8609.00 Containers; (including containers for transport of fluids) specially designed and equipped for carriage by one or more modes of transport
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 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
- 09 Heading Containers; (including containers for transport of fluids) specially designed and equipped for carriage by one or more modes of transport
- 00 Subheading Containers; (including containers for transport of fluids) specially designed and equipped for carriage by one or more modes of transport
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 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 8609.00? A customs hold shows up as a milestone that stops moving — follow the container or the air waybill from departure to delivery.
Track a shipment8609.00 FAQ
8609.00 covers containers; (including containers for transport of fluids) specially designed and equipped for carriage by one or more modes of transport. It sits under heading 86.09 (containers; (including containers for transport of fluids) specially designed and equipped for carriage by one or more modes of transport) in chapter 86, Section XVII 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 8609.00 plus whatever national digits the destination’s tariff schedule adds to it.
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.