through an Advance Tariff Ruling.¹¹ In the United States, if the merchandise is not described in any ruling on CROSS, request a binding ruling from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.⁹

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 every ceramic bathroom item under 6910. Small toilet articles such as soap dishes, sponge holders and towel hooks are expressly excluded from the EU 6910 10 00 line.² Test accessories separately instead of sweeping them into the fixture code.

Filing a porcelain-look toilet as 6910.10 without body evidence. A toilet absorbing 0.56 percent in the tank and 0.99 percent in the bowl failed the porcelain test and was classified in 6910.90.00.⁵ A catalogue word is not test evidence.

Filing a steel or plastic bath under 6910. Iron or steel sanitary ware has its own heading, 7324.⁶ Material decides the chapter first.

Filing a two-piece suite on one line. The US schedule gives one-piece bowl-with-tank combinations their own statistical suffix and separate suffixes for bowls and flush tanks.¹ Classify bowl and cistern separately unless the suite is genuinely one piece.

Filing fittings with the fixture. A tap or valve packed with a basin is not named in heading 6910.¹ Keep fittings on their own lines and headings.

Copying a code from another country. The EU extends the six digits to eight,⁴ and the United States and the United Kingdom split the 6910 lines further.^{1 7} A code that is complete in one country is incomplete or wrong in another.

Related duties and documents

This guide states no duty rates: the code decides which duty line customs applies, and a rate on a porcelain line does not carry to an other-ceramic line. Read the rate beside your confirmed code for your origin and entry date, and check what proof of origin a preference claim requires. A legally binding decision helps calculate customs duties, licensing requirements, quotas and other restrictions in advance.¹¹

Keep the fixture description, fired-body test evidence, confirmed codes, any binding decision and the origin evidence together in the shipment file, with bowls, cisterns and fittings as separate invoice lines. Re-check the code when the body material, the supplier or the destination changes, since any of those can move the line.## FAQs

What is the HS code for sanitary ware?

For ceramic sanitary fixtures, the indicative heading is 6910: 6910.10 for porcelain or china and 6910.90 for other ceramic ware.¹ The full national code runs to 8 digits in the EU and 10 digits in the United States and the United Kingdom, so confirm the complete line for your destination before filing.^{2 4}

Is the HS code the same in every country?

Only the first six digits are shared. The Harmonized System is used by more than 200 countries and economies as a basis for their customs tariffs,³ and countries subdivide the six-digit categories into national subheadings.⁴ The EU uses eight-digit Combined Nomenclature codes,⁴ while the United States and the United Kingdom use ten-digit lines.^{1 7}

How do I confirm the correct code?

Describe each fixture precisely, read the heading text and chapter notes in the destination tariff, and check published rulings, such as CROSS for the United States.⁹ For a borderline fixture, apply for a binding decision before shipping: Binding Tariff Information in the EU,¹⁰ an Advance Tariff Ruling in the United Kingdom,¹¹ or a CBP binding ruling in the United States.⁹

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. A legally binding decision helps calculate the duties and restrictions that will apply before the goods ship.¹¹

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 HS code hub is the background read, and the step-by-step classification guide covers the method in full. Exportain is not a party to the goods contract and does not inspect goods, book freight or clear customs.