What HS code do I use for insecticides?
Use it as a chapter cue, then verify the final choice against heading and subheading legal wording.
HS-2 · Chapter 38
HS chapter 38: Miscellaneous chemical products
Section VI — Products of the chemical or allied industries
Chemical products n.e.c. include items like insecticides, activated carbon, and various industrial solvents. For example, if you're importing a shipment of insecticides packaged for retail sale, you'll need to determine the correct HS-4 code to ensure compliance with customs regulations.
To find the right HS-4 code, start by identifying the specific type of chemical product you are dealing with. Each HS-4 heading narrows down the category, such as distinguishing between insecticides (heading 3808) and activated carbon (heading 3802). Check the product's form and intended use to avoid confusion with similar items.
Once you've selected an HS-4 code, you can drill down to the HS-6 level by reviewing the detailed descriptions and notes associated with that heading. For instance, if your product falls under 3811 for anti-knock preparations, ensure it meets the criteria outlined in the notes to confirm the appropriate classification.
Terms & reference phrasing
These are common trade terms used for this chapter. Use them as context, not as a substitute for legal wording.
chemical products · insecticides · activated carbon · industrial solvents · prepared rubber accelerators · anti-freezing preparations · chemical elements doped · residual products · HS-4 codes · HS-6 codes · product classification · customs compliance · chemical preparations · retail packaging · industrial applications · chemical industry
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Parent context
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Next best action
Pick one of these actions to move from reading to a defensible classification decision.
Related topics
Longer phrases that come up when you're comparing codes or talking to a broker.
- how to classify chemical products for import
- steps to find HS-4 and HS-6 codes
- understanding notes for HS-38 chemical products
- differences in insecticide classifications
- requirements for importing activated carbon
- packaging considerations for chemical shipments
- how to determine HS codes for solvents
- guidelines for chemical product compliance
Examples & common questions
Example products reflect typical trade descriptions. The questions below mirror practical doubts teams raise during filing.
Example products
- Insecticides packaged for retail sale
- Activated carbon in bulk bags
- Wood tar used in construction
- Prepared rubber accelerators for manufacturing
- Chemical elements doped for use in electronics
- Anti-freezing preparations for automotive use
- Residual products from chemical manufacturing
- Reagents for laboratory diagnostics
Common classification questions
How to classify activated carbon for import?
Confirm composition, processing stage, and end-use in your documents before mapping to country digits.
What are the requirements for chemical product codes?
Use it as a chapter cue, then verify the final choice against heading and subheading legal wording.
How do I find the correct HS-6 code?
Pick the chapter first, then compare heading wording and exclusions before choosing an HS-6 line.
Are there special notes for chemical products in HS-38?
Use it as a chapter cue, then verify the final choice against heading and subheading legal wording.
What is the difference between HS-4 and HS-6 codes?
Use it as a chapter cue, then verify the final choice against heading and subheading legal wording.
Questions & answers
For orientation only—the binding text is your national tariff and the WCO nomenclature your country uses.
- What types of products are classified under HS-38?
- HS-38 includes a variety of chemical products such as insecticides, activated carbon, industrial solvents, and more.
- How do I select the correct HS-4 code?
- Identify the specific type of chemical product and its intended use, then refer to the relevant HS-4 heading that matches those criteria.
- Are there any special requirements for importing chemical products?
- Yes, ensure compliance with safety and environmental regulations, and check for any specific notes associated with the HS-4 code.
- What should I check before finalizing an HS-6 code?
- Review the detailed descriptions and any notes related to the selected HS-4 code to confirm the correct classification.
- Can I use the same HS code for different forms of a chemical product?
- Not necessarily; different forms may have different HS codes. Always verify the specific product form and its classification.
All HS-4 headings in chapter 38 (27)
Each HS-4 links to a dedicated page with plain-English explanation, HS-6 subheadings, and FAQs. Use Browse to open the lookup in heading mode for that line.
3801
Artificial graphite; colloidal or semi-colloidal graphite; preparations based on graphite or other carbon in the form of pastes, blocks, plates or other semi-manufactures
3802
Activated carbon; activated natural mineral products; animal black, including spent animal black
3803
Tall oil, whether or not refined
3804
Residual lyes from the manufacture of wood pulp, whether or not concentrated, desugared or chemically treated, including lignin sulphonates, but excluding tall oil of heading no. 3803
3805
Gum, wood or sulphate turpentine, other terpenic oils; crude dipentene; sulphite turpentine, other crude para-cymene; pine oil containing alpha-terpineol as the main constituent
3806
Rosin and resin acids and derivatives thereof; rosin spirit and rosin oils; run gums
3807
Wood tar; wood tar oils; wood creosote; wood naphtha; vegetable pitch; brewers' pitch and similar preparations based on rosin, resin acids or on vegetable pitch
3808
Insecticides, rodenticides, fungicides, herbicides, anti-sprouting products, plant growth regulators, disinfectants and the like, put up in forms or packings for retail sale or as preparations or articles
3809
Finishing agents, dye carriers to accelerate the dyeing, fixing of dyestuffs, other products and preparations, of a kind used in the textile, paper, leather or like industries, n.e.c. or included
3810
Metal-pickling preparations; fluxes etc for soldering, brazing; welding powders, pastes of metal and other materials; preparations used as cores or coatings for welding electrodes or rods
3811
Anti-knock preparations, oxidation and gum inhibitors, viscosity improvers, anti-corrosive preparations and the like, for mineral oils (including gasoline) or other liquids used for the same purposes
3812
Prepared rubber accelerators; compound plasticisers for rubber or plastics, n.e.c. or included; anti-oxidising preparations and other compound stabilisers for rubber or plastics
3813
Preparations and charges for fire extinguishers; charged fire-extinguishing grenades
3814
Organic composite solvents and thinners, not elsewhere specified or included; prepared paint or varnish removers
3815
Reaction initiators, reaction accelerators and catalytic preparations n.e.c. or included
3816
Refractory cements, mortars, concretes and similar compositions, including dolomite ramming mix, other than products of heading 38.01
3817
Mixed alkylbenzenes and mixed alkylnaphthalenes, other than those of heading no. 2707 or 2902
3818
Chemical elements doped for use in electronics, in the form of discs, wafers or similar forms; chemical compounds doped for use in electronics
3819
Hydraulic brake fluids and other prepared liquids for hydraulic transmission, not containing or containing less than 70% by weight of petroleum oils or oils obtained from bituminous minerals
3820
Anti-freezing preparations and prepared de-icing fluids
3821
Prepared culture media for the development or maintenance of micro-organisms (including viruses and the like) or of plant, human or animal cells
3822
Reagents; diagnostic or laboratory reagents on a backing, prepared diagnostic or laboratory reagents whether or not on a backing, whether or not put up in the form of kits, other than those of heading 30.06; certified reference materials
3823
Industrial monocarboxylic fatty acids; acid oils from refining; industrial fatty alcohols
3824
Prepared binders for foundry moulds or cores; chemical products and preparations of the chemical or allied industries (including those consisting of mixtures of natural products), not elsewhere specified or included
3825
Residual products of the chemical or allied industries, not elsewhere specified or included; municipal waste; sewage sludge; other residual products.
3826
Biodiesel and mixtures thereof; not containing or containing less than 70% by weight of petroleum oils or oils obtained from bituminous minerals
3827
Mixtures containing halogenated derivatives of methane, ethane or propane, not elsewhere specified or included
Browse first heading (HS-4 3801)
Opens the lookup in heading browse for the first HS-4 block in this chapter (3801). Prefer the table above for a specific HS-4 page with full copy.
Before you file customs documents
Chapter pages on TradeTools are educational summaries, not legal classification determinations. Cross-check candidate codes with official notes, advance rulings where available, and your broker for high-value or borderline goods.
How we classify products explains what TradeTools does (and does not) automate.