86.04 Railway or tramway maintenance or service vehicles; whether or not self-propelled (e.g. workshops, cranes, ballast tampers, trackliners, testing coaches and track inspection vehicles)
One level above the number you declare. Pick one of the six-digit codes below.
Section XVII, Vehicles & Transport — railway stock, road vehicles, aircraft, ships and transport equipment.
- 86 Chapter Railway, tramway locomotives, rolling-stock and parts thereof; railway or tramway track fixtures and fittings and parts thereof; mechanical (including electro-mechanical) traffic signalling equipment of all kinds
- 04 Heading Railway or tramway maintenance or service vehicles; whether or not self-propelled (e.g. workshops, cranes, ballast tampers, trackliners, testing coaches and track inspection vehicles)
- —— Subheading Pick one of the 1 six-digit codes below
Chapter 86 covers railway, tramway locomotives, rolling-stock and parts thereof; railway or tramway track fixtures and fittings and parts thereof; mechanical (including electro-mechanical) traffic signalling equipment of all kinds: rail-specific transport equipment, distinct from road vehicles (chapter 87). Classification tip: Signalling equipment sits in this chapter specifically when it's for rail/tramway use: comparable road-traffic signalling equipment is classified elsewhere, so confirm the intended transport mode before filing.
All of chapter 86The 1 six-digit code under 86.04
One of these is the number you declare.
Other headings in chapter 86
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 86.04? A customs hold shows up as a milestone that stops moving — follow the container or the air waybill from departure to delivery.
Track a shipment86.04 FAQ
Heading 86.04 covers railway or tramway maintenance or service vehicles; whether or not self-propelled (e.g. workshops, cranes, ballast tampers, trackliners, testing coaches and track inspection vehicles). It is part of chapter 86 (railway, tramway locomotives, rolling-stock and parts thereof; railway or tramway track fixtures and fittings and parts thereof; mechanical (including electro-mechanical) traffic signalling equipment of all kinds), and it is subdivided into 1 six-digit subheadings — the level you actually declare.
Pick one of the 1 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 XVII and to chapter 86. 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.