HS Code for Shorts: Classification Guide for Importers

If you import shorts from Bangladesh for a retail chain or workwear range, the hs code for shorts 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 shorts, the code turns on construction and length, not on the style name in a listing: the tariff treats shorts as short trousers, then splits them by wearer group and fibre. Cargo shorts follow the same lines as long cargo trousers, in the HS code for cargo pants guide.

Quick answer: the indicative HS code for shorts

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 Woven shorts in Chapter 62 take heading 6203 for men and boys and heading 6204 for women and girls, where they share a line group with trousers, bib and brace overalls and breeches. Knitted or crocheted shorts sit in Chapter 61 instead, in headings 6103 and 6104 on the same pattern.³

Verify the garment, not the style name. Inside each heading, the six-digit split runs by fibre: for woven shorts the lines are 6203.41 and 6204.61 for wool or fine animal hair, 6203.42 and 6204.62 for cotton, 6203.43 and 6204.63 for synthetic fibres, and 6203.49 and 6204.69 for other textile materials.⁴ Knitted shorts follow the same fibre order at 6103.41 to 6103.49 and 6104.61 to 6104.69.⁵ Treat these lines as indicative and confirm the full national code before filing.

How HS codes are structured

Each pair of digits narrows the category: chapter 61 or 62 for apparel, a heading for the garment family, then a six-digit subheading by fibre, for example 6204.62 for women's or girls' trousers, breeches and shorts 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 shorts

Woven or knitted construction decides the chapter first. Chapter 62 applies only to made up articles of any textile fabric other than wadding, excluding knitted or crocheted articles.⁴ Chapter 61 applies only to made up knitted or crocheted articles.⁵ 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.³ A jersey-knit gym short and a woven chino short never share a heading.

Length decides shorts against trousers and breeches. GOV.UK defines shorts as garments that have the same features as trousers but do not cover the knee.³ The European guidance adds that shorts are classified within the same group as trousers, but are never classified as trousers.⁶ At six digits, shorts, trousers and breeches share one fibre line, so the knee test decides the garment description on the entry: a garment cut to cover the knee is a trouser or breeches, not shorts.

Wearer group and closure. Headings 6203 and 6103 cover men's or boys' garments; 6204 and 6104 cover women's or girls' garments. Chapter 62 note 9 adds the closure rule: left over right marks a men's or boys' garment, right over left a women's or girls' garment, and a garment identifiable as neither goes to the women's or girls' headings.⁴ Chapter 61 note 9 states the same rule.⁵ Pull-on shorts often have no fly closure to read, so the wearer group on the order settles the heading.

Fibre composition and blends. Inside each heading, the six-digit split is by textile material: the .41 and .61 lines are wool or fine animal hair, .42 and .62 are cotton, .43 and .63 are synthetic fibres, and .49 and .69 cover other textile materials.^{4 5} For a blend, the textile section notes classify a mixture as the single textile material that predominates by weight.⁷ Record the fibre percentages by weight for every style: a cotton-polyester short in which polyester outweighs cotton moves from the cotton line to the synthetic fibre line.

Swimwear leaves the shorts lines. The chapter notes describe the lower garments in suits and ensembles as shorts other than swimwear, in both Chapter 61 and Chapter 62.^{4 5} GOV.UK states that swimwear is classified under heading 6112 or 6211.³ Inside heading 6211, the United States schedule lists men's or boys' swimwear at 6211.11.⁴ A board short made as swimwear takes the swimwear heading, not 6203, 6204, 6103 or 6104.

Babies' sizes take the babies' headings. Chapter 62 note 5 defines babies' garments as articles for young children of a body height not exceeding 86 centimeters, and provides that articles classifiable both in heading 6209 and in other headings of the chapter are classified in heading 6209.⁴ Chapter 61 note 6 states the same rule for heading 6111.⁵ A toddlers' short in a babies' size range is filed in 6209 or 6111, not on the adult lines.

A retail set does not give the shorts the top's heading. The textile section notes classify textile garments of different headings in their own headings even if put up in sets for retail sale.⁷ Classify a shirt-and-shorts set piece by piece: the shorts keep their own line even when packed with a top from another heading.

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

United States: HTS, ten digits. The schedule splits each six-digit fibre line further by garment type. Under the knitted men's or boys' cotton line 6103.42, trousers, breeches and shorts take one line and bib and brace overalls another.⁵ Under the woven cotton lines 6203.42 and 6204.62, bib and brace overalls are likewise separated.⁴ Read the full ten-digit line for each style.

European Union: CN at eight digits, TARIC for measures. The Combined Nomenclature integrates the HS and adds EU subdivisions, producing eight-digit codes.² 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 Take the full code from the UK tariff for your garment and entry date, as the GOV.UK apparel guidance directs readers to the UK Global Online Tariff.³

How to confirm the code officially

1. Write a precise description: woven or knitted construction, fibre percentages by weight, knee coverage, wearer group, daywear or swimwear use, and adult or babies' sizing.

2. Start from the official tariff for the destination: the USITC HTS, TARIC or the UK 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 knee-length style between shorts and breeches, 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.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 style, and use the same codes throughout the entry.

Common classification mistakes

Filing knitted shorts under Chapter 62. Chapter 62 excludes knitted or crocheted articles.⁴ Knitted shorts belong in Chapter 61, at heading 6103 or 6104.⁵

Filing swim shorts under 6203, 6204, 6103 or 6104. The chapter notes describe the shorts in those headings as shorts other than swimwear.^{4 5} Swimwear sits in heading 6112 or 6211.³

Calling a knee-covering garment shorts. Shorts do not cover the knee.³ A garment that covers the knee is a trouser or breeches, and the entry description must match the garment as made.

Filing shorts as industrial or occupational clothing. The European guidance states that shorts are never classified as industrial or occupational clothing.⁶ Workwear shorts take the ordinary shorts lines for their construction, wearer group and fibre.

Filing a polyester-predominant blend as cotton. A mixture is classified as the material that predominates by weight.⁷ If polyester outweighs cotton, the line is 6203.43, 6204.63, 6103.43 or 6104.63,^{4 5} not the cotton line.

Filing babies' shorts on the adult lines. Articles classifiable both in the babies' heading and in another heading of the chapter go to the babies' heading: 6209 for woven and 6111 for knitted.^{4 5}

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 fibre lines further.^{4 5}

Related duties and documents

This guide states no duty rates: the code decides which duty line customs applies, and a rate on a men's cotton line does not carry to a women's or synthetic 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 style description, fibre composition, knee-length measurement, confirmed codes, any binding decision and origin evidence together in the shipment file, with shorts, trousers and swim shorts as separate invoice lines where a shipment mixes them.

FAQs

What is the HS code for shorts?

There is no single six-digit code for shorts. Woven shorts sit in heading 6203 for men and boys and heading 6204 for women and girls, at 6203.42 and 6204.62 for cotton, and knitted shorts sit in headings 6103 and 6104 on the same fibre pattern.^{4 5}

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 fibre lines split further by garment type.⁵

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 code stated per garment style. 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 center of the entry.