All HS sections and chapters 2-digit chapter

90 Optical, photographic, cinematographic, measuring, checking, medical or surgical instruments and apparatus; parts and accessories

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 XVIII, Instruments & Clocks — optical, photographic, measuring and medical instruments, clocks and musical instruments.

  1. 90 Chapter Optical, photographic, cinematographic, measuring, checking, medical or surgical instruments and apparatus; parts and accessories
  2. —— Heading Pick one of the 32 headings below
  3. —— Subheading Six digits, the level every country shares

Chapter 90 covers optical, photographic, cinematographic, measuring, checking, medical or surgical instruments and apparatus; parts and accessories: lenses, cameras, medical devices, lab instruments and precision measuring equipment. It's a broad, high-value chapter spanning consumer optics through hospital equipment. Classification tip: Medical devices in this chapter typically require separate regulatory clearance (FDA, CE marking, or the destination country's equivalent) before import approval, independent of and in addition to the HS classification.

32 headings in chapter 90

Four-digit groups. Pick the one that fits, then the six-digit code inside it.

Other chapters in Section XVIII

91 Clocks and watches and parts thereof 92 Musical instruments; parts and accessories of such articles

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 90? A customs hold shows up as a milestone that stops moving — follow the container or the air waybill from departure to delivery.

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Chapter 90 FAQ

Chapter 90 covers optical, photographic, cinematographic, measuring, checking, medical or surgical instruments and apparatus; parts and accessories: lenses, cameras, medical devices, lab instruments and precision measuring equipment. It's a broad, high-value chapter spanning consumer optics through hospital equipment. Classification tip: Medical devices in this chapter typically require separate regulatory clearance (FDA, CE marking, or the destination country's equivalent) before import approval, independent of and in addition to the HS classification.

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 XVIII and to chapter 90. 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.

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