Chapter 72 — Iron and steel 4-digit heading

72.16 Iron or non-alloy steel, angles, shapes and sections

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

Section XV, Base Metals — iron, steel, copper, aluminium, other base metals and articles thereof.

  1. 72 Chapter Iron and steel
  2. 16 Heading Iron or non-alloy steel, angles, shapes and sections
  3. —— Subheading Pick one of the 12 six-digit codes below

Chapter 72 covers iron and steel: pig iron, ingots, billets, bars, plates, sheets, wire and similar mill products, before they're worked into finished articles (chapter 73) or machinery. Classification tip: Steel is one of the most frequent targets of anti-dumping and safeguard duties worldwide, so always check for trade-remedy measures on the specific steel grade and country of origin, not just the base HS tariff.

All of chapter 72

The 12 six-digit codes under 72.16

One of these is the number you declare.

Other headings in chapter 72

72.01 Pig iron and spiegeleisen in pigs, blocks or other primary forms 72.02 Ferro-alloys 72.03 Ferrous products obtained by direct reduction of iron ore and other spongy ferrous products, in lumps, pellets or the like; iron having a minimum purity of 99.94%, in lumps, pellets or similar forms 72.04 Ferrous waste and scrap; remelting scrap ingots of iron or steel 72.05 Granules and powders, of pig iron, spiegeleisen, iron or steel 72.06 Iron and non-alloy steel in ingots or other primary forms (excluding iron of heading no. 7203) 72.07 Iron or non-alloy steel; semi-finished products thereof 72.08 Iron or non-alloy steel; flat-rolled products of a width of 600mm or more, hot-rolled, not clad, plated or coated 72.09 Iron or non-alloy steel; flat-rolled products, width 600mm or more, cold-rolled (cold-reduced), not clad, plated or coated 72.10 Iron or non-alloy steel; flat-rolled products, width 600mm or more, clad, plated or coated 72.11 Iron or non-alloy steel; flat-rolled products, width less than 600mm, not clad, plated or coated 72.12 Iron or non-alloy steel; flat-rolled products, width less than 600mm, clad, plated or coated 72.13 Iron or non-alloy steel; bars and rods, hot-rolled, in irregularly wound coils 72.14 Iron or non-alloy steel; bars and rods, not further worked than forged, hot-rolled, hot drawn or hot-extruded, but including those twisted after rolling 72.15 Iron or non-alloy steel; bars and rods, n.e.c. in chapter 72 72.17 Wire of iron or non-alloy steel 72.18 Stainless steel in ingots or other primary forms; semi-finished products of stainless steel 72.19 Stainless steel; flat-rolled products of width of 600mm or more 72.20 Stainless steel; flat-rolled products of width less than 600mm 72.21 Stainless steel bars and rods, hot-rolled, in irregularly wound coils 72.22 Stainless steel bars and rods, angles, shapes and sections 72.23 Stainless steel wire 72.24 Alloy steel in ingots or other primary forms, semi-finished products of other alloy steel 72.25 Alloy steel flat-rolled products, of a width 600mm or more 72.26 Alloy steel flat-rolled products, of a width of less than 600mm 72.27 Steel, alloy; bars and rods, hot-rolled, in irregularly wound coils 72.28 Alloy steel bars, rods, shapes and sections; hollow drill bars and rods, of alloy or non-alloy steel 72.29 Wire of other alloy steel

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 72.16? 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

72.16 FAQ

Heading 72.16 covers iron or non-alloy steel, angles, shapes and sections. It is part of chapter 72 (iron and steel), and it is subdivided into 12 six-digit subheadings — the level you actually declare.

Pick one of the 12 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 XV and to chapter 72. 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.

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