Chapter 52 — Cotton 4-digit heading

52.05 Cotton yarn (other than sewing thread), containing 85% or more by weight of cotton, not put up for retail sale

One level above the number you declare. Pick one of the six-digit codes below.

Section XI, Textiles & Apparel — silk, wool, cotton, man-made fibres, fabrics, carpets and clothing.

  1. 52 Chapter Cotton
  2. 05 Heading Cotton yarn (other than sewing thread), containing 85% or more by weight of cotton, not put up for retail sale
  3. —— Subheading Pick one of the 24 six-digit codes below

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 52

The 24 six-digit codes under 52.05

One of these is the number you declare.

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 52.05? A customs hold shows up as a milestone that stops moving — follow the container or the air waybill from departure to delivery.

Track a shipment

52.05 FAQ

Heading 52.05 covers cotton yarn (other than sewing thread), containing 85% or more by weight of cotton, not put up for retail sale. It is part of chapter 52 (cotton), and it is subdivided into 24 six-digit subheadings — the level you actually declare.

Pick one of the 24 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 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.