48.02 Uncoated paper and paperboard, used for writing, printing or other graphics, non perforated punch-cards and punch tape paper, in rolls or rectangular sheets, of any size, other than paper of heading 4801 or 4803; hand-made paper and paperboard
One level above the number you declare. Pick one of the six-digit codes below.
Section X, Pulp, Paper & Print — wood pulp, paper, paperboard, printed books and newspapers.
- 48 Chapter Paper and paperboard; articles of paper pulp, of paper or paperboard
- 02 Heading Uncoated paper and paperboard, used for writing, printing or other graphics, non perforated punch-cards and punch tape paper, in rolls or rectangular sheets, of any size, other than paper of heading 4801 or 4803; hand-made paper and paperboard
- —— Subheading Pick one of the 11 six-digit codes below
Chapter 48 covers paper and paperboard; articles of paper pulp, of paper or paperboard: everything from newsprint and packaging board to tissue, envelopes and paper packaging. It is a large chapter reflecting the many grades, weights and finished forms paper takes. Classification tip: Paper weight (grams per square metre) and coating (uncoated, coated, kraft) are usually the deciding factors for the subheading, more so than the finished product's end use.
All of chapter 48The 11 six-digit codes under 48.02
One of these is the number you declare.
- 4802.10 Hand-made paper or paperboard
- 4802.20 Uncoated paper and paperboard (not 4801 or 4803); of a kind used as a base for photo-sensitive, heat-sensitive or electro-sensitive paper or paperboard, in rolls or sheets
- 4802.40 Uncoated paper and paperboard (not 4801 or 4803); wallpaper base, in rolls or sheets
- 4802.54 Uncoated paper and paperboard (not 4801 or 4803); printing, writing or graphic, 10% or less by weight of mechanical or chemi-mechanical processed fibre, weighing less than 40g/m2, in rolls or sheets
- 4802.55 Uncoated paper and paperboard (not 4801 or 4803); printing, writing or graphic, 10% or less by weight of mechanical or chemi-mechanical processed fibre, weighing 40g/m2 to 150g/m2, in rolls
- 4802.56 Uncoated paper and paperboard (not 4801 or 4803); printing, writing or graphic, 10% or less by weight of mechanical or chemi-mechanical processed fibre, weight 40-150g/m2, in sheets 435mm or less by 297mm or less (unfolded)
- 4802.57 Uncoated paper and paperboard (not 4801 or 4803); printing, writing or graphic, 10% or less by weight of mechanical or chemi-mechanical processed fibre, weight 40-150g/m2, n.e.c. in item no. 4802.55 or 4802.56
- 4802.58 Uncoated paper and paperboard (not 4801 or 4803); printing, writing or graphic, 10% or less by weight of mechanical or chemi-mechanical processed fibre, weighing more than 150g/m2
- 4802.61 Uncoated paper and paperboard (not 4801 or 4803); over 10% by weight of mechanical or chemi-mechanical processed fibre, in rolls
- 4802.62 Uncoated paper and paperboard (not 4801 or 4803); over 10% by weight of mechanical or chemi-mechanical processed fibre, in sheets 435mm or less by 297mm or less (unfolded)
- 4802.69 Uncoated paper and paperboard (not 4801 or 4803); over 10% by weight of mechanical or chemi-mechanical processed fibre, other than rolls, other than sheets 435mm or less by 297mm or less (unfolded)
Other headings in chapter 48
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 48.02? A customs hold shows up as a milestone that stops moving — follow the container or the air waybill from departure to delivery.
Track a shipment48.02 FAQ
Heading 48.02 covers uncoated paper and paperboard, used for writing, printing or other graphics, non perforated punch-cards and punch tape paper, in rolls or rectangular sheets, of any size, other than paper of heading 4801 or 4803; hand-made paper and paperboard. It is part of chapter 48 (paper and paperboard; articles of paper pulp, of paper or paperboard), and it is subdivided into 11 six-digit subheadings — the level you actually declare.
Pick one of the 11 subheadings below. Those six digits are what customs recognises internationally; the importing country may extend them to eight or ten in its own tariff schedule.
The General Rules of Interpretation, read together with the notes to Section X and to chapter 48. 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.