Sugar · guide
Solid sugar is classified under heading 1701, but the six-digit subheading depends on whether it is cane or beet, raw or refined, and plain or flavoured. Here is how to pick the right one and why it matters.
| Market | Imports | Year |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $7.2B | 2024 |
| China | $4.2B | 2024 |
| Indonesia | $3.6B | 2024 |
| Germany | $2.6B | 2024 |
| United Kingdom | $2.2B | 2024 |
| India | $1.9B | 2024 |
| Market | Exports | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil | $18.8B | 2024 |
| Germany | $4.0B | 2024 |
| Thailand | $3.8B | 2024 |
| China | $3.3B | 2024 |
| United States | $3.0B | 2024 |
| France | $2.9B | 2024 |
Figures are for the whole of HS chapter 17 (sugars and sugar confectionery). Source: UN Comtrade.
Sugar belongs to chapter 17, sugars and sugar confectionery. Within it, heading 1701 covers cane or beet sugar and chemically pure sucrose in solid form. That heading is what most people mean when they ask for the HS code for sugar. Other sugar-related goods sit elsewhere in the chapter, including other sugars, syrups, molasses and sugar confectionery, and they have their own headings.
The trade figures you see on this site for sugar are chapter-level, so they include those neighbouring products. If you need a precise view of solid sugar only, you have to work at heading or subheading level in the customs records themselves.
Heading 1701 splits into subheadings that turn on three questions: is it raw or refined, is it cane or beet, and does it contain added flavouring or colouring. The subheadings listed for the heading are these.
Read the wording of each carefully. The raw cane sugar subheadings refer to a chapter subheading note, which sets out the test used to separate them, so you cannot decide between them by appearance alone.
The practical dividing line is between raw sugar and refined sugar. Raw sugar still carries natural impurities and is usually shipped to refiners. Refined white sugar is sucrose that has been purified for direct use. Raw sugar goes under the raw subheadings, while refined white sugar goes under the sucrose subheadings, and the presence of added flavour or colour moves it from 170199 to 170191.
A product sold as brown sugar can be awkward. Some brown sugar is a partly refined product that keeps its natural colour, and some is white sugar with added colour. The correct code depends on how it was made and on what the subheading text says about added colouring, so ask the producer for a description of the process and check it against the text rather than picking a code by product name.
Raw sugar is split by plant source. Beet sugar has its own raw subheading, 170112, while raw cane sugar is divided between 170113 and 170114 by the chapter note test. Once sugar is refined to pure sucrose, cane and beet become the same substance, and both go under 170199 or 170191.
This matters when you read trade data. A country that appears under a raw cane subheading is exporting a different stage of the product from one appearing under refined sucrose, even though both are described as sugar in ordinary speech.
The first six digits are shared internationally, but each country extends them to eight or more for its own tariff. The extension is where duty rates, statistical units and sometimes quota or licence rules are attached. Two shipments with the same six-digit subheading can therefore face different treatment depending on the destination and on how the local tariff divides the line.
Never assume the national digits. Look up the destination’s current tariff and, for a first shipment, ask the importer or their customs broker which line they will declare. Duty rates and quota arrangements for sugar are national matters that change, so confirm them with the destination customs authority.
Sugar is a heavily regulated commodity in many countries, so a wrong code is not just an administrative error. It can change the duty paid, trigger a quota check or cause a mismatch with a licence.
Avoid these errors before you file.
Once you know the subheading, use it as the search key in customs shipment records. Searching 170199 will surface refined white sugar consignments, while the raw subheadings show refinery supply chains. Read the consignee, quantity, declared value and product description on each record, and note the loading and discharge ports.
Record descriptions are entered by shippers, so also search related codes and description keywords, because some sugar is filed under the wrong subheading. The list of largest chapter 17 importers gives you a starting set of countries: the United States at $7.2B, China at $4.2B, Indonesia at $3.6B, Germany at $2.6B, the United Kingdom at $2.2B and India at $1.9B, all in 2024 and all covering the whole chapter.
Solid cane or beet sugar and chemically pure sucrose fall under heading 1701. The six-digit subheading depends on whether the sugar is raw or refined, cane or beet, and whether it contains added flavouring or colouring.
Refined white sugar is normally sucrose in solid form without added flavouring or colouring, which corresponds to 170199. If flavouring or colouring is added, the listed subheading is 170191.
Raw cane sugar is split between 170113 and 170114 according to a test in the chapter's subheading note. Check that note against the sugar's specification, and consider 170111 only where it matches the description.
No. Heading 1701 is for sugar in solid form. Syrups, molasses and other sugars sit in other headings of chapter 17, so check their headings before you file.
Only the first six. Countries extend the code to eight or more digits for their own tariffs, so duties and rules can differ. Confirm the national line with the destination customs authority or the importer's broker.
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