Decals Hs Code

Decals harmonized system code

Product Overview Decals classified under HS Code 490890 refer to printed adhesive labels and decorative films primarily composed of paper or similar substrates, designed for application onto various surfaces for identification, branding, or decorative purposes. These products typically exhibit precise dimensional tolerances, with thicknesses ranging from 50 to 150 microns, and undergo multi-stage processing including printing, coating, adhesive lamination, and die-cutting to ensure durability and adhesion performance. The HS Code 490890 encompasses subcategories such as printed labels, stickers, and transfer films differentiated by substrate composition and finishing techniques. Commercially, these decals are extensively utilized in the food service sector for product labeling and regulatory compliance, retail environments for promotional and branding applications, and processing industries for equipment marking or safety instructions. Their value proposition lies in their high-resolution printing capabilities, resistance to environmental factors (e.g., moisture, temperature fluctuations), and compatibility with automated application systems, which collectively offer competitive advantages in supply chain traceability and consumer engagement. HS Code Classification & Trade Specifications The HS Code 490890 is situated within Chapter 49 (Printed Books, Newspapers, Pictures and Other Products of the Printing Industry), Heading 4908 (Transfers (Decalcomania)), with the subheading 490890 covering other printed transfers not specified elsewhere. This classification is justified by the product’s nature as printed transfers or decals that are not classified as printed books, newspapers, or other printed matter. Trade professionals must note that typical packaging involves moisture-resistant cartons or reels, with preservation methods including lamination and protective interleaving to prevent damage during transit. Shipping requirements adhere to standard international conventions, ensuring protection from humidity and mechanical stress. Quality standards align with ISO 9001 for manufacturing processes, and compliance with WTO’s Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Agreement is essential, particularly for decals used in food packaging, which must meet relevant FDA or EU food contact regulations. Accurate HS classification facilitates tariff determination, customs clearance efficiency, and adherence to import/export documentation protocols across jurisdictions.

Decals Chapter Note

1.- This Chapter does not cover : (a) Photographic negatives or positives on transparent bases (Chapter 37); (b) Maps, plans or globes, in relief, whether or not printed (heading 90.23); (c) Playing cards or other goods of Chapter 95; or (d) Original engravings, prints or lithographs (heading 97.02), postage or revenue stamps, stamppostmarks, first-day covers, postal stationery or the like of heading 97.04, antiques of an age exceeding one hundred years or other articles of Chapter 97. 2.- For the purposes of Chapter 49, the term “printed” also means reproduced by means of a duplicating machine, produced under the control of an automatic data processing machine, embossed, photographed, photocopied, thermocopied or typewritten. 3.- Newspapers, journals and periodicals which are bound otherwise than in paper, and sets of newspapers, journals or periodicals comprising more than one number under a single cover are to be classified in heading 49.01, whether or not containing advertising material. 4.- Heading 49.01 also covers : (a) A collection of printed reproductions of, for example, works of art or drawings, with a relative text, put up with numbered pages in a form suitable for binding into one or more volumes; (b) A pictorial supplement accompanying, and subsidiary to, a bound volume; and (c) Printed parts of books or booklets, in the form of assembled or separate sheets or signatures, constituting the whole or a part of a complete work and designed for binding. However, printed pictures or illustrations not bearing a text, whether in the form of signatures or separate sheets, fall in heading 49.11. 5.- Subject to Note 3 to this Chapter , heading 49.01 does not cover publications which are essentially devoted to advertising (for example, brochures, pamphlets, leaflets, trade catalogues, year books published by trade associations, tourist propaganda). Such publications are to be classified in heading 49.11. 6.- For the purposes of heading 49.03, the expression “children's picture books” means books for children in which the pictures form the principal interest and the text is subsidiary.