Fabric softener|HS Code

Fabric softener harmonized system code

Product Overview Fabric Softener under HS Code 3402 is a complex mixture of cationic surfactants, fragrance compounds, and colorants explicitly designed to impart softness, reduce static cling, and add a pleasing scent to laundered fabrics. Ensuring optimal conditioning performance, this product typically comes in liquid form for automatic machine wash, sheets for dryers, or concentrated pellets. It is classified under the HS Code 3402, which encompasses organic surface-active agents, preparations for washing the skin, and other cleaning preparations. This category further subdivides into 3402.11 for anionic products, 3402.12 for cationic products, and 3402.13 for non-ionic products, with Fabric Softener generally falling under 3402.12 due to its cationic nature. Commercial applications span across various sectors including hospitality, healthcare, laundry services, and retail. The product's value proposition lies in its ability to enhance fabric hand feel, longevity, and aroma, thus improving consumer satisfaction and positioning itself as an integral part of the laundry process globally. HS Code Classification & Trade Specifications Fabric Softener is classified under the full 6-digit HS Code 3402.12. This hierarchical structure falls under Chapter 34 (Soap, Organic Surface-Active Agents, Washing Preparations, Lubricating Preparations, Artificial Waxes, Prepared Waxes, Polishing or Scouring Preparations, Candles and Similar Articles, Modelling Pastes, Dental Waxes and Dental Preparations with a Basis of Plaster) and Heading 3402 (Organic surface-active agents, washing preparations, lubricating preparations, artificial waxes, prepared waxes, polishing or scouring preparations, candles and similar articles). This classification is based on the product's chemical composition and targeted use for fabric conditioning. Trade considerations include packaging in recyclable or reusable containers and preservation under room temperature conditions. Shipping requirements usually demand the product to be packed securely to prevent leakage or damage. Quality standards for Fabric Softener include compliance with regulations set by international bodies such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) and local health and safety authorities. These standards encompass specific measurable attributes like pH levels, biodegradability, and allergen content, ensuring the product's safety, effectiveness, and environmental impact.

Fabric softener Chapter Note

1.- This Chapter does not cover : (a) Edible mixtures or preparations of animal, vegetable or microbial fats or oils of a kind used as mould release preparations (heading 15.17); (b) Separate chemically defined compounds; or (c) Shampoos, dentifrices, shaving creams and foams, or bath preparations, containing soap or other organic surface-active agents (heading 33.05, 33.06 or 33.07). 2.- For the purposes of heading 34.01, the expression “soap” applies only to soap soluble in water. Soap and the other products of heading 34.01 may contain added substances (for example, disinfectants, abrasive powders, fillers or medicaments). Products containing abrasive powders remain classified in heading 34.01 only if in the form of bars, cakes or moulded pieces or shapes. In other forms they are to be classified in heading 34.05 as “scouring powders and similar preparations”. 3.- For the purposes of heading 34.02, “organic surface-active agents” are products which when mixed with water at a concentration of 0.5 % at 20 C and left to stand for one hour at the same temperature : (a) give a transparent or translucent liquid or stable emulsion without separation of insoluble matter; and (b) reduce the surface tension of water to 4.5 x 10-2 N/m (45 dyne/cm) or less. 4.- In heading 34.03 the expression “petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals” applies to the products defined in Note 2 to Chapter 27. 5.- In heading 34.04, subject to the exclusions provided below, the expression “artificial waxes and prepared waxes” applies only to : (a) Chemically produced organic products of a waxy character, whether or not water-soluble; (b) Products obtained by mixing different waxes; (c) Products of a waxy character with a basis of one or more waxes and containing fats, resins, mineral substances or other materials. The heading does not apply to : (a) Products of heading 15.16, 34.02 or 38.23, even if having a waxy character; (b) Unmixed animal waxes or unmixed vegetable waxes, whether or not refined or coloured, of heading 15.21; (c) Mineral waxes or similar products of heading 27.12, whether or not intermixed or merely coloured; or (d) Waxes mixed with, dispersed in or dissolved in a liquid medium (headings 34.05, 38.09, etc.).