Every export document carries a Harmonised System code, and buyers ask for it before the proforma is raised. The first six digits are international; the last two (in India, the ITC-HS eight-digit line) are national; and the importing country applies its own tariff line on arrival. This guide gives the chapter map so the code on your paperwork makes sense, and says plainly where responsibility for the final classification sits.
How the Code Is Built
The Harmonised System is a six-digit nomenclature maintained by the World Customs Organization: two digits for the chapter, two for the heading, two for the subheading. Countries add further digits. India’s ITC-HS uses eight digits and is published by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade; the European Union’s Combined Nomenclature also uses eight, and its TARIC ten; the United States HTS uses ten. The six-digit core is what an exporter and importer share; the extensions are declared separately on each side.
The Chapter Map for Botanical Ingredients
| Product type | HS heading (six-digit core) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Standardised botanical extracts (ashwagandha, shatavari, bacopa, turmeric extract, green tea extract and similar) | 1302.19 — vegetable saps and extracts, other | Chapter 13; specific subheadings exist for a few named plants (opium, liquorice, hops), and the eight-digit ITC-HS line is chosen by botanical and form |
| Spice oleoresins (paprika, capsicum, turmeric, black pepper, ginger and the rest) | 3301.90 — extracted oleoresins | Chapter 33; the same heading covers concretes, absolutes and resinoids |
| Essential oils (peppermint, turmeric oil, black pepper oil) | 3301.2x — essential oils other than citrus, by plant | Peppermint has its own subheading; most others fall under “other” |
| Fixed (carrier) vegetable oils | Chapter 15 by oil; 1515 for oils without their own heading (jojoba, sea buckthorn, castor has 1515.30) | Refined versus crude affects the subheading |
| Whole, cut or ground spices and seeds | Chapter 09 by spice (0904 pepper and capsicum, 0906 cinnamon, 0907 cloves, 0908 nutmeg and cardamom, 0909 seeds, 0910 ginger, turmeric and others) | Crushed or ground is a separate subheading from whole |
| Isolated vitamins (vitamin D3, vitamin C) | 2936 | Chapter 29; salts and derivatives included |
| Amino acids and similar isolates | Chapter 29 by compound | Purity and derivative status matter |
| Blends and food supplements not elsewhere specified | 2106.90 | Used where a preparation no longer fits a single-ingredient heading |
Where Classification Goes Wrong
- Extract versus powder. A dried, powdered root is Chapter 12 (1211, plants and parts used in perfumery or pharmacy) not 1302; an extract of that root is 1302. Herb-to-extract ratio and solvent use are what customs looks for.
- Oleoresin versus extract. Solvent-extracted spice oleoresins go to 3301.90 even though they are also “extracts”; a water-soluble standardised turmeric extract for supplements is more often classified in 1302. State the process on the invoice.
- Standardisation with carriers. Extracts diluted on maltodextrin or blended with other actives can be reclassified as preparations under 2106 or 3824 by some authorities.
- Medicinal claims. Material declared as a medicament moves to Chapter 30. Bulk ingredients for further manufacture should not be declared that way.
Who Decides
The exporter declares a code on the shipping bill under Indian law; the importer declares a code on the import entry under its own law; and the importing customs authority has the final word for its territory. A binding tariff ruling (advance ruling in India, BTI in the EU) is the only way to fix a classification in advance. SV Botanica prints the ITC-HS line it declares on the proforma invoice for every product; buyers should pass it to their broker as a starting point, not as a ruling.
Where to Look Codes Up
The DGFT ITC-HS lookup on the DGFT website carries the Indian eight-digit lines with their policy conditions; the WCO publishes the six-digit nomenclature; the EU’s TARIC database and the US HTS are the destination references. The HS code for each SV Botanica product is answered in the procurement FAQ on its product page.
Export documentation with the code declared
ITC-HS line on every proforma, with the process and form described so your broker can classify with confidence.