76 Aluminium 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.
- 76 Chapter Aluminium and articles thereof
- —— Heading Pick one of the 16 headings below
- —— Subheading Six digits, the level every country shares
Chapter 76 covers aluminium and articles thereof: primary aluminium, alloys, sheet, foil, wire and finished aluminium goods, one of the largest non-ferrous metal chapters given aluminium's use across packaging, construction and transport. Classification tip: As with steel, aluminium extrusions and sheet are common anti-dumping/countervailing duty targets in major markets, so verify trade-remedy status for the specific alloy and origin before shipping.
16 headings in chapter 76
Four-digit groups. Pick the one that fits, then the six-digit code inside it.
- 76.01 Aluminium; unwrought 2 codes
- 76.02 Aluminium; waste and scrap 1 code
- 76.03 Aluminium; powders and flakes 2 codes
- 76.04 Aluminium; bars, rods and profiles 3 codes
- 76.05 Aluminium wire 4 codes
- 76.06 Aluminium; plates, sheets and strip, thickness exceeding 0.2mm 4 codes
- 76.07 Aluminium foil (whether or not printed or backed with paper, paperboard, plastics or similar backing materials) of a thickness (excluding any backing) not exceeding 0.2mm 3 codes
- 76.08 Aluminium; tubes and pipes 2 codes
- 76.09 Aluminium; tube or pipe fittings (e.g. couplings, elbows, sleeves) 1 code
- 76.10 Aluminium; structures (excluding prefabricated buildings of heading no. 9406) and parts (e.g. bridges and sections, towers, lattice masts, etc) plates, rods, profiles and tubes for structures 2 codes
- 76.11 Aluminium; reservoirs, tanks, vats and the like for material (not compressed or liquefied gas) of capacity over 300l, whether or not lined, heat-insulated, not fitted with mechanical, thermal equipment 1 code
- 76.12 Aluminium casks, drums, cans, boxes etc (including rigid, collapsible tubular containers), for materials other than compressed, liquefied gas, 300l capacity or less, lined, heat-insulated or not 2 codes
- 76.13 Aluminium; containers for compressed or liquefied gas 1 code
- 76.14 Aluminium; stranded wire, cables, plaited bands and the like, (not electrically insulated) 2 codes
- 76.15 Aluminium; table, kitchen or other household articles and parts thereof, pot scourers and scouring or polishing pads, gloves and the like, sanitary ware and parts thereof 2 codes
- 76.16 Aluminium; articles n.e.c. in chapter 76 3 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 76? 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 76 FAQ
Chapter 76 covers aluminium and articles thereof: primary aluminium, alloys, sheet, foil, wire and finished aluminium goods, one of the largest non-ferrous metal chapters given aluminium's use across packaging, construction and transport. Classification tip: As with steel, aluminium extrusions and sheet are common anti-dumping/countervailing duty targets in major markets, so verify trade-remedy status for the specific alloy and origin before shipping.
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 76. 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.