41 Raw hides and skins (other than furskins) and leather
The broadest level of the Harmonized System. Pick the heading below that fits your goods, then the six-digit code under it — that last one is what you declare.
Section VIII, Hides, Skins & Leather — raw hides, leather, furskins, saddlery, handbags and travel goods.
- 41 Chapter Raw hides and skins (other than furskins) and leather
- —— Heading Pick one of the 11 headings below
- —— Subheading Six digits, the level every country shares
Chapter 41 covers raw hides and skins (other than furskins) and leather: the unprocessed and tanned material before it's cut and sewn into finished goods, which then fall under chapter 42 (leather articles) or chapter 64 (footwear). Classification tip: Raw, tanned and 'crust' (partially tanned) leather each have distinct subheadings, and several countries restrict or tax raw hide exports differently from finished leather to encourage local tanning.
11 headings in chapter 41
Four-digit groups. Pick the one that fits, then the six-digit code inside it.
- 41.01 Raw hides and skins of bovine (including buffalo) or equine animals (fresh, salted, dried, limed, pickled, otherwise preserved but not tanned, parchment dressed or further prepared), whether or not dehaired or split 3 codes
- 41.02 Raw skins of sheep or lambs (fresh, salted, dried, limed, pickled or otherwise preserved, but not further prepared), whether or not with wool on or split 3 codes
- 41.03 Raw hides and skins n.e.c in headings no. 4101, 4102; fresh, salted, dried, pickled or otherwise preserved, not further prepared, whether or not dehaired or split 3 codes
- 41.04 Tanned or crust hides and skins of bovine (including buffalo) or equine animals, without hair on, whether or not split, but not further prepared 4 codes
- 41.05 Tanned or crust skins of sheep and lambs, without wool on, whether or not split, but not further prepared 2 codes
- 41.06 Tanned or crust hides and skins of other animals, without wool or hair on, whether or not split, but not further prepared 7 codes
- 41.07 Leather further prepared after tanning or crusting, including parchment-dressed leather, of bovine (including buffalo) or equine animals, without hair on, whether or not split, other than leather of heading 41.14 6 codes
- 41.12 Leather further prepared after tanning or crusting, including parchment dressed leather, of sheep or lamb, without wool on, whether or not split, other than leather of heading 41.14 1 code
- 41.13 Leather further prepared after tanning or crusting, including parchment-dressed leather, of animals (other than ovine), without wool or hair on, whether or not split, other than leather of heading 41.14 4 codes
- 41.14 Chamois (including combination chamois) leather; patent leather and patent laminated leather; metallised leather 2 codes
- 41.15 Composition leather with a basis of leather or leather fibre, in slabs, sheets or strip, in rolls or not; parings and other waste of leather or of composition leather, not suitable for the manufacture of leather articles; leather dust, powder and flour 2 codes
Other chapters in Section VIII
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 from chapter 41? A customs hold shows up as a milestone that stops moving — follow the container or the air waybill from departure to delivery.
Track a shipmentChapter 41 FAQ
Chapter 41 covers raw hides and skins (other than furskins) and leather: the unprocessed and tanned material before it's cut and sewn into finished goods, which then fall under chapter 42 (leather articles) or chapter 64 (footwear). Classification tip: Raw, tanned and 'crust' (partially tanned) leather each have distinct subheadings, and several countries restrict or tax raw hide exports differently from finished leather to encourage local tanning.
Pick the heading below that describes the goods, then the six-digit subheading under it. Six digits is the level the Harmonized System defines and the level customs everywhere recognises; anything beyond that is added by the importing country.
The General Rules of Interpretation, read together with the notes to Section VIII and to chapter 41. 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.