81.05 Cobalt; mattes and other intermediate products of cobalt metallurgy, cobalt and articles thereof, including waste and scrap
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.
- 81 Chapter Metals; n.e.c., cermets and articles thereof
- 05 Heading Cobalt; mattes and other intermediate products of cobalt metallurgy, cobalt and articles thereof, including waste and scrap
- —— Subheading Pick one of the 3 six-digit codes below
Chapter 81 covers metals; n.e.c. (not elsewhere classified), cermets and articles thereof: tungsten, molybdenum, tantalum, magnesium, cobalt, titanium and similar specialty metals, plus cermets, used mostly in aerospace, electronics and industrial tooling. Classification tip: Cobalt and tantalum are both flagged under conflict-minerals due-diligence rules for electronics and battery supply chains, so pair the HS code with sourcing/chain-of-custody documentation for these two metals specifically.
All of chapter 81The 3 six-digit codes under 81.05
One of these is the number you declare.
Other headings in chapter 81
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 81.05? A customs hold shows up as a milestone that stops moving — follow the container or the air waybill from departure to delivery.
Track a shipment81.05 FAQ
Heading 81.05 covers cobalt; mattes and other intermediate products of cobalt metallurgy, cobalt and articles thereof, including waste and scrap. It is part of chapter 81 (metals; n.e.c., cermets and articles thereof), and it is subdivided into 3 six-digit subheadings — the level you actually declare.
Pick one of the 3 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 81. 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.