74 Copper and 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 XV, Base Metals — iron, steel, copper, aluminium, other base metals and articles thereof.
- 74 Chapter Copper and articles thereof
- —— Heading Pick one of the 16 headings below
- —— Subheading Six digits, the level every country shares
Chapter 74 covers copper and articles thereof: copper ore concentrate through refined copper, copper alloys, wire, tube and finished copper goods. Classification tip: Copper scrap and waste is classified separately from refined copper and is subject to export restrictions in several producing countries aimed at keeping scrap for domestic smelting.
16 headings in chapter 74
Four-digit groups. Pick the one that fits, then the six-digit code inside it.
- 74.01 Copper mattes; cement copper (precipitated copper) 1 code
- 74.02 Copper; unrefined, copper anodes for electrolytic refining 1 code
- 74.03 Copper; refined and copper alloys, unwrought 7 codes
- 74.04 Copper; waste and scrap 1 code
- 74.05 Copper; master alloys 1 code
- 74.06 Copper; powders and flakes 2 codes
- 74.07 Copper; bars, rods and profiles 3 codes
- 74.08 Copper wire 5 codes
- 74.09 Copper plates, sheets and strip; of a thickness exceeding 0.15mm 8 codes
- 74.10 Copper foil (whether or not printed or backed with paper, paperboard, plastics or similar backing materials) of a thickness (excluding any backing) not exceeding 0.15mm 4 codes
- 74.11 Copper tubes and pipes 4 codes
- 74.12 Copper; tube or pipe fittings (e.g. couplings, elbows, sleeves) 2 codes
- 74.13 Copper; stranded wire, cables, plaited bands and the like, not electrically insulated 1 code
- 74.15 Copper, nails, tacks, drawing pins, staples (not those of heading no. 8305) and the like, of copper or iron or steel with heads of copper; screws bolts, nuts, screws hooks, rivets, cotters, washers 5 codes
- 74.18 Copper; table, kitchen or other household articles and parts thereof; pot scourers, scouring, polishing pads, gloves and the like; sanitary ware and parts thereof 2 codes
- 74.19 Copper; articles thereof n.e.c. in chapter 74 2 codes
Other chapters in Section XV
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 74? 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 74 FAQ
Chapter 74 covers copper and articles thereof: copper ore concentrate through refined copper, copper alloys, wire, tube and finished copper goods. Classification tip: Copper scrap and waste is classified separately from refined copper and is subject to export restrictions in several producing countries aimed at keeping scrap for domestic smelting.
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 XV and to chapter 74. 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.