The HS code for bedsheets is in heading 6302 (bed linen), for a cotton T-shirt in heading 6109 (knitted T-shirts), and for FIBC bags in heading 6305. The subheadings that follow depend on fibre, construction and the importing country's tariff.
Use these as working headings to brief your broker. The final eight or ten digits are set nationally, so confirm them in your own tariff before you quote a landed cost.
What is the HS code for bedsheets?
Bed linen is classified in heading 6302. The subheading is chosen by three facts: whether the item is knitted or crocheted, whether it is printed or not, and the fibre, with cotton, man-made fibres and other materials each treated separately.
A printed cotton bedsheet and a plain white cotton bedsheet therefore sit on different lines. Fitted sheets, flat sheets, pillowcases and duvet covers are all bed linen, but a made-up set may be classified by its component that gives it its character, or as a set, depending on the tariff rules. See bedsheet sizes and sets for how sets are usually packed.
What is the HS code for a cotton T-shirt?
T-shirts are knitted garments, so they fall in Chapter 61 rather than the woven garment chapter 62. Heading 6109 covers T-shirts, singlets and similar vests, knitted or crocheted. A cotton T-shirt goes in the cotton subheading, with other fibres in their own lines.
Check how the garment is made. A shirt sewn from woven fabric is not a T-shirt for classification, even if it looks like one. Children's, men's and women's garments are often split at national level, so your broker will ask for the intended wearer.
What is the HS code for FIBC bags?
FIBC means flexible intermediate bulk container, often called a jumbo bag or bulk bag. Those woven from polyethylene or polypropylene strip are generally classified in heading 6305, which covers sacks and bags for packing goods.
The subheading depends on the material, so state polypropylene or polyethylene and the weave. Bags that are lined, coated or built with liners may need extra description on the invoice.
How do you avoid a wrong code?
A wrong code is one of the most common causes of customs queries. These habits help:
- Describe the goods fully on the invoice: fibre, knitted or woven, printed or plain, and intended wearer or use.
- Use the same description and code on every document in the shipment.
- Ask your broker to confirm the destination-country code and duty before the order is placed, not when the container is at the port.
- Do not copy a code from a competitor's shipment record; the goods may differ in a detail that changes the line.
Where do the codes appear in the document pack?
Our export document checklist for textiles and the document pack your broker will ask for show where the code appears.
Why does the code affect more than duty?
The code decides which duty applies, but also whether labelling rules, safety tests, anti-dumping measures or import licences apply to the goods. A T-shirt for a child and a T-shirt for an adult can fall under different safety requirements even if the fibre is the same.
Exporters also report the code in India for shipping bills and export incentives, so a mismatch between the Indian and the destination code is normal at the last digits. What matters is that the first six digits agree and that your broker has accepted the destination code in advance.
Next step
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