52 Cotton
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 XI, Textiles & Apparel — silk, wool, cotton, man-made fibres, fabrics, carpets and clothing.
- 52 Chapter Cotton
- —— Heading Pick one of the 12 headings below
- —— Subheading Six digits, the level every country shares
Chapter 52 covers cotton: raw cotton, cotton yarn and woven cotton fabric. As one of the most heavily traded natural fibres, this chapter has detailed subheadings by yarn count, weave and blend percentage, all of which affect the applicable duty rate. Classification tip: Fabric that blends cotton with synthetic fibre is classified by whichever fibre makes up the greater weight, so get the exact blend percentage from the mill before assuming a pure-cotton subheading applies.
12 headings in chapter 52
Four-digit groups. Pick the one that fits, then the six-digit code inside it.
- 52.01 Cotton; not carded or combed 1 code
- 52.02 Cotton waste (including yarn waste and garnetted stock) 3 codes
- 52.03 Cotton, carded or combed 1 code
- 52.04 Cotton sewing thread, whether or not put up for retail sale 3 codes
- 52.05 Cotton yarn (other than sewing thread), containing 85% or more by weight of cotton, not put up for retail sale 24 codes
- 52.06 Cotton yarn (other than sewing thread), containing less than 85% by weight of cotton, not put up for retail sale 20 codes
- 52.07 Cotton yarn (other than sewing thread), put up for retail sale 2 codes
- 52.08 Woven fabrics of cotton, containing 85% or more by weight of cotton, weighing not more than 200 g/m2 19 codes
- 52.09 Woven fabrics of cotton, containing 85% or more by weight of cotton, weighing more than 200g/m2 16 codes
- 52.10 Woven fabrics of cotton, containing less than 85% by weight of cotton, mixed mainly or solely with man-made fibres, weighing not more than 200 g/m2 11 codes
- 52.11 Woven fabrics of cotton, containing less than 85% by weight of cotton, mixed mainly or solely with man-made fibres, weighing more than 200g/m2 14 codes
- 52.12 Other woven fabrics of cotton, n.e.c. in chapter 52 10 codes
Other chapters in Section XI
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 52? 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 52 FAQ
Chapter 52 covers cotton: raw cotton, cotton yarn and woven cotton fabric. As one of the most heavily traded natural fibres, this chapter has detailed subheadings by yarn count, weave and blend percentage, all of which affect the applicable duty rate. Classification tip: Fabric that blends cotton with synthetic fibre is classified by whichever fibre makes up the greater weight, so get the exact blend percentage from the mill before assuming a pure-cotton subheading applies.
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 XI and to chapter 52. 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.