Coffee · guide
Coffee is classified by what has been done to the bean: roasted or not, decaffeinated or not. This guide shows how to pick the correct six digits and avoid the usual mistakes.
| Market | Imports | Year |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $11.7B | 2024 |
| Germany | $6.5B | 2024 |
| France | $4.0B | 2024 |
| Italy | $3.4B | 2024 |
| Canada | $2.4B | 2024 |
| Spain | $2.2B | 2024 |
| Market | Exports | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil | $11.8B | 2024 |
| India | $5.2B | 2024 |
| Vietnam | $4.7B | 2023 |
| Germany | $4.5B | 2024 |
| Switzerland | $3.9B | 2024 |
| China | $3.6B | 2024 |
Figures are for the whole of HS chapter 09 (coffee, tea, mate and spices). Source: UN Comtrade.
Coffee is in heading 0901, in chapter 09 with tea, mate and spices. The heading title is wider than most people expect: coffee whether or not roasted or decaffeinated, coffee husks and skins, and coffee substitutes that contain coffee in any proportion. So the heading holds the bean, the by-products and certain blends.
Coffee that has been turned into instant powder or a prepared drink is not the same thing as roasted beans, and it usually lives in a different part of the tariff. The heading 0901 lines are for coffee in its bean or ground form, plus the husks and substitutes listed.
For the bean itself, ask: has it been roasted, and has the caffeine been removed? Those two answers place the product in one of four subheadings. Green coffee that has not been roasted or decaffeinated goes to 090111. Green coffee that has been decaffeinated but not roasted goes to 090112. Roasted coffee that has not been decaffeinated goes to 090121, and roasted, decaffeinated coffee goes to 090122.
Grinding does not move you out of the roasted lines, because the subheadings turn on roasting and decaffeination, not on whole versus ground form. What can change is the national extension, which may separate whole bean from ground or split by packaging, so read your own country’s tariff below the sixth digit.
Not everything in the heading is a bean. Coffee husks and skins, the dry outer parts removed in processing, sit in 090130. Coffee substitutes that contain coffee sit in 090140, and 090190 is the broader line combining husks, skins and coffee-containing substitutes. Some exporters of by-products, for example husks sold for infusions or other uses, need this part of the list.
A substitute that contains no coffee at all, such as a roasted grain drink, is not covered by the phrase ‘containing coffee’ and belongs somewhere else. Test the ingredients list against the tariff wording before you pick 090140, and get a written view if the product is a blend.
Coffee travels through several stages before it reaches the roaster, and traders often use terms that the tariff does not: cherry, parchment, hulled, polished, washed, natural. The six-digit list contains no separate line for each. The main split remains unroasted versus roasted, so many pre-roast forms land in 090111 unless a national extension says otherwise.
This is where national digits matter most. Your customs may separate parchment coffee from green, or grade by type, so check the national tariff and, for anything unusual, ask for a classification ruling in writing. A ruling protects you from later reclassification with back-duty.
Only the first six digits are the same everywhere. Each country appends its own digits, often to reach eight or ten, and duty, licensing checks and statistics use that longer code. A buyer’s country may have a different rate for roasted than for green coffee, which is one reason processing decisions affect market access.
Ask the buyer for the full destination code and use your own country’s extension on the export declaration. Never quote a duty rate from memory. Confirm the current tariff with the destination customs authority for the exact line.
Country totals give you scale. In the latest year the United States imported $11.7B of chapter 09 goods, Germany $6.5B, France $4.0B and Italy $3.4B, all covering coffee, tea, mate and spices together. To isolate coffee, filter customs shipment records by 0901 or by a subheading.
The subheading tells you the buyer’s business. Importers of 090111 are typically traders and roasters buying green coffee. Importers of 090121 buy finished product for resale, which suggests a different sales approach and packaging. The records list the consignee, quantity and declared value, so a code becomes a buyer list in minutes.
The typical faults are treating decaffeinated coffee as ordinary, calling roasted coffee ‘green’ on the invoice, using the husk line for a lot of mixed beans and husk, and reusing an old code after the product form changed. A mismatch between the invoice, packing list and customs entry is enough to trigger inspection.
Keep a classification note per product: the description, the code and the reasoning. India ranks 2 of 96 chapter 09 exporters at $5.2B, and with volumes like that customs offices see many similar declarations, so consistency and a documented basis are your best protection.
Heading 0901. Unroasted coffee is 090111, decaffeinated unroasted is 090112, roasted is 090121 and roasted decaffeinated is 090122. Husks, skins and coffee-containing substitutes sit in 090130, 090140 and 090190.
At six digits, no. The split is roasted versus unroasted and decaffeinated versus not. Some countries separate whole and ground at the national level, so check your own tariff beyond the sixth digit.
Green, unroasted and not decaffeinated coffee is 090111. If it has been decaffeinated but not roasted, the code is 090112.
Generally not. Extracts and instant products are usually classified elsewhere in the tariff. Confirm with a broker or a written classification opinion before shipping.
Filter customs shipment records to 0901 or a subheading in the target market. The records list named consignees, quantities and declared values, and the subheading shows whether the buyer takes green or roasted coffee.
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