3203.00 Colouring matter of vegetable or animal origin, including dyeing extracts not animal black, whether or not chemically defined; preparations based on colouring matter of vegetable or animal origin
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 VI, Chemical Products — inorganic and organic chemicals, pharmaceuticals, fertilisers, paints and cosmetics.
- 32 Chapter Tanning or dyeing extracts; tannins and their derivatives; dyes, pigments and other colouring matter; paints, varnishes; putty, other mastics; inks
- 03 Heading Colouring matter of vegetable or animal origin (including dyeing extracts, not animal black); whether or not chemically defined; preparations based on colouring matter of vegetable or animal origin
- 00 Subheading Colouring matter of vegetable or animal origin, including dyeing extracts not animal black, whether or not chemically defined; preparations based on colouring matter of vegetable or animal origin
Chapter 32 covers tanning or dyeing extracts; tannins and their derivatives; dyes, pigments and other colouring matter; paints, varnishes; putty, other mastics; inks: the colour and coating chemicals used across textiles, construction, printing and manufacturing. Classification tip: Whether a colouring product is 'prepared' (ready to use) or a raw dyestuff changes the subheading, and printing ink is classified separately from paint even though both are pigment-based coatings.
All of chapter 32The 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 3203.00? A customs hold shows up as a milestone that stops moving — follow the container or the air waybill from departure to delivery.
Track a shipment3203.00 FAQ
3203.00 covers colouring matter of vegetable or animal origin, including dyeing extracts not animal black, whether or not chemically defined; preparations based on colouring matter of vegetable or animal origin. It sits under heading 32.03 (colouring matter of vegetable or animal origin (including dyeing extracts, not animal black); whether or not chemically defined; preparations based on colouring matter of vegetable or animal origin) in chapter 32, Section VI 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 3203.00 plus whatever national digits the destination’s tariff schedule adds to it.
The General Rules of Interpretation, read together with the notes to Section VI and to chapter 32. 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.