Tea · guide
Tea has a short, tidy classification, but the pack-size split trips up plenty of exporters. Here is how to choose the right six digits and what to do after that.
| 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.
Tea is classified in heading 0902, part of chapter 09, titled coffee, tea, mate and spices. The heading is compact: four subheadings, all for tea. That makes tea one of the simpler commodities to classify, provided you get two facts right before you look anything up.
The first fact is the type of tea: green, meaning not fermented, or black, meaning fermented, which the tariff extends to partly fermented tea. The second is the immediate pack size, meaning the packing that the consumer or buyer directly handles, with a dividing line at 3kg. Answer those two questions and the six-digit code follows.
Each subheading combines one type and one pack band. Read the descriptions closely, because the legal text, not the trade name, governs. Keep the code list beside your product sheet and note which line each of your SKUs falls in.
The same black leaf can belong to two different codes. A pallet of bulk sacks sits under 090240, while the same leaf repacked into small retail boxes or tea bags sits under 090230. The difference is not quality or origin but the immediate packing. If you ship a container with both, each line needs its own code on the invoice.
What counts as the immediate pack? It is the packing directly enclosing the tea, such as the foil bag or the carton of individual tea bags, not the outer master carton or the pallet wrap. Where a retail carton holds several smaller sachets, check that the statement ‘content’ is read in line with the tariff notes and, if unsure, ask a broker or the customs authority for a classification opinion.
Not every drink sold as tea sits in heading 0902. Herbal infusions made from plants other than the tea plant are generally treated as different products, with their own codes, and mate has its own heading in the same chapter. Flavoured tea, where the leaf is mixed with fruit pieces or spices, needs thought, because the tariff notes decide when a mixture keeps the tea classification and when it moves to another heading.
Instant tea, extracts and prepared beverages are further from raw leaf and usually belong elsewhere in the tariff, in a different chapter. The safe rule: if the essential character of the product is the tea leaf and the description fits the legal wording of a 0902 subheading, use it; if the product has been substantially transformed or blended with other ingredients, get a written view before the first shipment.
The first six digits are shared internationally. Beyond that, each country adds its own digits, commonly bringing the code to eight or ten, and that longer code drives the duty, statistics and licensing checks at that border. Duty at the destination can differ from what you expect if you only read the six-digit level, and the extension may separate grades, packaging or processing that the international code does not.
So when a buyer sends you a code, ask for the full national line of their country, and when you file at home, use your own country’s extension. Never assume the two match beyond the sixth digit, and never quote a duty rate from memory: check the current tariff with the destination customs authority.
The code is your search key. Country statistics for the chapter show broad demand: the United States imported $11.7B of chapter 09 goods in the latest year, Germany $6.5B and France $4.0B. Those totals include coffee and spices, so they cannot tell you tea volumes. Filtering shipment records to heading 0902 or to one subheading can.
Search by subheading to separate markets: a country buying mostly 090240 is importing bulk black leaf for blending, while one showing much 090230 is taking retail packs. The records list the consignee, quantity and declared value, so the code leads directly from a market to named companies.
The common errors are predictable. Exporters pick a code by the product’s market name rather than the tariff text, ignore the pack size, copy a competitor’s code from an old invoice, or use different codes on the invoice and the customs declaration. Any of these can cause queries, delays, or in the worst case a reclassification with duty consequences.
Build a small file per product: the description, the chosen code, the reasoning, and any written confirmation you received. When the same product ships repeatedly, that file is your defence and your speed. India ranks 2 of 96 exporters of the chapter at $5.2B, so many competing shipments cross borders every year, and customs officers know how tea should be declared.
Heading 0902, with four subheadings: 090210 and 090220 for green tea, 090230 and 090240 for black and partly fermented tea. The choice within each pair depends on whether the immediate pack exceeds 3kg.
Black or partly fermented tea in immediate packs above 3kg is 090240. If the same leaf is packed in retail boxes of 3kg or less, it moves to 090230.
Generally not. Infusions from plants other than the tea plant usually have their own classification. Flavoured blends need a check against the tariff notes, so get a written view if you are unsure.
Only the first six digits are shared. Each country adds its own national digits, which can affect duty and statistics. Confirm the full code with the destination customs authority.
Filter customs shipment records to heading 0902 or a subheading in your target market. The records list named consignees, quantities and declared values, which turns a code into a buyer list.
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