HS Code for Winter Coats: Classification Guide for Importers

A winter coat order usually arrives with a retail name and a size range. Customs reads different facts: whether the fabric is woven or knitted, how long the garment is when laid flat, which fibre predominates, and who it is cut for. 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 covers classification only, for woven winter coats, and states no duty rates.

Quick answer: indicative HS heading (with verify note)

The indicative headings for a woven winter coat are 6201 for men's or boys' garments and 6202 for women's or girls' garments. The United States schedule covers overcoats, carcoats, capes, cloaks, anoraks including ski jackets, windbreakers and similar articles, including padded, sleeveless jackets, other than those of heading 6203 for men and boys and heading 6204 for women and girls.² A winter coat belongs in that text as an overcoat, a car coat or a similar outer garment.

Treat those lines as indicative: the six-digit split is by fibre, and the overcoat, car coat, parka and anorak distinctions are settled below six digits.² Confirm the full code for each wearer group, fibre and length group before filing.

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

The Harmonised System is organised in sections, chapters at two digits, headings at four digits and subheadings at six digits, with the Combined Nomenclature of the European Union using eight-digit codes built on the same six digits.³ The current version is HS 2022.³ Countries subdivide the six-digit categories further, so the first six digits are shared and the rest is national detail.³

Two coats can therefore share 6201.20 and still need different full codes.^{2 3}

Factors that decide the code for winter coats

Woven construction comes first. Chapter 62 applies only to made up articles of any textile fabric other than wadding, excluding knitted or crocheted articles.² The outer-garment headings pair up by construction: knitted garments sit under headings 6101 and 6102, while woven counterparts sit under headings 6201 and 6202.⁴ Chapter 61 covers knitted fabric and Chapter 62 covers woven or non-woven fabrics.⁵ A knitted winter coat is tested under heading 6101 or 6102 instead.

Length decides which kind of outer garment it is. Overcoats and similar articles cover the body to at least the mid-thigh and must meet minimum standard sizes, measured from the collar seam at the nape to the bottom edge with the garment laid flat: men 86, 90 and 92 centimetres for small, medium and large, and women 84, 86 and 87 centimetres.⁴ A coat ending above the mid-thigh does not become an overcoat by being warm. Record the flat length for every size.

Car coats and parkas sit between the overcoat and the short jacket. Car coats are loose fitting, long-sleeved garments worn over all other clothing, from below the crotch to mid-thigh, with a complete front opening and a centre back vent or side vents, with no hood and no waist or bottom tightening.⁴ Parkas run from mid-thigh to knee, with long sleeves, a hood, a complete front opening, a normally quilted or simulated-fur lining, and a waist drawstring.⁴ That distinction separates a hooded knee-length parka from a formal mid-thigh car coat.

The coat against jacket boundary is a panel test, not a length test alone. To be classified as a jacket or blazer under headings 6203 or 6204, the outer shell, excluding sleeves and facings or collar, can comprise three or more panels, of which two are at the front, sewn together lengthwise.⁴ A tailored, panelled coat-length garment with that shell construction must be tested against headings 6203 and 6204 before it is filed as an overcoat.

Shell fibre decides the six-digit line; padding does not. Record shell, lining and padding fibres separately, by weight. Padding keeps a coat warm but does not create a new heading, and a padded coat and an unpadded coat in the same shell fibre start from the same six-digit line. For blends, the General Rules provide that mixtures which cannot be classified by the most specific description are classified as if they consisted of the material giving them their essential character, and only if that fails, under the heading occurring last in numerical order.⁶

Wearer group follows closure, then cut. Garments designed for left over right closure at the front are regarded as men's or boys' garments, and those designed for right over left closure as women's or girls' garments, unless the cut clearly indicates otherwise, and garments which cannot be identified as either are classified in the women's or girls' headings.² United Kingdom guidance states the same closure rule.⁵

Fur, coating and babies' sizes are the edge cases that move a coat out of 6201 and 6202. Articles of apparel lined with furskin or artificial fur, or to which furskin or artificial fur is attached on the outside except as mere trimming, are classified in heading 4303 or 4304.⁶ A small fur trim does not move a woven coat out of heading 6201 or 6202; a fur-lined coat, or fur outside beyond mere trimming, must be tested under heading 4303 or 4304 first. A woven fabric with a visible non-cellular coating on one surface goes to heading 6210, which prevails over other Chapter 62 headings.^{2 4} Babies' garments up to 86 centimetres tall are classified in heading 6209 where they are classifiable both there and in other headings.²

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

United States: HTS, ten digits. Start from the fibre line, then read the overcoat, carcoat, cape and cloak line for that fibre. For wool, the overcoat line is 6201.20.11 for men and boys and 6202.20.11 for women and girls; for man-made fibres, the overcoat lines include 6201.40.10, 6201.40.15 and 6201.40.20, and the matching 6202.40 lines.² Do not file a coat on an anorak line.²

European Union: CN at eight digits, TARIC for measures. The Combined Nomenclature uses eight-digit codes, built on the same six-digit subheadings, and TARIC adds the measures for the entry date.³ Start from 6201.20, 6201.30, 6201.40 or 6201.90, or the matching 6202 line, and read the CN and TARIC lines for the garment type.

United Kingdom: commodity code. The United Kingdom builds its commodity code on the same first six digits, with its own extension, read from the UK Trade Tariff for the garment and the entry date.⁷ Heading 6201 in the UK tariff runs 6201.20 for wool, 6201.30 for cotton, 6201.40 for man-made fibres and 6201.90 for other materials, with cotton and man-made fibre lines further split by garment weight, at 1 kilogram per garment.⁷ Confirm the extension in the current tariff.

How to confirm the code officially

1. Write a precise description: construction, shell, lining and padding fibres by weight, flat length from the collar seam at the nape, hood, tightening, wearer group, any coating or fur.

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 outer garments. For the United States, use the Customs Rulings Online Search Service (CROSS), and if the merchandise is not described in any ruling on CROSS, request a binding ruling from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.⁸

4. For a borderline garment, apply for a binding decision before you ship: an Advance Tariff Ruling in the United Kingdom, generally valid for 3 years,⁹ or a Binding Tariff Information decision in the EU, with a separate application for each type of product.¹⁰

5. Give your broker the description and confirmed code for each style, wearer group and fibre.

Common classification mistakes

Filing on the retail name instead of the garment description. Winter coat, overcoat, car coat and parka are trade words. Customs applies the heading text and the definitions for overcoats, car coats and parkas, so a coat filed without construction, length and fibre facts is a guess.⁴

Filing a knitted coat in Chapter 62. Chapter 62 excludes knitted or crocheted articles, and a knitted coat belongs in Chapter 61.^{2 5} Check the fabric construction on the sample before choosing any 6201 or 6202 line.

Measuring length the wrong way, or not at all. Overcoats must cover the body to at least the mid-thigh and meet the minimum flat sizes, while parkas run from mid-thigh to knee and anoraks only to mid-thigh.⁴ A coat measured on a hanger can cross a boundary that a flat measurement from the collar seam at the nape would not cross.

Filing a panelled tailored garment as an overcoat. A jacket or blazer shell with three or more lengthwise panels, two at the front, belongs under headings 6203 or 6204, not under the overcoat headings.⁴

Letting fur trim, padding or a coating choose the code. Padding does not create a heading, a small fur trim does not move a coat to heading 4303, and a coated woven fabric moves the garment to heading 6210.^{2 6}

Copying a full national code from another country. Only the first six digits are shared. The EU extends to eight digits, and the United States and the United Kingdom to ten digits, so a code copied from another destination is not a confirmed code for yours.³

Related duties and documents

This guide states no duty rates: the code decides which duty line customs applies, and a rate on one line does not carry to another line. Read the rate beside your confirmed code for your origin and entry date. Keep the style description, fibre compositions, flat length measurements, wearer determination, confirmed codes, any binding decision and origin evidence together in the shipment file.

FAQs

What is the HS code for winter coats?

There is no single code for winter coats. A woven winter coat is tested under heading 6201 for men's or boys' garments and heading 6202 for women's or girls' garments, at the fibre line 6201.20, 6201.30, 6201.40 or 6201.90, or the matching 6202 line.² Length then decides the national garment type.

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, and ten in the United States and the United Kingdom.^{3 2}

How do I confirm the correct code?

Describe each coat precisely, read the heading text and chapter notes in the destination tariff, and check rulings such as CROSS.⁸ For a borderline coat, apply for a binding decision before shipping: a BTI in the EU,¹⁰ an Advance Tariff Ruling in the United Kingdom,⁹ 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.

Next steps on Exportain

Start with the HS code explainer for the digit structure and how to classify your product for the method, then look at suppliers on Exportain while you confirm the code with your broker. When the specification is set, → Post a free RFQ on Exportain.