HS Code for Soaps: Classification Guide for Importers

If a supplier lists a product simply as soap, do not file it on that word alone. Customs tests composition, form and use: a bar with no soap in it can still sit in the soap heading, while a liquid that looks like soap can sit outside it. 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 states no duty rates: the code decides which duty line customs applies, so read the rate beside your confirmed code for your origin and entry date.

Quick answer: indicative HS heading for soaps

The indicative heading for soaps is heading 3401. It covers soap, organic surface-active products and preparations for use as soap in bars, cakes, molded pieces or shapes, whether or not containing soap, skin-washing products in liquid or cream form put up for retail sale, whether or not containing soap, and paper, wadding, felt and nonwovens impregnated, coated or covered with soap or detergent.² Treat every code here as indicative and confirm the full national code before filing.

A soap-free syndet bar for toilet use still tests against 3401.11, because the heading covers bars for use as soap whether or not they contain soap.² Use and form decide, not the ingredient list alone.

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

The system is organised by sections, chapters (2 digits), headings (4 digits) and subheadings (6 digits).⁴ For soaps that reads as Section VI, Chapter 34, heading 3401, then a six-digit subheading such as 3401.11, 3401.19, 3401.20 or 3401.30. Countries subdivide the six-digit categories further, and the Combined Nomenclature of the European Union uses eight-digit codes.⁴

The current version is HS 2022.⁴ Read the heading text and chapter notes before any code table: classification is determined according to the terms of the headings and any relative section or chapter notes, with only subheadings at the same level comparable.²

The first six digits are the shared core; the rest is national.

Factors that decide the code for soaps

Water solubility is the first test for the word soap. For heading 3401, the expression soap applies only to soap soluble in water.² A product that does not dissolve as soap does not take the soap lines on its name alone.

Form decides the subheading inside 3401. Bars, cakes and molded pieces test against 3401.11 or 3401.19, soap in other forms against 3401.20, and liquid or cream skin washes put up for retail sale against 3401.30.² A bulk pellet or noodle shipped for reprocessing is not a bar, so it tests against 3401.20. Keep the shipped form on the invoice, not the form the product will take after processing.

Use splits the bar lines. Toilet use, including medicated products, takes 3401.11, and other bars take 3401.19.² A medicated bar does not leave the heading for containing a medicament: products of heading 3401 may contain added substances such as disinfectants, abrasive powders, fillers or medicaments.² Record the intended use, because repacking a general bar as a toilet bar changes the fact customs will test.

Abrasive content has a form condition. Products containing abrasive powders remain in heading 3401 only in bar, cake or molded form, and in other forms they fall in heading 3405 as scouring powders.² A loose scouring powder therefore fails the 3401 test even if its base is soap.

Skin washing is the condition for 3401.30. The liquid or cream must be for washing the skin and put up for retail sale.² A bulk drum detergent for industrial laundry, or a surface cleaner, does not meet that condition and tests against heading 3402, which covers surface-active and washing preparations other than those of heading 3401.³ Retail pack and skin-washing purpose both matter, not liquid form alone.

Neighbouring headings pull look-alike products away. Chapter 34 does not cover shampoos, dentifrices, shaving creams and foams or bath preparations containing soap or other organic surface-active agents, which fall in headings 3305, 3306 or 3307.² A solid shampoo bar, shaving foam or bath preparation needs a Chapter 33 test before any 3401 code is considered. Separate chemically defined compounds are also outside Chapter 34.²

The 3402 test is a laboratory test, not a label claim. For heading 3402, organic surface-active agents are products which, mixed with water at 0.5 percent at 20 degrees Celsius and left for one hour, give a transparent or translucent liquid or stable emulsion without separation of insoluble matter and reduce water surface tension to 4.5 x 10-2 N/m or less.² A supplier claim is not a substitute for that test when the heading is contested.

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

United States: HTS, ten digits. Castile soap in bar form sits at 3401.11.10.00, other toilet bars at 3401.11.50.00, other bars at 3401.19.00.00, and soap in other forms at 3401.20.00.00.⁵ Skin-washing liquids and creams for retail sale split at 3401.30.10.00 with any aromatic or modified aromatic surface-active agent, and 3401.30.50.00 without.⁵ Read the full line for the entry date in the current HTS.

European Union: CN at eight digits, TARIC for measures. The Combined Nomenclature adds EU subdivisions to the six-digit core, producing eight-digit codes.⁴ The EU lines run as 34011100 for toilet use including medicated products, 34011900 for other bars, 34012010 for flakes, wafers, granules or powders, 34012090 for other soap in other forms, and 34013000 for skin-washing liquids and creams for retail sale.⁶ Read the confirmed line in TARIC for the entry date and origin Bangladesh.

United Kingdom: commodity code, ten digits. The UK tariff lists five commodities under heading 3401: 3401 1100 00 for toilet use including medicated products, 3401 1900 00 for other bars, 3401 2010 00 for flakes, wafers, granules or powders, 3401 2090 00 for other soap in other forms, and 3401 3000 00 for skin-washing liquids and creams for retail sale, whether or not containing soap.² Do not copy an EU eight-digit code into a UK entry or a US ten-digit code into an EU entry.

How to confirm the code officially

1. Write a precise description: water solubility, composition, form as shipped, toilet or non-toilet use, skin-washing purpose, retail packing, and abrasive content.

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 code table alone.²

3. Check published rulings for similar products. 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 product, such as a soap-free bar marketed for both toilet and general cleaning, or a liquid that could be a skin wash or a surface cleaner, 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 US Customs and Border Protection.⁷

5. Give your broker the description and the confirmed code for each variant, and use the same codes throughout the entry. A toilet bar and a laundry bar are different lines, and a retail skin wash and a bulk detergent are different headings.

Common classification mistakes

Filing every bar as 3401.11. Toilet use is the condition for that line; other bars take 3401.19.²

Filing a soap-free bar outside 3401. The heading covers bars for use as soap whether or not they contain soap.² Test use and form first.

Mixing up retail skin wash and bulk detergent. A liquid or cream for washing the skin put up for retail sale tests against 3401.30 whether or not it contains soap,² while a drum of laundry liquid is not put up for retail sale for washing the skin and tests against 3402.³

Filing an abrasive powder in 3401. Abrasive products stay in 3401 only in bar, cake or molded form, and otherwise fall in heading 3405.²

Filing shampoo, shaving foam or bath preparations in Chapter 34. Chapter 34 expressly excludes those products to headings 3305, 3306 or 3307.²

Copying a code from another country. Only the first six digits are shared: the EU extends to eight digits,⁴ the UK lists ten-digit codes under 3401,² and the US splits 3401.30 by aromatic content.⁵

Related duties and documents

This guide states no duty rates. The code decides which duty line customs applies, and a rate on a toilet bar line does not carry to a laundry bar or skin-wash line. The Harmonised System nomenclature allows you to identify your product and determine which tariffs and requirements apply.⁴ Read the rate beside your confirmed code for your origin and entry date.

Keep the shipment file together: description, composition, form and packing, confirmed code per variant, any binding decision, and origin evidence. A UK Advance Tariff Ruling helps calculate duties, licensing requirements, quotas or other restrictions in advance.⁹ Exportain is not a party to the goods contract and does not inspect goods, book freight or clear customs.

FAQs

What is the HS code for soaps?

There is no single code for all soaps. The indicative heading is 3401, split by form and use: 3401.11 for toilet bars including medicated bars, 3401.19 for other bars, 3401.20 for soap in other forms, and 3401.30 for liquid or cream skin washes for retail sale.² Confirm the full national code per variant before filing.

Is the HS code the same in every country?

Only the first six digits are shared worldwide. Beyond six digits, each country adds its own lines: eight digits in the EU Combined Nomenclature,⁴ and ten digits in the United Kingdom² and the United States.⁵

How do I confirm the correct code?

Describe the product precisely, read the heading text and chapter notes in the destination tariff,² and check published rulings, such as CROSS for the United States.⁷ For a borderline product, 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 ruling in the United States.⁷

What happens if I use the wrong code?

Customs works out duty, licensing and quota treatment from the code on the declaration, so a wrong code brings the wrong treatment. A binding decision taken in advance helps you calculate the duties and restrictions that will apply,⁹ so borderline variants are worth a ruling before the first shipment.

Next steps on Exportain

Browse Bangladeshi suppliers on Exportain and post a request stating the confirmed code per soap variant, with form, use and packing spelled out. Read the HS code harmonized system guide for background on the system, and the guide to classifying your product before working through a borderline variant.