HS Codes for Agricultural Exports from India — 2026 Reference

HS, HSN or ITC-HS — Which Code Are You Being Asked For?

Indian exporters and foreign buyers often talk past each other on classification because three related systems are in use at once. They share the same first six digits, and that shared root is the part every customs authority in the world recognises.

When a buyer asks for "the HS code", the six-digit code below is what matters for agreeing a contract. The importing country then adds its own digits to set the duty rate, so the full code on the import declaration is always longer than the one on your Indian shipping bill. The current edition of the nomenclature is HS 2022; the World Customs Organization revises it roughly every five years.

Primary sources: the World Customs Organization maintains the six-digit HS, and DGFT publishes India's ITC-HS schedule.

HS Codes for Spices

Spices sit in Chapter 9. For most of them, grinding changes the code: whole and ground are separate six-digit subheadings, and declaring powder under the whole-spice code is one of the most common errors on spice shipments.

Turmeric is the exception: whole finger and powder share one subheading, 0910.30. Ginger is the reverse case people miss — dried ginger slices are 0910.11, but ginger powder moves to 0910.12. And a blend of two or more spices from different headings, such as a curry powder, is classified as a mixture under 0910.91 rather than under its main ingredient.

HS Codes for Pulses, Cereals and Oilseeds

Pulses are in heading 0713, which classifies by species rather than by whether the pulse is whole or split. Splitting and dehusking do not change the code.

Basmati and non-basmati rice share 1006.30 at six digits. The distinction appears in the national digits: India's ITC-HS and many importing tariffs separate basmati at eight or ten digits, and basmati exports carry their own registration requirements. Moong and urad also share 0713.31 at six digits, splitting only at the national level.

HS Codes for Dehydrated and Processed Products

Three entries here are worth reading twice. Dehydrated garlic is not covered by the onion subheading and falls under 0712.90 with other dried vegetables. Tomato powder is a prepared tomato product under 2002.90, not a dried vegetable under 0712. And jaggery has its own subheading, 1701.13, for non-centrifugal cane sugar — declaring it under refined sugar is a misclassification.

Where Classification Goes Wrong: The Moringa Example

Moringa leaf powder shows how a commonly used code can still be the wrong one at the destination. Indian exporters frequently declare it under heading 1211, the heading for plants used primarily in pharmacy or perfumery, using ITC-HS 1211 90 29.

The European Union has ruled otherwise. Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/996 classifies powder made from dried Moringa oleifera leaves under CN code 1212 99 95. The regulation explicitly excludes heading 1211, reasoning that moringa is used mainly as a food ingredient, in teas and as a food supplement rather than primarily in pharmacy, and it also rules out the dried-vegetable heading 0712. The United Kingdom reached the same conclusion in a published advance tariff ruling, classifying moringa leaf powder under 1212 99 95 90.

The practical consequence: a moringa shipment declared under 1211 at origin can be reclassified on arrival in Europe, with the risk of delay, a different duty rate and a mismatch between the shipping documents and the import declaration. The fix is simple — agree the destination code with your buyer before the documents are prepared.

How to Confirm a Code Before You Ship

• Check the destination tariff. The EU publishes TARIC, and the United States publishes the Harmonized Tariff Schedule. Search by the six-digit root and read the national subheadings beneath it.
• Match form to code. Whole or ground, in shell or shelled, raw or processed — each can move a product to a different subheading.
• Agree the code with your buyer in writing. The importer's customs broker classifies on arrival; aligning beforehand keeps the commercial invoice, shipping bill and import declaration consistent.
• Use a binding ruling for repeat trade. For a product you will ship regularly, the importer can request a binding tariff ruling from the destination authority, which fixes the classification in advance.
• Keep the code consistent across documents. A code that differs between the invoice, packing list and certificate of origin is a common reason for a document query at the border.

For the full set of documents each shipment needs, see our export documents checklist.

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