The HS code for cumin seeds usually sits under heading 0909, sesame seeds under 1207, groundnuts under 1202, dehydrated onion powder under 0712, guar gum under 1302 and castor oil under 1515. These headings are the same worldwide for the first six digits. The final digits, up to ten, are set by each country, and your customs broker must confirm the code that applies to your exact product.
Common six-digit headings
The list below shows where each product usually sits. Treat it as a starting point, not a ruling:
Keep a short record of the reasoning behind each code: product description, form, grade and the tariff note you relied on. If customs queries the code later, that file answers quickly. It also helps when you add a similar product, since the next code usually follows the same logic.
Keep a short record of the reasoning behind each code: product description, form, grade and the tariff note you relied on. If customs queries the code later, that file answers quickly. It also helps when you add a similar product, since the next code usually follows the same logic.
- Cumin seeds: subheadings under 0909, split by whether the seed is crushed or ground.
- Sesame seeds: 1207.40.
- Groundnuts: 1202, split between in shell and shelled.
- Dehydrated onion, including flakes and powder: 0712.20.
- Psyllium husk: often classified under 1211 as a plant part used in pharmacy or food, but psyllium seed and husk are classified differently by some customs authorities.
- Guar gum: 1302.32, mucilages and thickeners from guar seeds.
- Castor oil: 1515.30, with hydrogenated castor oil classified under chapter 15 as a hydrogenated fat.
How to settle the full code
Start from the product's form and use. Is the cumin whole, crushed or ground? Are the groundnuts in shell? Is the guar gum food grade or industrial, modified or not? Each answer can move the code. How to find the right HS code for a product explains the method.
Then check the destination tariff. The EU, the US, the UK and others publish their tariff databases, and many offer a free binding ruling in case of doubt. Ask your customs broker to confirm the code in writing, and use it on the invoice, the packing list and the bill of lading.
Why the code matters
The HS code decides which duty rate applies, whether a quota or a trade remedy applies, and what the border authority looks at. A wrong code can mean the wrong duty, a delayed release or a penalty. The Indian exporter will also use an Indian tariff code for its own shipping bill, and that may carry more digits than yours. Both should agree at the six-digit level.
Duty rates change, and we do not quote them here. Ask your broker for the current figure for your code and your origin. The document pack your broker will ask for shows where the code appears.
Next step
We make sure the paperwork from India uses a code your broker can accept. A landed cost view comes from a sourcing review. Book a free sourcing review, or read what we source in agriculture.