Section XX · Miscellaneous manufactured articles

Chapter 96: Miscellaneous manufactured articles

Chapter 96 of the Harmonized System has 20 four-digit headings, from 96.01 to 96.20. Each heading is split further into six-digit subheadings, then into national 8- and 10-digit commodity codes.

Headings in chapter 96

HeadingDescription
96.01Worked ivory, bone, tortoiseshell, horn, antlers, coral, mother-of-pearl and other animal carving material, and articles of these materials (including articles obtained by moulding)
96.02Worked vegetable or mineral carving material and articles of these materials; moulded or carved articles of wax, of stearin, of natural gums or natural resins or of modelling pastes, and other moulded or carved articles, not elsewhere specified or included; worked, unhardened gelatin (except gelatin of heading 3503) and articles of unhardened gelatin
96.03Brooms, brushes (including brushes constituting parts of machines, appliances or vehicles), hand-operated mechanical floor sweepers, not motorised, mops and feather dusters; prepared knots and tufts for broom or brush making; paint pads and rollers; squeegees (other than roller squeegees)
96.04Hand sieves and hand riddles
96.05Travel sets for personal toilet, sewing or shoe or clothes cleaning
96.06Buttons, press-fasteners, snap-fasteners and press studs, button moulds and other parts of these articles; button blanks
96.07Slide fasteners and parts thereof
96.08Ballpoint pens; felt-tipped and other porous-tipped pens and markers; fountain pens, stylograph pens and other pens; duplicating stylos; propelling or sliding pencils; pen-holders, pencil-holders and similar holders; parts (including caps and clips) of the foregoing articles, other than those of heading 9609
96.09Pencils (other than pencils of heading 9608), crayons, pencil leads, pastels, drawing charcoals, writing or drawing chalks and tailors' chalks
96.10Slates and boards, with writing or drawing surfaces, whether or not framed
96.11Date, sealing or numbering stamps, and the like (including devices for printing or embossing labels), designed for operating in the hand; hand-operated composing sticks and hand printing sets incorporating such composing sticks
96.12Typewriter or similar ribbons, inked or otherwise prepared for giving impressions, whether or not on spools or in cartridges; ink-pads, whether or not inked, with or without boxes
96.13Cigarette lighters and other lighters, whether or not mechanical or electrical, and parts thereof other than flints and wicks
96.14Smoking pipes (including pipe bowls) and cigar or cigarette holders, and parts thereof
96.15Combs, hair-slides and the like; hairpins, curling pins, curling grips, hair-curlers and the like, other than those of heading 8516, and parts thereof
96.16Scent sprays and similar toilet sprays, and mounts and heads therefor; powder-puffs and pads for the application of cosmetics or toilet preparations
96.17Vacuum flasks and other vacuum vessels, complete; parts thereof other than glass inners
96.18Tailors' dummies and other lay figures; automata and other animated displays used for shop window dressing
96.19Sanitary towels (pads) and tampons, napkins (diapers), napkin liners and similar articles, of any material
96.20Monopods, bipods, tripods and similar articles

Classifying goods in chapter 96

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 96 in the UK Trade Tariff, the EU TARIC and the US HTS.