64 Footwear; gaiters and the like; parts of such articles
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 XII, Footwear & Headgear — footwear, headgear, umbrellas, walking sticks and prepared feathers.
- 64 Chapter Footwear; gaiters and the like; parts of such articles
- —— Heading Pick one of the 6 headings below
- —— Subheading Six digits, the level every country shares
Chapter 64 covers footwear, gaiters and the like; parts of such articles: shoes, boots and sandals classified largely by the material of the outer sole and upper (leather, rubber, textile), which is often the deciding factor for the applicable duty rate. Classification tip: The material of the outer sole in contact with the ground, not the upper, is usually what determines the subheading: check the sole material carefully before classifying footwear.
6 headings in chapter 64
Four-digit groups. Pick the one that fits, then the six-digit code inside it.
- 64.01 Footwear; waterproof, with outer soles and uppers of rubber or plastics, (uppers not fixed to the sole nor assembled by stitch, rivet, nail, screw, plug or similar) 3 codes
- 64.02 Footwear; with outer soles and uppers of rubber or plastics (excluding waterproof footwear) 5 codes
- 64.03 Footwear; with outer soles of rubber, plastics, leather or composition leather and uppers of leather 8 codes
- 64.04 Footwear; with outer soles of rubber, plastics, leather or composition leather and uppers of textile materials 3 codes
- 64.05 Footwear; other footwear n.e.c. in chapter 64 3 codes
- 64.06 Footwear; parts of footwear; removable in-soles, heel cushions and similar articles; gaiters, le.g.ings and similar articles, and parts thereof 3 codes
Other chapters in Section XII
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 64? 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 64 FAQ
Chapter 64 covers footwear, gaiters and the like; parts of such articles: shoes, boots and sandals classified largely by the material of the outer sole and upper (leather, rubber, textile), which is often the deciding factor for the applicable duty rate. Classification tip: The material of the outer sole in contact with the ground, not the upper, is usually what determines the subheading: check the sole material carefully before classifying footwear.
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 XII and to chapter 64. 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.