Candle|HTS Code

Candle harmonized system code

Product Overview A candle classified under HTS 3406.00 is a shaped wax article principally composed of paraffin, stearin, animal or vegetable waxes (e.g., beeswax, soy), incorporating one or more wicks, with or without dyes, fragrances, additives or containers, manufactured for illumination, scent release or decorative use. Key characteristics include unit net mass (votive 40–70 g; tealight 8–12 g; pillar 100–1,200 g; taper length 200–300 mm), physical state (solid or containerized), typical melting point ranges (paraffin 46–68 °C; beeswax 62–65 °C; soy 45–55 °C) and standard dimensional tolerances (±2–5 mm). Processing stages cover wax blending, filtration, molding or extrusion, wick assembly and finishing (trimming, labeling, boxing). Quality attributes used by trade professionals include measured burn time (hours per unit), melt‑pool uniformity, wick combustion behavior, soot emission and absence of foreign matter. Product classifications within HTS 3406.00 commonly delineate tapers, household candles (pillars, votives, tealights), container or molded candles and novelty/decorative shapes, with further commercial differentiation by material composition and finished unit weight. Primary commercial applications are retail household sales, ceremonial/religious use, hospitality amenities and intermediate supply for private‑label or repackaging operations. HTS Code Classification & Trade Specifications HTS 3406.00 is located in Chapter 34 of the Harmonized System (Chapter 34: products including prepared waxes and candles), under Heading 3406 ("Candles, tapers and the like") with the 6‑digit subheading 3406.00 (HS6) identifying wax‑based candles. Classification rationale: molded or extruded wax articles containing a wick, or containerized solidified wax intended to burn or release scent, meet the composition and use criteria for 3406.00 rather than headings for fats, oils or chemical preparations. Trade considerations for customs and logistics include unit packaging (polyethylene pouch or shrink‑wrap), secondary packaging (corrugated cartons specifying units per carton and declared net mass), palletization (standard EUR or 48"×40" pallets, stretch‑wrapped) and ISPM‑15 treated wooden packaging where applicable. Preservation recommends ambient temperature control (avoid prolonged exposure >40 °C), humidity <65% to prevent wick corrosion and bloom, and segregation from volatile chemicals. Shipping documentation should state HS6 3406.00, net weight (kg), unit count, material composition (paraffin/stearin/beeswax/soy), country of origin and SDS availability for fragranced products. Common quality metrics referenced: burn time (hours), melting point (°C), acid value for vegetable waxes and ash content for beeswax.

Candle 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.).