Chapter 04 Dairy produce; birds' eggs; natural honey; edible products of animal origin, not elsewhere specified or included

What HS code 04 dairy produce covers

This chapter groups foods from animals that are not meat or fish. The main group is dairy: milk, cream, yogurt, whey, butter and cheese. Birds' eggs, natural honey and edible insects also sit here. You may see it called HSN code 04 as well.

Customs offices use six-digit HS codes to name each product. Importers and exporters write these codes on their shipping papers, so the right code matters. Each heading has its own page with the full code list, and the parts below show how the headings fit together.

HS code 0401 milk and cream, plus milk powder, yogurt and whey

Heading 0401 is plain milk and cream. It is not concentrated and has no added sugar. Its codes split by fat content, from low-fat milk up to rich cream.

Heading 0402 is for milk and cream that has been concentrated or sweetened. Milk powder belongs here. Milk that is concentrated but not a powder has separate codes in the same heading.

Yogurt, buttermilk, kephir and other soured milks share heading 0403. Yogurt is named on its own, and the rest sit under an 'other' code. Heading 0404 covers whey and other milk parts not named elsewhere.

HS code 0405 butter and 0406 cheese, plus eggs, honey and insects

Heading 0405 covers butter and other fats and oils made from milk. Dairy spreads are named separately, as 040520. All other milk fats and oils go to 040590.

Heading 0406 is cheese and curd. Its codes separate fresh cheese, grated or powdered cheese, processed cheese, blue-veined cheese and all other cheese. Open the heading page to see each one.

Birds' eggs are split in two. Heading 0407 is eggs in the shell, whether fresh, preserved or cooked. Heading 0408 is eggs out of the shell, and egg yolks.

Natural honey has a heading to itself, 0409. Heading 0410 holds insects and other edible animal products that are not named elsewhere.

How to choose the right dairy produce HS code

Start with the form of the product. Is it a liquid, a powder, a solid cheese or a spread? Then work through these simple checks.

• Concentrated or sweetened? Look at 0402. Plain and not concentrated? Look at 0401.
• Soured or cultured, like yogurt or kephir? Go to 0403, not the milk headings.
• Whey or a similar milk part? Check 0404.
• Cheese or curd? Go to 0406.
• Egg in the shell? Use 0407. Out of the shell, or yolk only? Use 0408.

Find importers and exporters of dairy produce

EximDataX shows shipment-level import and export records from official customs sources. Coverage: 43 direct customs feeds plus 184 mirror-derived countries. Named buyers and named suppliers are available in 38 of the 43 direct markets. Most markets refresh weekly and some refresh daily. You can search by HS code to see who imports and exports a product, and book a free demo.

Pick the heading that fits your product, then use its code to look up customs shipment records. Not sure which code fits? Try the HS code classifier first. Nearby foods sit in other chapters: live animals in Chapter 01, meat in Chapter 02, fish and seafood in Chapter 03, and other animal products in Chapter 05.