8448.51 Machines; parts and accessories of machines of heading no. 8447 or auxiliary machinery, sinkers, needles and other articles used in forming stitches
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 XVI, Machinery & Electrical — machinery, mechanical appliances, electrical and electronic equipment.
- 84 Chapter Machinery and mechanical appliances, boilers, nuclear reactors; parts thereof
- 48 Heading Machinery, auxiliary; for use with machines of heading no. 8444 to 8447 (e.g. dobbies, jacquards, automatic stop motions, shuttle changing mechanisms) parts, accessories for machines of heading no. 8444, 8447
- 51 Subheading Machines; parts and accessories of machines of heading no. 8447 or auxiliary machinery, sinkers, needles and other articles used in forming stitches
Chapter 84 covers machinery and mechanical appliances, boilers, nuclear reactors; parts thereof: industrial machinery, engines, pumps, computers and other non-electrical mechanical equipment. With 86 headings and 538 six-digit codes, it's the largest chapter in the Harmonized System and covers most industrial and computing equipment. Classification tip: Machines are usually classified by function (what the machine does) rather than the industry that uses it, and parts generally follow the classification of the finished machine they belong to: check both rules before assigning a code.
All of chapter 84Other codes under 84.48
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 8448.51? A customs hold shows up as a milestone that stops moving — follow the container or the air waybill from departure to delivery.
Track a shipment8448.51 FAQ
8448.51 covers machines; parts and accessories of machines of heading no. 8447 or auxiliary machinery, sinkers, needles and other articles used in forming stitches. It sits under heading 84.48 (machinery, auxiliary; for use with machines of heading no. 8444 to 8447 (e.g. dobbies, jacquards, automatic stop motions, shuttle changing mechanisms) parts, accessories for machines of heading no. 8444, 8447) in chapter 84, Section XVI 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 8448.51 plus whatever national digits the destination’s tariff schedule adds to it.
The General Rules of Interpretation, read together with the notes to Section XVI and to chapter 84. 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.