Butter Hs Code

Butter harmonized system code

Product Overview Butter classified under HS Code 040510 is a dairy product derived from the churning of cream or milk, resulting in a semi-solid emulsion of fat, water, and milk solids. This product typically contains a minimum milk fat content of 82%, with moisture levels generally not exceeding 16%, conforming to internationally recognized compositional standards. Butter under this classification is characterized by its creamy texture, pale yellow to buttercup yellow coloration, and a distinct dairy flavor profile. It includes various subcategories such as salted, unsalted (sweet cream), and cultured butter, each processed through standardized pasteurization and churning methods to ensure consistency and quality. Commercially, butter is widely utilized as a cooking fat, baking ingredient, and spread within food service, retail, and industrial food processing sectors. Its functional properties, including melting point, plasticity, and flavor retention, position it as a key commodity in both domestic consumption and value-added food manufacturing, offering competitive advantages in terms of quality assurance and supply chain reliability. HS Code Classification & Trade Specifications Butter is classified under the Harmonized System (HS) Code 040510, where Chapter 04 pertains to dairy produce; birds’ eggs; natural honey; edible products of animal origin, Chapter Heading 0405 identifies “Butter and other fats and oils derived from milk,” and Subheading 040510 specifically designates butter. The classification is based on compositional criteria, primarily the milk fat content and processing methods that differentiate butter from other milk-derived fats. Trade compliance necessitates adherence to packaging standards, commonly involving vacuum-sealed blocks or tubs ranging from 100 grams to 25 kilograms, designed to preserve product integrity and prevent oxidation during transit. Cold chain logistics are critical, with recommended storage temperatures maintained between 0°C and 4°C to ensure freshness and inhibit microbial growth. Quality standards aligned with Codex Alimentarius and WTO SPS agreements mandate traceability, hygiene controls, and precise labeling to facilitate customs clearance and international trade. This classification supports customs brokers and trade compliance officers in accurate tariff application, duty assessment, and regulatory conformity across global markets.

Butter Chapter Note

1.- The expression “milk” means full cream milk or partially or completely skimmed milk. 2.- For the purposes of heading 04.03, yogurt may be concentrated or flavoured and may contain added sugar or other sweetening matter, fruit, nuts, cocoa, chocolate, spices, coffee or coffee extracts, plants, parts of plants, cereals or bakers’ wares, provided that any added substance is not used for the purpose of replacing, in whole or in part, any milk constituent, and the product retains the essential character of yogurt. 3.- For the purposes of heading 04.05 : (a) The term “butter” means natural butter, whey butter or recombined butter (fresh, salted or rancid, including canned butter) derived exclusively from milk, with a milkfat content of 80 % or more but not more than 95 % by weight, a maximum milk solids-not-fat content of 2 % by weight and a maximum water content of 16 % by weight. Butter does not contain added emulsifiers, but may contain sodium chloride, food colours, neutralising salts and cultures of harmless lactic-acidproducing bacteria. (b) The expression “dairy spreads” means a spreadable emulsion of the water-in-oil type, containing milkfat as the only fat in the product, with a milkfat content of 39 % or more but less than 80 % by weight. 4.- Products obtained by the concentration of whey and with the addition of milk or milkfat are to be classified as cheese in heading 04.06 provided that they have the three following characteristics : (a) a milkfat content, by weight of the dry matter, of 5 % or more; (b) a dry matter content, by weight, of at least 70 % but not exceeding 85 %; and (c) they are moulded or capable of being moulded. 5.- This Chapter does not cover : (a) Non-living insects, unfit for human consumption (heading 05.11); (b) Products obtained from whey, containing by weight more than 95 % lactose, expressed as anhydrous lactose calculated on the dry matter (heading 17.02); (c) Products obtained from milk by replacing one or more of its natural constituents (for example, butyric fats) by another substance (for example, oleic fats) (heading 19.01 or 21.06); or (d) Albumins (including concentrates of two or more whey proteins, containing by weight more than 80 % whey proteins, calculated on the dry matter) (heading 35.02) or globulins (heading 35.04). 6.- For the purposes of heading 04.10, the term “insects” means edible non-living insects, whole or in parts, fresh, chilled, frozen, dried, smoked, salted or in brine, as well as flours and meals of insects, fit for human consumption. However, it does not cover edible non-living insects otherwise prepared or preserved (generally Section IV).