5203.00 Cotton; carded or combed
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 XI, Textiles & Apparel — silk, wool, cotton, man-made fibres, fabrics, carpets and clothing.
- 52 Chapter Cotton
- 03 Heading Cotton, carded or combed
- 00 Subheading Cotton; carded or combed
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.
All of chapter 52The 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 5203.00? A customs hold shows up as a milestone that stops moving — follow the container or the air waybill from departure to delivery.
Track a shipment5203.00 FAQ
5203.00 covers cotton; carded or combed. It sits under heading 52.03 (cotton, carded or combed) in chapter 52, Section XI 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 5203.00 plus whatever national digits the destination’s tariff schedule adds to it.
The General Rules of Interpretation, read together with the notes to Section 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.