HS Code for Terry Bathrobes: Classification Guide for Importers

If you import bathrobes for a hotel group, spa chain or retail label, the hs code for terry bathrobes 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 A bathrobe usually ships with towels cut from similar terry fabric, but the tariff classifies it as a garment. The ordering steps are in how to import terry bathrobes from Bangladesh, the inspection points in the terry bathrobes quality control checklist, and the mixed-order view in the hs code for hotel linen guide.

Quick answer: indicative HS heading (with verify note)

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 Bathrobes are named in four garment headings, and the heading turns first on how the fabric is formed, then on the wearer group.

Verify the robe, not the range name. The knitted lines sit in the other block of headings 6107 and 6108, after the underpants, briefs, nightshirts and pajama lines.³ The woven lines sit in the other block of headings 6207 and 6208.⁴ The towel line is separate: subheading 6302.60 covers toilet linen and kitchen linen of terry towelling or similar terry fabrics, of cotton, inside heading 6302.⁵ Treat the four garment headings as indicative and confirm the full national code before filing.

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

Each pair of digits narrows the category: chapter 61 or 62 for garments, heading 6107, 6108, 6207 or 6208 for the robe group, then a six-digit subheading by fibre inside the other block, for example 6208.91 for a woven women's robe 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 terry bathrobes

A bathrobe is a garment, not a made up linen article. Chapter 63 note 2 states that Subchapter I does not cover goods of chapters 56 to 62.⁵ A robe is worn on the body, with sleeves, a front opening and a shaped body, so it belongs with the garments of Chapters 61 and 62 even when its fabric is the same terry towelling as the towels in the same carton. The section notes define made up to include articles assembled by sewing and articles knitted or crocheted to shape,⁶ which is how a robe is produced.

The first construction test is knit against woven. GOV.UK states the split directly: textile 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.⁷ The chapter notes say the same thing: Chapter 61 applies only to made up knitted or crocheted articles,³ and Chapter 62 applies only to made up articles of any textile fabric other than wadding, excluding knitted or crocheted articles.⁴ Ask how the fabric itself is formed first: intermeshed loops point to Chapter 61, interlaced warp and weft yarns point to Chapter 62. A description that says only terry does not answer this test, because terry describes the pile, not the formation.

Garment features do not move a robe out of its heading. All four headings name bathrobes in their heading text, alongside dressing gowns and similar articles.^{3 4} The European guidance warns that a small feature or point of difference will often mean classifying a garment in a different code than you may otherwise assume,⁸ so work the real tests and ignore the styling: a shawl collar, a hood, patch pockets or a tie belt is not a heading test here. The pockets-below-the-waist and tightening tests belong to the shirt headings: headings 6205 and 6206 do not cover garments with pockets below the waist or with tightening at the bottom,⁴ but a robe is never tested as a shirt, because the robe headings name it directly.

Terry is a pile structure, and it exists in both constructions. Woven terry fabric sold by the roll sits in heading 5802, terry towelling and similar woven terry fabrics, at 5802.10 for cotton and 5802.20 for other textile materials.⁹ Knitted terry fabric sits in heading 6001, pile fabrics, including long pile fabrics and terry fabrics, knitted or crocheted, where the looped pile lines run at 6001.21 for cotton, 6001.22 for man-made fibres and 6001.29 for other textile materials.¹⁰ Once that fabric is made up into a robe, the fabric headings no longer apply. Two robes with the same terry face can therefore sit in different chapters because one fabric was woven and the other knitted.

The wearer group picks the heading inside the chapter. A left over right front closure marks a men's or boys' garment and a right over left closure a women's or girls' garment, unless the cut clearly indicates it is designed for one or the other.³ GOV.UK adds that where garments cannot be identified as for either sex, they must be classified in the headings covering women's or girls' garments.⁷ Most hotel and spa robes are unisex wrap styles with a tie belt and no buttoned closure, so the robe defaults to heading 6108 if knitted or 6208 if woven. State the wearer group on the order and keep it consistent with the code you file.

Fibre composition and blends, and an asymmetry to watch. Inside the other block, the split runs by textile material, but the wearer headings are not built the same way. The women's headings split three ways at six digits, at 6108.91, 6108.92 and 6108.99 knitted and 6208.91, 6208.92 and 6208.99 woven.^{3 4} The men's headings split only two ways, cotton at 6107.91 and 6207.91 and other textile materials at 6107.99 and 6207.99, with no separate man-made fibre line at six digits.^{3 4} A polyester men's robe therefore sits inside the other-materials line at six digits and is separated only at national level. For a blend, the section notes classify a mixture as the textile material that predominates by weight, and where no material predominates, as the material covered by the heading that occurs last in numerical order.⁶ Record the fibre percentages by weight for every style.

Three edge cases to clear before you file. Babies' robes leave these headings: articles prima facie classifiable both in the babies' headings and in other headings of the chapter go to heading 6111 if knitted or 6209 if woven,^{3 4} and GOV.UK puts babies' garments at a body height of not more than 86 centimetres.⁷ Coated robes need a second test: garments classifiable both in heading 6113 and in other headings of Chapter 61 go to 6113,³ and garments classifiable both in heading 6210 and in other headings of Chapter 62 go to 6210.⁴ A robe packed with towels or pajamas still takes its own code, because the section notes classify textile garments of different headings in their own headings even if put up in sets for retail sale,⁶ and the chapter notes exclude articles of headings 6107, 6108, 6207 and 6208 from the ensemble definitions.^{3 4}

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

United States: HTS, ten digits. The United States builds its ten-digit schedule on the same first six digits, and its splits show the men's asymmetry clearly. A woven men's cotton robe is named at 6207.91.10, bathrobes, dressing gowns and similar articles, inside 6207.91, and a woven men's robe of man-made fibres at 6207.99.75, inside 6207.99.⁴ A knitted men's robe of man-made fibres sits at 6107.99.10, inside 6107.99, while a knitted men's cotton robe stays at 6107.91.00.³ On the women's side, the United States names a woven cotton robe at 6208.91.10 inside 6208.91, and separates bathrobes by statistical suffix inside 6208.92.00 for man-made fibres.⁴ Read the full ten-digit line for each robe.

European Union: CN at eight digits, TARIC for measures. The Combined Nomenclature integrates the HS and adds EU subdivisions, producing eight-digit codes.² The six-digit splits by construction, wearer group and fibre carry into the eight-digit CN. 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 The UK guidance works from the same chapter split, with Chapter 61 for knitted or crocheted garments and Chapter 62 for woven garments.⁷ Take the full code from the UK Trade Tariff for your robe and entry date, rather than copying the EU eight-digit line.

How to confirm the code officially

1. Write a precise description: woven or knitted construction and how you established it, fibre percentages by weight, wearer group, and garment features, including 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 the chapter and section notes, including the other block at the end of each heading.

3. Check published rulings for similar robes. 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.¹¹

4. For a borderline robe, such as a unisex knitted robe or a coated robe, 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.¹² In the United Kingdom, a legally binding decision is generally valid for 3 years, through an Advance Tariff Ruling.¹³ 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.¹¹

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 robes as toilet linen at 6302.60. Subheading 6302.60 covers toilet linen and kitchen linen of terry towelling or similar terry fabrics, of cotton.⁵ Chapter 63 does not cover goods of Chapters 61 and 62,⁵ and a robe is worn, not used as linen.

Looking for a man-made fibre line for a men's robe at six digits. The men's other blocks split only into cotton and other textile materials, at 6107.91 and 6107.99 knitted and 6207.91 and 6207.99 woven.^{3 4} The man-made fibre split appears only in national codes, such as 6107.99.10 and 6207.99.75 in the United States.^{3 4}

Testing the robe as a shirt or jacket. The pockets and tightening tests belong to the shirt headings 6205 and 6206.⁴ A robe with patch pockets below the waist is still a robe, because headings 6107, 6108, 6207 and 6208 name bathrobes directly.^{3 4}

Assuming terry means woven. Terry pile is produced in both constructions: woven terry towelling sits in heading 5802 as fabric and knitted terry fabrics in heading 6001.^{9 10} Establish the formation for every supplier, because the same style name can be knitted by one factory and woven by another.

Filing a blend on the cotton line without weighing the fibres. A mixture is classified as the textile material that predominates by weight.⁶ If polyester outweighs cotton, the cotton lines do not apply.

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 robe lines further.^{3 4}

Related duties and documents

This guide states no duty rates: the code decides which duty line customs applies, and a rate read beside the women's cotton line does not carry to the men's line, the man-made fibre line or the towel line in the same order. Read the rate beside your confirmed code for each robe, for your origin and entry date, and check what proof of origin a preference claim requires.

Keep the classification file with the shipment documents: each style description with its construction evidence, fibre percentages by weight and wearer group, the confirmed national code per style, any binding decision, and the origin evidence. Invoice robes and towels as separate lines wherever the codes differ. Background is in the HS code explainer and the method in how to classify your product.

FAQs

What is the HS code for terry bathrobes?

There is no single six-digit code for a terry bathrobe. A knitted robe sits in the other block of heading 6107 for men, at 6107.91 for cotton and 6107.99 for other textile materials, or heading 6108 for women, at 6108.91, 6108.92 or 6108.99 by fibre.³ A woven robe sits in heading 6207 for men, at 6207.91 or 6207.99, or heading 6208 for women, at 6208.91, 6208.92 or 6208.99.⁴ The robe never takes the terry towel line 6302.60.⁵

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 men's robe lines split further inside 6107.99 and 6207.99.^{3 4}

How do I confirm the correct code?

Describe each robe precisely, with its fabric formation and fibre percentages by weight, read the heading text and notes in the destination tariff, and check published rulings, such as CROSS for the United States.¹¹ For a borderline robe, apply for a binding decision before shipping: a BTI in the EU,¹² an Advance Tariff Ruling in the United Kingdom,¹³ or a CBP binding ruling in the United States.¹¹

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.¹³

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 robe 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 centre of the entry.