4819.50 Paper and paperboard; packing containers, including record sleeves, of paper, paperboard, cellulose wadding or fibres, n.e.c. in heading no. 4819
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 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
- 19 Heading Cartons, boxes, cases, bags and the like, of paper, paperboard, cellulose wadding or fibres; box files, letter trays and the like, of paper or paperboard, of a kind used in offices, shops or the like
- 50 Subheading Paper and paperboard; packing containers, including record sleeves, of paper, paperboard, cellulose wadding or fibres, n.e.c. in heading no. 4819
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 48Other codes under 48.19
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 4819.50? A customs hold shows up as a milestone that stops moving — follow the container or the air waybill from departure to delivery.
Track a shipment4819.50 FAQ
4819.50 covers paper and paperboard; packing containers, including record sleeves, of paper, paperboard, cellulose wadding or fibres, n.e.c. in heading no. 4819. It sits under heading 48.19 (cartons, boxes, cases, bags and the like, of paper, paperboard, cellulose wadding or fibres; box files, letter trays and the like, of paper or paperboard, of a kind used in offices, shops or the like) in chapter 48, Section X 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 4819.50 plus whatever national digits the destination’s tariff schedule adds to it.
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.