HS Code for Women's Dresses: Classification Guide for Importers

If you import women's dresses, the hs code for women's dresses 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 dresses, the code turns on construction and fibre: woven or knitted first, then the textile material.

Quick answer: indicative hs code for women's dresses

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 Dresses sit in heading 6204 when woven and heading 6104 when knitted or crocheted, and each heading splits its dresses by fibre.

Verify the garment, not the label. A dress is a garment intended to cover the whole body, starting from the shoulders, that can be worn without any other garments other than underwear, and dresses are classified under heading codes 6104 and 6204 as appropriate.³ A long top that fails that test is not a dress for tariff purposes. Treat the codes above as indicative and confirm the full national code before you file an entry.

How HS codes are structured

Each pair of digits narrows the category.²

The diagram below summarises the levels.

Countries use the HS as the basis for customs tariffs and statistical data, subdividing the six-digit categories into national subheadings.² The current version is HS 2022.² Read the 6-digit HS code guide and the harmonized system tariff code explainer for more on the structure.

Factors that decide the code for women's dresses

Classification follows the heading texts and chapter notes, not a retail listing or the word dress on an invoice.

The garment must pass the dress test first. Dresses are garments intended to cover the whole body, starting from the shoulders, and capable of being worn without any other garments other than underwear.³ Where the upper part is braces with bibs at the front or back, the garment counts as a dress only if it can be worn on its own; if it needs an upper garment, it is classified as a skirt.³ The rule also works in reverse: long T-shirts, blouses or pullovers that extend well below the waist may need to be classified as dresses once they pass set maximum lengths for each size, measured from the highest point of the shoulder seam to the hem.³

Woven or knitted construction picks the chapter. 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 A woven dress therefore starts in heading 6204 and a knitted dress in heading 6104, even when the two styles look identical in a photograph.

Fibre composition picks the subheading. Inside heading 6204, the dress lines run 6204.41 for wool or fine animal hair, 6204.42 for cotton, 6204.43 for synthetic fibres, 6204.44 for artificial fibres and 6204.49 for other textile materials.⁴ The knitted group in heading 6104 follows the same fibre order: 6104.41 for wool or fine animal hair, 6104.42 for cotton, 6104.43 for synthetic fibres and 6104.44 for artificial fibres.⁵ A viscose dress is an artificial fibre dress, not a synthetic one, so read the fibre names on the composition label rather than grouping all man-made fibres together.

Blends follow the material that predominates by weight. The textile section notes classify a mixture of two or more textile materials as the single textile material that predominates by weight over each other single textile material, and where no material predominates, the material covered by the heading that occurs last in numerical order among those in equal contention.⁶ A dress of 55 percent cotton and 45 percent polyester is a cotton dress; a polyester-predominant version of the same style moves to the synthetic line. Record the exact fibre percentages by weight for every style.

Size can move a dress out of the dress headings. Babies' garments are classified under heading codes 6111 and 6209 as appropriate, and they must be intended for infants of a body height not more than 86 centimetres.³ An infant dress belongs in 6209 if woven or 6111 if knitted, not in 6204 or 6104.

A dress sold in a set keeps its own code. The textile section notes state that textile garments of different headings are classified in their own headings even if put up in sets for retail sale.⁶ The European guidance adds that a garment covering both the upper and lower parts of the body cannot form part of an ensemble.³ A dress packed with a matching belt or jacket is still entered as a dress on its own line.

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

United States: HTS, ten digits. The US schedule splits the six-digit dress lines further. Under 6204.43, separate eight-digit lines cover dresses containing 36 percent or more by weight of wool or fine animal hair and other dresses, and the statistical suffixes separate women's from girls' dresses.⁴ Read the full ten-digit line for your garment.

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, because preferential treatment depends on origin rules and proof of origin.

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 Trade Tariff for your garment and entry date; never reuse a US or EU code.

How to confirm the code officially

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

1. Write a precise description: woven or knitted construction, fibre percentages by weight, length and how the garment is worn, and whether it can be worn without another garment.

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

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.⁷

4. For a borderline garment, such as a long tunic between a blouse and a dress, 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.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 U.S. Customs and Border Protection.⁷

5. Give your broker the description and the confirmed code, and use the same code on the invoice, packing list and declaration.

Common classification mistakes

Filing a knitted dress under 6204. Heading 6204 sits in Chapter 62, which excludes knitted or crocheted articles.⁴ A knitted dress belongs in heading 6104,⁵ on the fibre line that matches its composition.

Filing a woven dress under 6104 because the fabric has stretch. A small elastane content does not make a woven fabric knitted. The chapter split turns on how the fabric is constructed, and Chapter 61 covers knitted or crocheted articles only.⁵

Filing a long top as a blouse. Garments such as T-shirts, blouses or pullovers that extend well below the waist may need to be classified as dresses once they pass the maximum lengths set for each size.³ Measure the style before you assign the code.

Filing a bib-front dress as a dress when it needs a top underneath. A garment with braces and bibs is a dress only if it can be worn without another garment; otherwise it is classified as a skirt.³

Filing a blend under the fibre named first on the label. A mixture is classified as the material that predominates by weight.⁶ If polyester outweighs cotton, the line is 6204.43 or 6104.43, not the cotton line.

Copying a code from another country. A six-digit match does not mean the national code matches: the EU extends to eight digits,² and the United States splits the synthetic dress line further at eight and ten digits.⁴

Related duties and documents

The code decides which duty line and measures customs applies, but this guide states no duty rates: a rate on a cotton dress line does not carry to a synthetic line or to the knitted chapter. Read the rate beside your confirmed code for your origin and entry date, and check what proof of origin a preference claim requires.

FAQs

What is the HS code for women's dresses?

There is no single code. A woven dress sits in heading 6204 and a knitted or crocheted dress in heading 6104, and the six-digit subheading follows the fibre: 6204.42 and 6104.42 for cotton, 6204.43 and 6104.43 for synthetic fibres, with wool at 6204.41 and 6104.41 and artificial fibres at 6204.44 and 6104.44.^{4 5} Confirm the full national code before use.

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 dress lines split further.⁴

How do I confirm the correct code?

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

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 for that garment. GOV.UK notes that a binding decision helps calculate customs duties, licensing requirements, quotas and other restrictions in advance.⁹

Next steps on Exportain

Read how to import women's dresses from Bangladesh for the ordering and shipping steps, and compare the HS code for knit dresses if part of your range is knitted. Browse Bangladeshi suppliers and post a free RFQ at Exportain RFQs with the confirmed code for each style, so quotations are priced against the same classification.