1803.20 Cocoa; paste, wholly or partly defatted
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 IV, Foodstuffs, Beverages & Tobacco — prepared food and drink — sugar, cocoa, beverages, spirits, vinegar and tobacco.
- 18 Chapter Cocoa and cocoa preparations
- 03 Heading Cocoa; paste; whether or not defatted
- 20 Subheading Cocoa; paste, wholly or partly defatted
Chapter 18 covers cocoa and cocoa preparations: cocoa beans, cocoa paste, cocoa butter, cocoa powder and chocolate in all its forms. Chocolate confectionery stays in this chapter rather than chapter 17, even though it's a candy product, because cocoa content is the defining classification factor. Classification tip: Cocoa content percentage and whether the product is sweetened both affect the subheading, so check the ingredient breakdown before classifying a chocolate product.
All of chapter 18Other codes under 18.03
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 1803.20? A customs hold shows up as a milestone that stops moving — follow the container or the air waybill from departure to delivery.
Track a shipment1803.20 FAQ
1803.20 covers cocoa; paste, wholly or partly defatted. It sits under heading 18.03 (cocoa; paste; whether or not defatted) in chapter 18, Section IV 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 1803.20 plus whatever national digits the destination’s tariff schedule adds to it.
The General Rules of Interpretation, read together with the notes to Section IV and to chapter 18. 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.