Soap|HTS Code

Soap harmonized system code

Product Overview Soap under HTS 3401.11 is defined as solid cleansing preparations composed predominantly of the sodium and potassium salts of fatty acids (saponified triglycerides), presented in bars, cakes, moulded pieces or shapes for personal or commercial cleaning purposes. Key characteristics include physical form (solid bar, molded piece, flake or pellet), typical retail weights (10–250 g per bar) and bulk weights (1–500 kg blocks), moisture content commonly <15%, active soap (fatty‑acid salt) content typically >50% w/w, and alkaline pH generally in the 8–11 range. Processing levels range from cold‑pressed/rebatched to fully milled/finished toilet soaps with controlled fragrance and colorant additions; quality attributes reference uniform mass, density, hardness (durometer/Shore A where applicable), solubility rate and residual free alkali limits. Product classifications within 3401.11 are commonly segregated by form (retail bars vs. bulk industrial blocks), intended use (toilet, medicated, antibacterial) and composition (glycerin‑enriched, hypoallergenic, perfumed), supporting tariff subclassification, commercial invoicing and downstream processing or retail applications (personal care, institutional housekeeping, compounding). HTS Code Classification & Trade Specifications Complete 6‑digit HTS structure for this commodity is: Chapter 34 (34 — Soaps; organic surface‑active agents), Heading 3401 (3401 — Soap; organic surface‑active preparations), Subheading 3401.11 (3401.11 — solid soaps presented as bars, cakes, moulded pieces or shapes). Classification rationale: finished solid preparations composed predominantly of sodium/potassium fatty‑acid salts and presented in bar/moulded form meet the compositional and presentation criteria for 3401.11 rather than liquid detergents or synthetic surfactants. Trade considerations: packaging commonly comprises individually wrapped retail bars (10–250 g) packed into cartons (5–25 kg net) or palletized bulk blocks (25–500 kg) with stretch film and inner liners; maintain moisture <15% and humidity‑controlled storage to prevent quality loss. Shipping: generally non‑hazardous consumer goods—provide MSDS and Certificate of Analysis, declare HTSUS subheading on commercial invoices; eight‑ and ten‑digit extensions at the US schedule level dictate duty rate. Quality standards referenced include pH 8–11, active soap >50% w/w, documented GMP/ISO procedures (e.g., ISO 22716) and applicable FDA/CFR requirements for medicated products.

Soap 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.).