2303.20 Beet-pulp, bagasse and other waste of sugar manufacture; whether or not in the form of pellets
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.
- 23 Chapter Food industries, residues and wastes thereof; prepared animal fodder
- 03 Heading Residues of starch manufacture, similar residues; beet-pulp, bagasse and other waste of sugar manufacture, brewing or distilling dregs and waste, whether or not in the form of pellets
- 20 Subheading Beet-pulp, bagasse and other waste of sugar manufacture; whether or not in the form of pellets
Chapter 23 covers residues and waste from food industries and prepared animal fodder: oilcake, bran, brewing and distilling dregs, and compound animal feed. It's the byproduct chapter that sits downstream of chapters 10-22. Classification tip: Animal feed containing meat or bone meal often triggers separate biosecurity/BSE-related import controls beyond the standard customs code, especially for shipments to markets with strict feed-safety rules.
All of chapter 23Other codes under 23.03
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 2303.20? A customs hold shows up as a milestone that stops moving — follow the container or the air waybill from departure to delivery.
Track a shipment2303.20 FAQ
2303.20 covers beet-pulp, bagasse and other waste of sugar manufacture; whether or not in the form of pellets. It sits under heading 23.03 (residues of starch manufacture, similar residues; beet-pulp, bagasse and other waste of sugar manufacture, brewing or distilling dregs and waste, whether or not in the form of pellets) in chapter 23, 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 2303.20 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 23. 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.