09.04 Pepper of the genus piper; dried or crushed or ground fruits of the genus capsicum or of the genus pimenta
One level above the number you declare. Pick one of the six-digit codes below.
Section II, Vegetable Products — plants, vegetables, fruit, nuts, coffee, tea, cereals, seeds and flours.
- 09 Chapter Coffee, tea, mate and spices
- 04 Heading Pepper of the genus piper; dried or crushed or ground fruits of the genus capsicum or of the genus pimenta
- —— Subheading Pick one of the 4 six-digit codes below
Chapter 9 covers coffee, tea, mate and spices: from raw, green coffee beans through roasted and ground, and every common spice from pepper to cinnamon to saffron. Roast state, grind state and caffeine content are the main things that split a product into different six-digit subheadings. Classification tip: Decaffeinated versus caffeinated and roasted versus green are the two splits that most often trip up coffee shipments: confirm both before filing.
All of chapter 09The 4 six-digit codes under 09.04
One of these is the number you declare.
- 0904.11 Spices; pepper (of the genus piper), neither crushed nor ground
- 0904.12 Spices; pepper (of the genus piper), crushed or ground
- 0904.21 Spices; fruits of the genus Capsicum or Pimenta, dried, neither crushed nor ground
- 0904.22 Spices; fruits of the genus Capsicum or Pimenta, crushed or ground
Other headings in chapter 09
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 09.04? A customs hold shows up as a milestone that stops moving — follow the container or the air waybill from departure to delivery.
Track a shipment09.04 FAQ
Heading 09.04 covers pepper of the genus piper; dried or crushed or ground fruits of the genus capsicum or of the genus pimenta. It is part of chapter 09 (coffee, tea, mate and spices), and it is subdivided into 4 six-digit subheadings — the level you actually declare.
Pick one of the 4 subheadings below. Those six digits are what customs recognises internationally; the importing country may extend them to eight or ten in its own tariff schedule.
The General Rules of Interpretation, read together with the notes to Section II and to chapter 09. 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.