0505.90 Animal products; skins and other parts of birds, feathers and down (not for stuffing), powder and waste of such, not further worked than cleaned, disinfected or treated for preservation
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.
- 05 Chapter Animal originated products; not elsewhere specified or included
- 05 Heading Skins and other parts of birds with feathers, down; feathers, down and parts thereof; not further worked than cleaned, disinfected, treated for preservation; powder, waste and parts of feathers
- 90 Subheading Animal products; skins and other parts of birds, feathers and down (not for stuffing), powder and waste of such, not further worked than cleaned, disinfected or treated for preservation
Chapter 5 is a catch-all for animal-derived products that don't fit chapter 1-4: human hair, bristles, animal guts, bladders, bones, horns, hooves, coral and similar raw materials used in manufacturing rather than food. It's a small chapter, mostly industrial and craft inputs rather than consumer goods. Classification tip: Products of endangered or protected species (certain corals, ivory-adjacent materials) can require a CITES permit in addition to the HS code, regardless of how minor the shipment looks on paper.
All of chapter 05Other codes under 05.05
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 0505.90? A customs hold shows up as a milestone that stops moving — follow the container or the air waybill from departure to delivery.
Track a shipment0505.90 FAQ
0505.90 covers animal products; skins and other parts of birds, feathers and down (not for stuffing), powder and waste of such, not further worked than cleaned, disinfected or treated for preservation. It sits under heading 05.05 (skins and other parts of birds with feathers, down; feathers, down and parts thereof; not further worked than cleaned, disinfected, treated for preservation; powder, waste and parts of feathers) in chapter 05, 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 0505.90 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 05. 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.