HS Code 1516Animal, vegetable or microbial fats and oils and their fractions, partly or wholly hydrogenated, inter-esterified, re-esterified or elaidinised, whether or not refined, but not further prepared

What HS code 1516 covers

Heading 1516 is for fats and oils that have been reshaped at the molecular level. Three processes are named: hydrogenation, inter-esterification and re-esterification. A fourth, elaidinisation, is also named. Each one changes how the fat melts and how long it keeps.

Hydrogenated vegetable oil is a familiar example, and some buyers search for it as vanaspati. Hydrogenated animal fats belong here too. So do fractions, which are parts of a fat or oil that have been separated from the rest.

The words "whether or not refined" mean refining does not move the goods out of the heading. The words "not further prepared" matter more. Once the fat is mixed into something else or made into a food, it leaves this heading. The heading sits in Chapter 15, so you can read it next to the other fats and oils there.

Subheadings under HS heading 1516

The three subheadings follow one idea. All of them describe a modified fat. They differ only in where the raw material comes from. Buyers also call these HSN codes or HTS codes, and the first six digits are the same in all three.

• 151630: hydrogenated microbial fats and oils, made from tiny organisms.

What is not classified under heading 1516

Most mistakes happen at the edges of the heading. Check the neighbours before you file.

Plain oils that are not chemically modified have their own headings. Soya-bean oil is in 1507 and palm oil is in 1511. Fixed vegetable or microbial oils with no home elsewhere are in 1515. All of these say "not chemically modified". Once such an oil is hydrogenated, it moves to 1516.

Going the other way, 1517 takes margarine and edible blends made from several fats. Heading 1518 takes fats that are boiled, oxidised, dehydrated or changed in other chemical ways, and its wording leaves out the goods of 1516. It also takes inedible mixtures.

How to choose the right 1516 subheading

Work through these steps in order and stop when you have an answer.

First, ask where the fat comes from: an animal, a plant or a microbe. That gives you the subheading. Second, ask what was done to it. Hydrogenation, inter-esterification, re-esterification or elaidinisation point to 1516. Third, ask whether anything was added or made. If it became a finished blend or spread, look away from 1516.

If you are unsure, try the HS code classifier. Always match the exact customs wording of the subheading before you ship.

• Origin picks between 151610, 151620 and 151630.
• The kind of chemical change separates 1516 from 1518.
• Extra preparation separates 1516 from 1517.

Importers and exporters of heading 1516 goods

If you want to know who trades in these goods, shipment records are the place to look. 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.