Flour|HTS Code

Flour harmonized system code

Product Overview Flour under HTS 1101.00 is defined as milled wheat (or meslin) product obtained by mechanical grinding and sifting of cleaned wheat kernels to produce a fine particulate powder intended for human consumption or further food processing. Key characteristics include granulometry (typical particle size distribution ~10–200 μm), controlled moisture content (generally ≤14% w/w), and grade‑dependent ash and protein levels determined by extraction rate and milling fraction (patent/refined flours ash commonly ~0.40–0.60% d.b.; wholemeal ash substantially higher). Processing levels range from whole‑grain (wholemeal) through straight and patent flours to enriched or formulated types (e.g., self‑raising with leavening agents). Product classifications commonly recorded under HTS 1101.00 for commercial and customs purposes include whole wheat/wholemeal flour, white refined/patent flour, high‑gluten (bread) flour (protein ~11–14%), cake/pastry flour (protein ~7–9%), and self‑raising variants. Primary commercial applications are retail packaged consumer flour, industrial bakery and confectionery input, pasta and snack manufacture, foodservice/pre‑mix operations, with ancillary uses in certain animal feed mixes and non‑food industrial processes. Trade documentation typically references extraction rate, protein and ash values, lot number, country of origin, and any enrichment or bleaching treatments. HTS Code Classification & Trade Specifications Complete HS 6‑digit structure: Chapter 11 — Products of the milling industry; malt; starches; inulin; wheat gluten → Heading 1101 — Wheat or meslin flour → Subheading 1101.00 — wheat or meslin flour. Classification rationale: products that are the end result of milling (mechanical grinding/sifting) of wheat kernels and presented as flour for human consumption or food processing fall under heading 1101.00 rather than headings for cereal preparations or starches. Trade considerations for customs duty calculation and logistics include standard commercial packaging (25–50 kg multi‑wall paper bags with PE liner, 1‑ton FIBCs, or bulk tank/containerized pneumatic discharge), lot traceability and marking, and moisture control (≤14% target) to reduce microbial growth and insect infestation; fumigation or ISPM protocols may be required by importers. Shipping requirements specify clean, dry containers, segregation from odorous/contaminating cargo, and documented chain‑of‑custody. Quality standards and test methods cited on certificates of analysis typically reference AACC/ICC methodologies for protein and ash, FDA/USDA labeling/adulteration rules, HACCP/GMP compliance, and specification limits for moisture, protein, ash and foreign matter.

Flour Chapter Note

1.- This Chapter does not cover : (a) Roasted malt put up as coffee substitutes (heading 09.01 or 21.01); (b) Prepared flours, groats, meals or starches of heading 19.01; (c) Corn flakes or other products of heading 19.04; (d) Vegetables, prepared or preserved, of heading 20.01, 20.04 or 20.05; (e) Pharmaceutical products (Chapter 30); or (f) Starches having the character of perfumery, cosmetic or toilet preparations (Chapter 33). 2.- (A) Products from the milling of the cereals listed in the table below fall in this Chapter if they have, by weight on the dry product : (a) a starch content (determined by the modified Ewers polarimetric method) exceeding that indicated in Column (2); and (b) an ash content (after deduction of any added minerals) not exceeding that indicated in Column (3). Otherwise, they fall in heading 23.02. However, germ of cereals, whole, rolled, flaked or ground, is always classified in heading 11.04. (B) Products falling in this Chapter under the above provisions shall be classified in heading 11.01 or 11.02 if the percentage passing through a woven metal wire cloth sieve with the aperture indicated in Column (4) or (5) is not less, by weight, than that shown against the cereal concerned. Otherwise, they fall in heading 11.03 or 11.04. 3.- For the purposes of heading 11.03, the terms “groats” and “meal” mean products obtained by the fragmentation of cereal grains, of which : (a) in the case of maize (corn) products, at least 95 % by weight passes through a woven metal wire cloth sieve with an aperture of 2 mm; (b) in the case of other cereal products, at least 95 % by weight passes through a woven metal wire cloth sieve with an aperture of 1.25 mm.