Section II · Vegetable products
Chapter 13: Lac; gums, resins and other vegetable saps and extracts
Chapter 13 of the Harmonized System has 2 four-digit headings, from 13.01 to 13.02. Each heading is split further into six-digit subheadings, then into national 8- and 10-digit commodity codes.
Headings in chapter 13
| Heading | Description |
|---|---|
| 13.01 | Lac; natural gums, resins, gum-resins and oleoresins (for example, balsams) |
| 13.02 | Vegetable saps and extracts; pectic substances, pectinates and pectates; agar-agar and other mucilages and thickeners, whether or not modified, derived from vegetable products |
Classifying goods in chapter 13
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 13 in the UK Trade Tariff, the EU TARIC and the US HTS.