Section II · Vegetable products
Chapter 09: Coffee, tea, maté and spices
Chapter 09 of the Harmonized System has 10 four-digit headings, from 09.01 to 09.10. Each heading is split further into six-digit subheadings, then into national 8- and 10-digit commodity codes.
Headings in chapter 09
| Heading | Description |
|---|---|
| 09.01 | Coffee, whether or not roasted or decaffeinated; coffee husks and skins; coffee substitutes containing coffee in any proportion |
| 09.02 | Tea, whether or not flavoured |
| 09.03 | Maté |
| 09.04 | Pepper of the genus piper; dried or crushed or ground fruit of the genus capsicum or of the genus pimenta |
| 09.05 | Vanilla |
| 09.06 | Cinnamon and cinnamon-tree flowers |
| 09.07 | Cloves (whole fruit, cloves and stems) |
| 09.08 | Nutmeg, mace and cardamoms |
| 09.09 | Seeds of anise, badian, fennel, coriander, cumin or caraway; juniper berries |
| 09.10 | Ginger, saffron, turmeric (curcuma), thyme, bay leaves, curry and other spices |
Classifying goods in chapter 09
Start with the chapter and section notes: they are legally binding and often decide what is included or excluded. Then choose the heading whose wording best describes your product (GRI 1), and work down to the six-digit subheading before choosing the national commodity code.
The six-digit code is shared internationally. The UK and EU add digits for their own tariffs and statistics, and the US uses its own 10-digit HTS lines, so always confirm the final code in the tariff of the country you are importing into.
Official sources
Check chapter 09 in the UK Trade Tariff, the EU TARIC and the US HTS.