69 Ceramic products
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.
- 69 Chapter Ceramic products
- —— Heading Pick one of the 13 headings below
- —— Subheading Six digits, the level every country shares
Chapter 69 covers ceramic products: bricks, tiles, sanitary ware, tableware and other fired-clay and ceramic goods, split mainly by whether the product is for construction, industrial or household/decorative use. Classification tip: Ceramic tableware intended for food contact is subject to lead/cadmium migration-limit testing in many markets, a requirement that sits alongside (not instead of) the customs classification.
13 headings in chapter 69
Four-digit groups. Pick the one that fits, then the six-digit code inside it.
- 69.01 Bricks, blocks, tiles and other ceramic goods of siliceous fossil meals (e.g. kieselguhr, tripolite or diatomite) or of similar siliceous earths 1 code
- 69.02 Refractory bricks, blocks, tiles and similar refractory ceramic constructional goods; other than those of siliceous fossil meals or similar siliceous earths 3 codes
- 69.03 Ceramic goods; (e.g. retorts, crucibles, muffles, nozzles, plugs, supports cupels, tubes, pipes, sheaths, rods and slide gates) excluding those of siliceous fossil meals or of similar siliceous earths 3 codes
- 69.04 Ceramic building bricks, floor blocks, support or filler tiles and the like 2 codes
- 69.05 Roofing tiles, chimney-pots, cowls, chimney liners, architectural ornaments and other ceramic constructional goods 2 codes
- 69.06 Ceramic pipes, conduits, guttering and pipe fittings 1 code
- 69.07 Ceramic flags and paving, hearth or wall tiles; ceramic mosaic cubes and the like, whether or not on a backing; finishing ceramics 5 codes
- 69.09 Ceramic ware for laboratory, chemical, other technical uses; ceramic troughs, tubs, similar receptacles used in agriculture; ceramic pots, jars and similar used in the conveyance or packing of goods 4 codes
- 69.10 Ceramic sinks, wash basins, wash basin pedestals, baths, bidets, water closet pans, flushing cisterns, urinals and similar sanitary fixtures 2 codes
- 69.11 Tableware, kitchenware, other household articles and toilet articles; of porcelain or china 2 codes
- 69.12 Ceramic tableware, kitchenware, other household articles and toilet articles; other than of porcelain or china 1 code
- 69.13 Statuettes and other ornamental ceramic articles 2 codes
- 69.14 Ceramic articles; n.e.c. in chapter 69 2 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 69? 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 69 FAQ
Chapter 69 covers ceramic products: bricks, tiles, sanitary ware, tableware and other fired-clay and ceramic goods, split mainly by whether the product is for construction, industrial or household/decorative use. Classification tip: Ceramic tableware intended for food contact is subject to lead/cadmium migration-limit testing in many markets, a requirement that sits alongside (not instead of) the customs classification.
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 69. 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.