0404.90 Dairy produce; natural milk constituents (excluding whey), whether or not containing added sugar or other sweetening matter, n.e.c. in chapter 04
A full HS code. These six digits are what goes on a customs declaration, and they mean the same thing in every country that uses the Harmonized System.
Section I, Live Animals & Animal Products — live animals, meat, fish, dairy and other products of animal origin.
- 04 Chapter Dairy produce; birds' eggs; natural honey; edible products of animal origin, not elsewhere specified or included
- 04 Heading Whey and products consisting of natural milk constituents; whether or not containing added sugar or other sweetening matter, not elsewhere specified or included
- 90 Subheading Dairy produce; natural milk constituents (excluding whey), whether or not containing added sugar or other sweetening matter, n.e.c. in chapter 04
Chapter 4 covers dairy produce, birds' eggs, natural honey and other edible animal-origin products not covered elsewhere: milk, cream, butter, cheese, yogurt and whole eggs in shell or otherwise. Many countries apply tariff-rate quotas to dairy imports, so the six-digit code alone will not tell you the duty rate without checking the applicable quota. Classification tip: Fat content and whether milk is in powder, liquid or concentrated form each drive a different subheading, and dairy is one of the product groups most likely to sit inside a country's tariff-rate quota rather than its standard duty schedule.
All of chapter 04Other codes under 04.04
The wording above is the Harmonized System nomenclature as published by the World Customs Organization, HS 2022 edition. It is a classification reference, not a tariff: it carries no duty rates, and it stops at six digits — the importing country adds its own beyond that.
Classification is decided by the General Rules of Interpretation and the section and chapter notes, and it is the importing country’s customs authority that makes it binding.
Shipping goods under 0404.90? A customs hold shows up as a milestone that stops moving — follow the container or the air waybill from departure to delivery.
Track a shipment0404.90 FAQ
0404.90 covers dairy produce; natural milk constituents (excluding whey), whether or not containing added sugar or other sweetening matter, n.e.c. in chapter 04. It sits under heading 04.04 (whey and products consisting of natural milk constituents; whether or not containing added sugar or other sweetening matter, not elsewhere specified or included) in chapter 04, Section I of the Harmonized System.
It is the international part of it. Six digits are the same in every country that applies the Harmonized System; the importing country then extends them to eight or ten for its own tariff and statistics. Declare 0404.90 plus whatever national digits the destination’s tariff schedule adds to it.
The General Rules of Interpretation, read together with the notes to Section I and to chapter 04. A description that reads right is not enough on its own — the notes routinely pull goods out of the chapter they obviously belong to and put them somewhere else. Where duty or licensing turns on the answer, ask the importing country’s customs authority for a binding ruling.
A wrong or missing code is one of the common reasons customs holds a container, and a hold shows up as a milestone that stops moving. Watch for it in the container tracking app, on the air waybill in the air cargo tracker, or through the tracking API.