Virgin coconut oil Hs Code

Virgin coconut oil harmonized system code

Product Overview Virgin coconut oil classified under HS Code 151311 is a high-quality, unrefined oil extracted from fresh coconut meat through mechanical or cold-pressing methods without chemical refining. Characterized by its clear to slightly opalescent appearance, a mild coconut aroma, and a melting point typically ranging between 24°C to 26°C, this oil retains natural antioxidants and medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) essential for nutritional and functional properties. The product encompasses several subcategories within 151311, including crude, refined but not chemically modified virgin coconut oil, and fractionated variants intended for specialized applications. Commercially, virgin coconut oil is utilized extensively in food service sectors as a cooking medium, in retail packaging for direct consumer use, and as an ingredient in food processing industries for bakery, confectionery, and dairy product formulations. Its value proposition lies in its purity, minimal processing, and compliance with organic and food-grade standards, positioning it competitively in international markets that demand traceability, quality assurance, and multifunctionality. HS Code Classification & Trade Specifications HS Code 151311 belongs to Chapter 15 (Animal or Vegetable Fats and Oils and Their Cleavage Products), Heading 1513 (Coconut, Palm Kernel or Babassu Oil and Their Fractions), and specifically Subheading 151311 (Virgin Coconut Oil). This classification is justified by the oil’s origin from fresh coconut meat and its minimal processing, distinguishing it from refined or chemically modified oils. Trade practices mandate packaging in food-grade containers such as HDPE drums, tinplate cans, or bulk tankers for liquid shipments, ensuring protection against oxidation, moisture ingress, and contamination. Preservation methods emphasize temperature-controlled storage between 15°C to 25°C to maintain oil integrity and prevent rancidity. Quality standards align with Codex Alimentarius guidelines and ISO 22000 food safety management systems, incorporating parameters such as peroxide value (<5 meq/kg), free fatty acid content (<0.5%), and moisture content (<0.1%). The description facilitates compliance with WTO trade agreements and customs documentation, enabling accurate tariff classification, valuation, and regulatory adherence essential for smooth international trade operations.

Virgin coconut 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