Dried seaweed Hs Code

Dried seaweed harmonized system code

Product Overview Dried seaweed classified under HS Code 121221 refers to dehydrated edible marine algae, processed to remove moisture content to less than 15%, ensuring extended shelf life and stability during transport. This product typically exhibits a dark green to brown coloration, with a brittle texture and uniform thickness ranging between 0.1 to 0.5 millimeters, depending on species and processing methods. Processing includes cleaning, blanching, drying (sun or mechanical), and cutting to standardized sizes for consistency. Subcategories within 121221 encompass various species such as kelp (Laminaria spp.) and wakame (Undaria pinnatifida), each differentiated by botanical origin and morphological traits. Commercially, dried seaweed serves as a raw material in food service sectors, retail packaging for consumer use, and ingredient supply for food processing industries—particularly in soups, seasonings, and nutritional supplements. Its value proposition lies in high nutritional content, ease of storage, and versatility, positioning it competitively in global markets where sustainable, plant-based ingredients are increasingly demanded. HS Code Classification & Trade Specifications The full HS Code 121221 falls under Chapter 12 (Oil Seeds and Oleaginous Fruits), Heading 1212 (Seaweeds and Other Algae, Fresh, Dried, Frozen, Salted or in Brine; Edible Products of Aquatic Plants), and Subheading 121221 specifically designates dried seaweed. Classification rationale is based on the product’s physical state (dried), botanical origin (marine algae), and intended use as an edible commodity. Trade handling typically involves packaging in moisture-resistant materials such as multilayered polyethylene bags or vacuum-sealed pouches, with net weights ranging from 250 grams to 25 kilograms. Preservation relies on controlled humidity and temperature (ideally below 25°C) to prevent microbial growth and quality degradation. Compliance with Codex Alimentarius standards ensures acceptable limits for heavy metals, microbial contamination, and pesticide residues. These technical specifications align with WTO trade facilitation agreements and customs documentation requirements, facilitating smooth cross-border transactions and tariff classification accuracy.

Dried seaweed Chapter Note

1.- Heading 12.07 applies, inter alia, to palm nuts and kernels, cotton seeds, castor oil seeds, sesamum seeds, mustard seeds, safflower seeds, poppy seeds and shea nuts (karite nuts). It does not apply to products of heading 08.01 or 08.02 or to olives (Chapter 7 or Chapter 20). 2.- Heading 12.08 applies not only to non-defatted flours and meals but also to flours and meals which have been partially defatted or defatted and wholly or partially refatted with their original oils. It does not, however, apply to residues of headings 23.04 to 23.06. 3.- For the purposes of heading 12.09, beet seeds, grass and other herbage seeds, seeds of ornamental flowers, vegetable seeds, seeds of forest trees, seeds of fruit trees, seeds of vetches (other than those of the species Vicia faba) or of lupines are to be regarded as “seeds of a kind used for sowing”. Heading 12.09 does not, however, apply to the following even if for sowing : (a) Leguminous vegetables or sweet corn (Chapter 7); (b) Spices or other products of Chapter 9; (c) Cereals (Chapter 10); or (d) Products of headings 12.01 to 12.07 or 12.11. 4.- Heading 12.11 applies, inter alia, to the following plants or parts thereof : basil, borage, ginseng, hyssop, liquorice, all species of mint, rosemary, rue, sage and wormwood. Heading 12.11 does not, however, apply to : (a) Medicaments of Chapter 30; (b) Perfumery, cosmetic or toilet preparations of Chapter 33; or (c) Insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, disinfectants or similar products of heading 38.08. 5.- For the purposes of heading 12.12, the term “seaweeds and other algae” does not include : (a) Dead single-cell micro-organisms of heading 21.02; (b) Cultures of micro-organisms of heading 30.02; or (c) Fertilisers of heading 31.01 or 31.05.