Castor oil Hs Code

Castor oil harmonized system code

Product Overview Castor oil, classified under HS Code 151530, is a vegetable oil obtained through cold pressing or solvent extraction of castor seeds (Ricinus communis). It is characterized by a pale yellow to amber color, with a distinctive viscous consistency and a specific gravity ranging from 0.955 to 0.970 at 25°C. The oil exhibits a high content of ricinoleic acid (typically 85-90%), contributing to its unique chemical and physical properties. Processing levels vary from crude, filtered, to refined states, ensuring suitability across diverse industrial applications. Subcategories within HS Code 151530 include crude castor oil, refined castor oil, and derivatives such as hydrogenated castor oil, each distinguished by processing methods and purity standards. Commercially, castor oil serves multiple sectors: in the food industry as an additive and flavoring agent; in retail for cosmetics and pharmaceuticals; and extensively in processing industries for manufacturing lubricants, coatings, and bio-based polymers. Its biodegradability and versatility position it competitively in both traditional and emerging markets, offering a sustainable alternative to synthetic oils. HS Code Classification & Trade Specifications The full HS Code 151530 is structured as follows: Chapter 15 (Animal or vegetable fats and oils and their cleavage products), Heading 1515 (Fixed vegetable fats and oils, crude, refined, or fractionated), Subheading 151530 (Castor oil and its fractions). This classification is based on the oil’s origin from castor seeds, distinct fatty acid profile, and fixed oil properties as defined by the Harmonized System nomenclature. Trade considerations for castor oil include packaging in steel drums, food-grade polyethylene containers, or ISO tanks, ensuring protection against contamination and oxidation. Preservation typically involves nitrogen flushing and storage at controlled temperatures (15-25°C) to maintain quality parameters such as acid value (<2 mg KOH/g) and iodine value (80-88 g I2/100g). Compliance with international standards including Codex Alimentarius, ISO 9001, and relevant WTO regulations is essential for customs clearance and trade facilitation. Documentation must accurately reflect product specifications, batch traceability, and conformity certificates to support seamless import/export operations under this classification.

Castor oil Chapter Note

1.- This Chapter does not cover : (a) Pig fat or poultry fat of heading 02.09; (b) Cocoa butter, fat or oil (heading 18.04); (c) Edible preparations containing by weight more than 15 % of the products of heading 04.05 (generally Chapter 21); (d) Greaves (heading 23.01) or residues of headings 23.04 to 23.06; (e) Fatty acids, prepared waxes, medicaments, paints, varnishes, soap, perfumery, cosmetic or toilet preparations, sulphonated oils or other goods of Section VI; or (f) Factice derived from oils (heading 40.02). 2.- Heading 15.09 does not apply to oils obtained from olives by solvent extraction (heading 15.10). 3.- Heading 15.18 does not cover fats or oils or their fractions, merely denatured, which are to be classified in the heading appropriate to the corresponding undenatured fats and oils and their fractions. 4.- Soap-stocks, oil foots and dregs, stearin pitch, glycerol pitch and wool grease residues fall in heading 15.22. Subheading Notes. 1.- For the purposes of subheading 1509.30, virgin olive oil has a free acidity expressed as oleic acid not exceeding 2.0 g/ 100 g and can be distinguished from the other virgin olive oil categories according to the characteristics indicated in the Codex Alimentarius Standard 33-1981. 2.- For the purposes of subheadings 1514.11 and 1514.19, the expression “low erucic acid rape or colza oil” means the fixed oil which has an erucic acid content of less than 2 % by weight