68 Stone, plaster, cement, asbestos, mica or similar materials; articles thereof
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 XIII, Stone, Ceramics & Glass — articles of stone, plaster, cement, ceramics and glass.
- 68 Chapter Stone, plaster, cement, asbestos, mica or similar materials; articles thereof
- —— Heading Pick one of the 15 headings below
- —— Subheading Six digits, the level every country shares
Chapter 68 covers stone, plaster, cement, asbestos, mica or similar materials; articles thereof: worked stone, cement products, abrasives and mineral-fibre articles, downstream of the raw minerals in chapter 25. Classification tip: Asbestos-containing products are banned outright or heavily restricted in most major import markets regardless of HS code, so confirm the product's actual composition before relying on the classification alone.
15 headings in chapter 68
Four-digit groups. Pick the one that fits, then the six-digit code inside it.
- 68.01 Stone; setts, curbstones and flagstones, of natural stone (except slate) 1 code
- 68.02 Monumental or building stone, worked (except slate) and articles thereof (not of heading no. 6801) mosaic cubes etc., of natural stone including slate; artificially coloured granules of natural stone 8 codes
- 68.03 Slate, worked; and articles of slate or of agglomerated slate 1 code
- 68.04 Millstones, grindstones, grinding wheels, etc without frameworks, for grinding, sharpening, polishing, etc and parts thereof, natural stone, agglomerated natural or artificial abrasives or of ceramics 5 codes
- 68.05 Abrasive powder or grain; natural or artificial, on a base of textile material, of paper, paperboard or of other material, whether or not cut to shape or sewn or otherwise made up 3 codes
- 68.06 Slag, rock wool and similar mineral wools; exfoliated vermiculite, expanded clays, foamed slag, mixtures and articles of heat, sound insulating or sound-absorbing mineral materials 3 codes
- 68.07 Asphalt or similar material; articles (e.g. petroleum bitumen or coal tar pitch) 2 codes
- 68.08 Panels, boards, tiles, blocks and the like; of vegetable fibre, of straw, shavings, chips, particles, sawdust or other waste, of wood, agglomerated with cement, plaster or other mineral binders 1 code
- 68.09 Plaster or compositions based on plaster; articles thereof 3 codes
- 68.10 Cement, concrete or artificial stone; whether or not reinforced, articles thereof 4 codes
- 68.11 Asbestos-cement, of cellulose fibre-cement or the like 4 codes
- 68.12 Fabricated asbestos fibres; mixtures with a basis of asbestos or of asbestos and magnesium carbonate; articles of such mixtures or of asbestos (e.g. thread, woven fabric, clothing, footwear), whether or not reinforced, not goods of heading 6811 or 6813 3 codes
- 68.13 Friction material and articles thereof (e.g. sheets, rolls, strips, segments, discs, washers, pads) not mounted; for brakes, clutches or the like, with a basis of asbestos, other mineral substances, or cellulose 3 codes
- 68.14 Mica; worked, articles of, including agglomerated or reconstituted mica; whether or not on a support of paper, paperboard or other materials 2 codes
- 68.15 Stone or other mineral substances; articles thereof (including carbon fibres, articles of carbon fibres and articles of peat), not elsewhere specified or included 7 codes
Other chapters in Section XIII
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 68? 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 68 FAQ
Chapter 68 covers stone, plaster, cement, asbestos, mica or similar materials; articles thereof: worked stone, cement products, abrasives and mineral-fibre articles, downstream of the raw minerals in chapter 25. Classification tip: Asbestos-containing products are banned outright or heavily restricted in most major import markets regardless of HS code, so confirm the product's actual composition before relying on the classification alone.
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 XIII and to chapter 68. 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.