HS Code for Socks: Classification Guide for Importers

If you import knitted socks, the hs code for socks is the line your customs entry and duty calculation are built on. The Harmonized System is a multipurpose international product nomenclature developed by the World Customs Organization (WCO), used by more than 200 countries and economies as a basis for their customs tariffs and trade statistics.¹ Socks sit in a single heading, but the subheading changes with fibre and with features such as graduated compression, so this guide sets out the indicative lines and how to confirm the full national code.

Quick answer: indicative HS heading 6115

Knitted or crocheted socks point to heading 6115. The heading text in the UK Trade Tariff reads: "Panty hose, tights, stockings, socks and other hosiery, including graduated compression hosiery (for example, stockings for varicose veins) and footwear without applied soles, knitted or crocheted."² Socks are named in the heading itself, so there is no borderline with a trousers or garments heading of the kind that affects leggings.

Within heading 6115, ordinary socks fall in the final group of subheadings, split by fibre: 6115.94 for wool or fine animal hair, 6115.95 for cotton, 6115.96 for synthetic fibres and 6115.99 for other textile materials.^{2 3} Graduated compression socks sit separately at subheading 6115.10.^{2 3} Treat 6115 and the fibre subheading as the starting point, then confirm the full national code before you file.

How HS codes are structured

The HS is a comprehensive classification system of approximately 5,000 six-digit product categories organised in a hierarchical structure by sections, chapters at two digits, headings at four digits and sub-headings at six digits.⁴

The diagram below summarises this.

If you are new to the system, read the HS code explainer first, then how to classify your product.

Factors that decide the code for socks

Classification follows the wording of the headings and notes, not the name on a retail listing. The European Commission advises traders to check garment attributes, because a small feature can mean a different code than first assumed.⁵

Knitted or crocheted construction. Chapter 61 applies only to made up knitted or crocheted articles.² Heading 6115 is written for knitted or crocheted hosiery, so a sock knitted to shape on a circular machine sits squarely in the chapter.^{2 3}

Fibre content. The six-digit subheading for ordinary socks follows fibre: .94 for wool or fine animal hair, .95 for cotton, .96 for synthetic fibres and .99 for other textile materials.^{2 3} For a blended sock, record the full fibre percentages by weight, because the blend decides which fibre line the sock is tested against and national lines split blends further. In the United States, the synthetic fibres line separates socks containing lace or net at 6115.96.60 from other socks at 6115.96.90, and its statistical suffixes split at 23 percent or more by weight of wool or fine animal hair.³

Graduated compression. Socks and stockings knitted to give graduated compression, such as stockings for varicose veins, have their own subheading at 6115.10, ahead of both the tights lines and the ordinary sock lines.^{2 3} A sports sock marketed with a tight fit is not graduated compression hosiery unless it is made and described as such, so classify on the construction and the product specification, not on marketing language.

Applied soles. Heading 6115 covers footwear without applied soles.² A sock stays in the heading while its underside is the knitted fabric itself, including grip dots or patches printed or stitched onto that fabric. A slipper sock built around a separately applied outer sole no longer matches the heading text, so treat applied-sole styles as a separate classification exercise and take a ruling if the style is regular volume.

Babies' socks. Chapter 61 note 6 states that articles classifiable both in heading 6111 and in other headings of the chapter are to be classified in heading 6111, and heading 6111 covers babies' garments for young children of a body height not exceeding 86 cm.² Babies' socks are therefore tested against heading 6111 first, not filed automatically under 6115.

Length and style. Ankle, crew, knee-length and over-knee socks all remain socks within heading 6115, because the heading names socks and other hosiery without a length condition.² Length and yarn fineness matter inside the neighbouring lines, not for ordinary socks: 6115.30 covers women's full-length or knee-length hosiery measuring per single yarn less than 67 decitex, and 6115.21, 6115.22 and 6115.29 are panty hose and tights lines, not sock lines.^{2 3}

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

United States: HTS, ten digits. The US Chapter 61 schedule lists the ordinary sock lines under "Other": 6115.94.00 for wool or fine animal hair, the cotton line at 6115.95 split between .60 for socks containing lace or net and .90 for other socks, the synthetic fibres line at 6115.96 split the same way, and 6115.99 for other textile materials.³ Graduated compression hosiery sits at 6115.10, with lines by fibre.³

European Union: CN at eight digits, TARIC for measures. The Combined Nomenclature (CN) integrates the HS and adds eight-digit subdivisions.⁴ On the tariff page for heading 6115, the ordinary sock lines run to 6115940000 for wool or fine animal hair, 6115950000 for cotton and 6115990000 for other textile materials, while synthetic fibres split between knee-length stockings at 6115961000, women's stockings at 6115969100 and other socks at 6115969900.² The first eight digits are the CN code; check the measures on that line in TARIC for the entry date and origin Bangladesh, because preferential treatment depends on origin rules and proof of origin.

United Kingdom: commodity code. The UK requires the full commodity code in the UK Trade Tariff. The Northern Ireland Online Tariff page for heading 6115 shows the same stems extended to ten digits: cotton is 6115950000, wool is 6115940000 and other textile materials is 6115990000.² Confirm the full code and its measures on the import date rather than reusing a US code. Other destinations, including the UAE, share the first six digits and set their own lines after them.⁴

How to confirm the code officially

Use this sequence for each style, and keep the evidence on file.

1. Write a precise description: construction, fibre percentages by weight, graduated compression, any lace or net content, whether a sole is applied, wearer group and size range, including whether any style is a babies' style.

2. Start from the official tariff for the destination: the USITC HTS, TARIC or the UK Trade Tariff. Read the heading text, chapter notes and the full list of lines under 6115, not only the search result.

3. Check published rulings for similar products. For the United States, the USITC advises traders to research classification in the Customs Rulings Online Search Service (CROSS), where the correct classification of many items can be found.⁶

4. For a borderline style, apply for a binding decision before you ship. In the EU, a Binding Tariff Information (BTI) decision needs a separate application for each type of product and a detailed description.⁷ In the United Kingdom, a binding decision is generally valid for 3 years, through an Advance Tariff Ruling.⁸ In the United States, request a binding ruling from CBP when no CROSS ruling covers the merchandise.⁶

5. Give your broker the description and confirmed code, and use the same code on every document.

As a worked example, take a crew sock described as follows. Example figures: 80 percent cotton, 18 percent polyester, 2 percent elastane, knitted to shape, no lace or net, no applied sole, adult sizes. The heading is 6115 and the fibre points to the cotton line, so the subheading to test is 6115.95. In the United States that leads to 6115.95.90, the "other" cotton line, and on the EU and UK tariff pages the cotton line runs to 6115950000.^{2 3} Change one fact, such as adding graduated compression, and the line moves to 6115.10, which is why the description in step 1 has to be complete.

Common classification mistakes

Filing sports socks under a sportswear heading. Socks are named in heading 6115 whatever their end use, so a football or running sock is classified as a sock first and only moves if a feature such as graduated compression takes it to another line.²

Using a tights subheading for knee-length socks. The lines at 6115.21, 6115.22 and 6115.29 are panty hose and tights lines, and 6115.30 is a women's hosiery line measured by yarn fineness.^{2 3} A knee-length sock belongs in the fibre lines at 6115.94 to 6115.99.

Ignoring the graduated compression line. Compression socks and stockings sit at 6115.10, not in the ordinary fibre lines.^{2 3} Filing them at 6115.95 or 6115.96 because of their fibre puts the entry on the wrong line.

Filing babies' socks under 6115. Articles classifiable both in heading 6111 and in another heading of Chapter 61 go to heading 6111, which covers babies' garments for children of a body height not exceeding 86 cm.² Separate babies' styles from the adult and children's sock range before you confirm codes.

Copying a code from another product or country. A six-digit match does not mean the national code also matches. US lines split by lace or net content, while EU and UK lines split synthetic socks by type.^{2 3}

Recording fibre as a trade name. A specification that names a branded elastane without percentages cannot be tested against the fibre lines. Record every fibre by generic name and percentage by weight.

Related duties and documents

The code decides which duty line and measures customs applies, but this guide states no duty rate. Rates and preferences depend on destination, origin, tariff edition and entry date, and they change. Read the rate beside the confirmed code in the official tariff for your entry date, and check whether preferential treatment for Bangladesh is available and what proof of origin it requires. Keep the same code on the commercial invoice, packing list and origin declaration.

FAQs

What is the HS code for socks?

Knitted or crocheted socks classify under heading 6115. The six-digit subheading follows fibre: 6115.94 for wool or fine animal hair, 6115.95 for cotton, 6115.96 for synthetic fibres and 6115.99 for other textile materials.^{2 3} Graduated compression socks sit at 6115.10.² Verify the full national code for your exact sock 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, and ten digits in the US HTS and UK commodity code.⁴

How do I confirm the correct code?

Describe the sock 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.⁶ For a borderline style, apply for a binding decision before shipping: a BTI in the EU,⁷ an Advance Tariff Ruling in the United Kingdom,⁸ or a binding ruling from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.⁶

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 puts every treatment on the wrong line. GOV.UK notes that a binding decision helps calculate customs duties, licensing requirements, quotas and other restrictions in advance.⁸

Next steps on Exportain

Read how to import socks from Bangladesh for the steps around ordering and shipping, and work through the socks quality control checklist before you approve a bulk order. Confirm the full national code for each style before the first order ships.