HS code for towels — what the code covers and how to confirm it before you ship
In short. Which HS code cotton terry towels fall under, what the six digits fix and the country digits don't, and how to confirm the code before the goods ship.
Cotton terry towels are classified under subheading 6302.60 of the Harmonized System, within heading 6302: toilet linen and kitchen linen of terry towelling or similar terry fabrics, of cotton. Those six digits are the same in every country that uses the system. What is not the same is everything after them, and the duty that follows from the full code. This guide explains what the six digits settle, what a product has to be for the code to apply, and how an importer confirms the code with the customs authority that will actually use it.
It is general guidance, not a classification ruling. Your customs broker, or the customs authority in your country, makes the final decision for your shipment.
What the six digits fix and what they leave open
The Harmonized System is maintained by the World Customs Organization and used by customs authorities worldwide. Its first six digits (chapter, heading and subheading) mean the same thing wherever you import. Each country then adds its own further digits, usually to make an eight-digit or ten-digit national tariff line, and attaches its own duty rates and rules to those lines.
- Six digits: the same in India, the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union.
- Digits seven onward: set by each country. A towel can have a different national line in each destination, even though the six-digit code is the same.
- Duty and other measures: attached to the national line, and they change. Take the rate from the importing country's official tariff at the time you cost the order, not from a guide like this one or from a third-party lookup site.
What the product has to be for subheading 6302.60
Customs looks at what the goods are, not what the invoice calls them. For a towel, the usual deciding points are:
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Is it made up as a towel? | Terry fabric sold by the metre is classified in Chapter 58. Once it is cut, hemmed and finished as a towel, it is a made-up article and belongs in heading 6302. |
| Is the cloth terry? | Terry towelling has looped pile. Cotton towels that are not terry, such as flat-woven or waffle towels, can fall under a different subheading of the same heading. |
| What fibre is it? | Heading 6302 has separate subheadings for cotton, man-made fibres and other textile materials. A polyester or microfibre towel is not a cotton one. |
| Is it a towel at all? | A bathrobe is apparel and sits in a different chapter from towels. |
Some third-party tariff sites list cotton bath towels under the subheading for other cotton linen instead of the terry one. That disagreement between lookup sites is the reason to confirm the code with the official tariff, and with a binding ruling where the stakes justify it, instead of copying a code from a website.
Why the code on your paperwork matters
The same code is expected to appear on the commercial invoice, on any customs declaration and in the importer's entry. Our guide to export documents lists the fields that must match across the set. A code that differs between documents, or a product description too vague to support the code, can lead customs to query the shipment. A description that names the fibre, the construction and the form (for example, 100 per cent cotton terry bath towel, hemmed) gives the broker what they need and gives customs less to question.
How an importer confirms the code
Use the official tool for the country that will clear the goods:
- United States: the Harmonized Tariff Schedule published by the US International Trade Commission, and the CBP rulings database, which holds past rulings on similar towels. Our guide to importing towels from India into the US covers the rest of the US process.
- United Kingdom: the UK Trade Tariff on GOV.UK, and Advance Tariff Rulings from HMRC.
- European Union: the TARIC database, and Binding Tariff Information issued by a member state's customs authority.
- Elsewhere: the national tariff of the importing country, or your customs broker.
A binding ruling is a written decision from customs on how a specific product will be classified. It takes time, so it is worth requesting only when the product is unusual or the value is large.
What the exporter provides
The Indian exporter declares an Indian national code on the shipping bill and normally puts a tariff code on the invoice. Ask the supplier which code they will use, and give your broker the full product description so they can check it against the destination tariff. The two codes should agree in their first six digits.
What this guide does not cover
It does not give duty rates, quotas, safeguard or anti-dumping measures, or the effect of any trade agreement, all of which depend on the importing country and change over time. The Harmonized System itself is revised periodically, so check the edition your country has in force.
What to ask a supplier
- Which tariff code will you put on the invoice and the shipping bill?
- Is it based on the exact fibre and construction of this product?
- Can you describe the product on the invoice in the way my broker needs?
- If my broker uses a different code in the first six digits, who resolves it before the goods ship?
Tell us the product, the construction and your destination country, and our export team will confirm the description and the code we use on the invoice so your broker can check it against your country's tariff.