2603.00 Copper ores and concentrates
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 V, Mineral Products — salt, sulphur, earths, stone, ores, mineral fuels and mineral oils.
- 26 Chapter Ores, slag and ash
- 03 Heading Copper ores and concentrates
- 00 Subheading Copper ores and concentrates
Chapter 26 covers ores, slag and ash: the raw mineral concentrates mined and processed before smelting, plus the slag and ash byproducts of metal production. This is upstream of the refined metal chapters (72-81). Classification tip: Ore classification depends on the specific metal content (iron, copper, precious-metal ores each have their own subheading), so confirm assay results before filing rather than relying on a generic 'ore' description.
All of chapter 26The 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 2603.00? A customs hold shows up as a milestone that stops moving — follow the container or the air waybill from departure to delivery.
Track a shipment2603.00 FAQ
2603.00 covers copper ores and concentrates. It sits under heading 26.03 (copper ores and concentrates) in chapter 26, Section V 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 2603.00 plus whatever national digits the destination’s tariff schedule adds to it.
The General Rules of Interpretation, read together with the notes to Section V and to chapter 26. 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.