Herbs|HS Code

Herbs harmonized system code

Product Overview Herbs classified under HS Code 1211 refer to plants or plant parts valued for their medicinal, savory, or aromatic qualities. Key characteristics of these herbs include their physical form—either whole, crushed, or ground—and their processing levels, which may vary from dried to fresh or frozen. The subcategories within HS Code 1211 encompass a broad range of specific herbs, including basil, rosemary, thyme, and parsley, as well as mixtures of these and other herbs. These herbs find primary applications in food service, retail, and processing industries, where they are used for flavoring, preservation, and medicinal purposes. With a strong value proposition centered on their versatility, quality, and health benefits, these herbs hold a competitive market position, offering a unique blend of taste and health benefits to consumers. HS Code Classification & Trade Specifications HS Code 1211, under Chapter 12 of the Harmonized System, includes plants, parts of plants, seeds, and fruits used primarily in perfumes, pharmacy, insecticides, fungicides, or similar purposes. The classification rationale for herbs under this code is due to their applications in pharmaceuticals, food flavoring, and other industries. When it comes to trade considerations, these herbs are typically packaged in dried form in bulk containers for shipping, although fresh or frozen herbs may be packaged in vacuum-sealed bags or containers. Preservation methods may include drying, freezing, or the use of preservatives, depending on the specific herb and its intended use. Trade professionals must adhere to international quality standards, ensuring the herbs are free from contaminants and are packaged and labeled correctly according to WTO and customs documentation standards.

Herbs 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.