Heading 69.09 — Ceramic ware for laboratory, chemical, other tec... 6-digit code

6909.11 Ceramic wares; for laboratory, chemical or other technical uses, of porcelain or china

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 XIII, Stone, Ceramics & Glass — articles of stone, plaster, cement, ceramics and glass.

  1. 69 Chapter Ceramic products
  2. 09 Heading 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
  3. 11 Subheading Ceramic wares; for laboratory, chemical or other technical uses, of porcelain or china

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.

All of chapter 69

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 6909.11? A customs hold shows up as a milestone that stops moving — follow the container or the air waybill from departure to delivery.

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6909.11 FAQ

6909.11 covers ceramic wares; for laboratory, chemical or other technical uses, of porcelain or china. It sits under heading 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) in chapter 69, Section XIII 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 6909.11 plus whatever national digits the destination’s tariff schedule adds to it.

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.