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Chapter 23 Food industries, residues and wastes thereof; prepared animal fodder

9 headings · 23 six-digit codes · World Customs Organization Harmonized System

HS code 23 covers animal feed and the solid waste left after food and drink are made. It is also searched as hsn code 23 or HS chapter 23.

Chapter 23 is a compact chapter: 23 six-digit codes across 9 headings, 2301 to 2309. 5 of those headings subdivide below four digits, so the whole chapter fits on one screen. The chapter sits in Section IV, Prepared Foodstuffs; Beverages, Spirits, Tobacco, alongside 8 other chapters.

Headings in this chapter

2301Flours, meal and pellets, of meat or meat offal, of fish or of crustaceans, molluscs or other aquatic invertebrates, unfit for human consumption; greaves230110 to 230120e.g. 230110 — Flours, meals and pellets; of meat or meat offal, greaves2302Bran, sharps and other residues; whether or not in the form of pellets derived from the sifting, milling or other working of cereals or of leguminous plants230210 to 230250e.g. 230210 — Bran, sharps and other residues; of maize (corn), whether or not in the form of pellets, derived from the sifting, milling or other workings thereof2303Residues of starch manufacture, similar residues; beet-pulp, bagasse and other waste of sugar manufacture, brewing or distilling dregs and waste, whether or not in the form of pellets230310 to 230330e.g. 230310 — Residues of starch manufacture and similar residues; whether or not in the form of pellets2304Oil-cake and other solid residues; whether or not ground or in the form of pellets, resulting from the extraction of soya-bean oile.g. 230400 — Oil-cake and other solid residues; whether or not ground or in the form of pellets, resulting from the extraction of soya-bean oil2305Oil-cake and other solid residues; whether or not ground or in the form of pellets, resulting from the extraction of ground-nut oile.g. 230500 — Oil-cake and other solid residues; whether or not ground or in the form of pellets, resulting from the extraction of ground-nut oil2306Oil-cake and other solid residues; whether or not ground or in the form of pellets, resulting from the extraction of vegetable or microbial fats or oils, other than those of heading no. 2304 or 2305230610 to 230690e.g. 230610 — Oil-cake and other solid residues; whether or not ground or in the form of pellets, resulting from the extraction of cotton seed oils2307Wine lees; argole.g. 230700 — Wine lees; argol2308Vegetable materials and vegetable waste, vegetable residues and bi-products; whether or not in the form of pellets, of a kind used in animal feeding, not elsewhere specified or includede.g. 230800 — Vegetable materials and vegetable waste, vegetable residues and by-products; whether or not in the form of pellets, of a kind used in animal feeding, not elsewhere specified or included2309Preparations of a kind used in animal feeding230910 to 230990e.g. 230910 — Dog or cat food; put up for retail sale, used in animal feeding
Chapter 22All chaptersChapter 24

What HS Code 23 covers

Think of this chapter as the leftovers of the food industry, plus feed made for animals. When a mill makes flour, a press makes oil or a brewery makes beer, something solid is left over. Farmers and feed makers buy much of it. Customs needs a code for it, and this chapter holds those codes.

The chapter sits with prepared foodstuffs, but almost nothing in it is meant for people. Most goods here are unfit for human consumption. That is the quickest test to tell it apart from the neighbouring chapters.

Here is each heading in plain words:

  • 2301: meal and pellets made from meat, fish or crustaceans, such as fish meal
  • 2302: bran, sharps and other residues from milling cereals and beans
  • 2303: residues from starch, sugar and brewing or distilling
  • 2304: oil-cake from soya-bean oil
  • 2305: oil-cake from ground-nut oil
  • 2306: oil-cake from all other vegetable or microbial oils
  • 2307: wine lees and argol
  • 2308: vegetable waste and by-products used as animal feed, not named elsewhere
  • 2309: prepared animal feed, including dog and cat food

Oil-cake codes: 2304, 2305 and 2306 compared

Oil-cake is what remains after seeds or nuts are pressed for oil. The code depends on which oil was taken out. It does not depend on the animal that eats the cake.

Soya-bean oil-cake has its own heading, 2304, with one code: 230400. People often search for this as the HS code for soybean meal. Ground-nut oil-cake also has its own heading, 2305, with the single code 230500.

Every other oil goes to 2306. That heading splits by source: cotton seed, linseed, sunflower seed, rape or colza seed, coconut or copra, and palm nuts or kernels. The last code, 230690, is the catch-all for oils not named above it.

A simple rule: first find the oil, then pick the heading. Soya goes to 2304, ground-nut to 2305, and anything else to 2306. You can open [HS 2304 soya-bean oil-cake](/hs-codes/23/2304) or [HS 2306 other oil-cake](/hs-codes/23/2306) to see the full code lists.

Animal feed HS code: 2308 vs 2309, plus bran and beet-pulp

Two headings matter most when you ship animal feed. Heading 2308 is for raw vegetable materials, waste and by-products used in feeding animals when no other heading names them. It has one code, 230800. Heading 2309 is for prepared feed.

Under 2309, dog and cat food is split by how it is sold. If a pet food comes in a small pack for shops, 230910 is the one to check first.

Milling and sugar residues have their own homes. Heading 2302 holds bran, sharps and other residues from cereals and beans, split by crop. Wheat bran is 230230. Fish meal sits in heading 2301, as 230120, and meat meal is 230110.

Wine lees and argol have a heading of their own, 2307. Read more on [HS 2302 bran and sharps](/hs-codes/23/2302), [HS 2303 starch, sugar and brewing residues](/hs-codes/23/2303), [HS 2309 animal feed preparations](/hs-codes/23/2309) and [HS 2301 meat and fish meal](/hs-codes/23/2301).

HS Code 23 import and export data

A code tells you what a product is. Shipment records tell you who moves it. This is where EximDataX comes in.

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. Start with [HS code 23 import data](/import-data) or [HS code 23 export data](/export-data). To find companies, try [animal feed buyer data](/buyer-data) or [animal feed supplier data](/supplier-data). Not sure of your code? Use the [HS code classifier](/hs-classifier), or [book a free demo](/book-demo).

Related chapters in the same section

If your product is not a residue or a feed, it may sit next door. Cereal, flour and starch products that are made for people belong in [Chapter 19 cereal, flour and starch preparations](/hs-codes/19). Meat and fish made for people belong in [Chapter 16 meat and fish preparations](/hs-codes/16). Sugar is in [Chapter 17](/hs-codes/17), and drinks and vinegar are in [Chapter 22](/hs-codes/22). You can also browse [all HS code chapters](/hs-codes).

Related

Other chapters in Section IV

Prepared Foodstuffs; Beverages, Spirits, Tobacco covers chapters 16–24.

These codes carry real shipments.

EximDataX shows the live import–export records filed under Chapter 23: named buyers, suppliers, quantities and values from official customs feeds.

See live data for Chapter 23
Straight answers

HS Chapter 23: common questions

What is HS code 23?

It is the group of customs codes for animal fodder and for the solids left after food is processed. Wine lees and oil-cake are two examples.

What is the HSN code for animal feed?

Look at 2309 for feed that has been prepared. Use 2308 for plant waste and by-products that are fed to animals but are not named in another heading.

What is the HS code for soybean meal or oil-cake?

Soybean meal from pressing soya beans for oil falls under heading 2304. Cake from ground-nut oil goes to 2305, and cake from other oils goes to 2306.

What is the HS code for dog or cat food?

Pet food in packs ready for shop shelves uses 230910. Pet food sold in bulk or otherwise not set up for retail uses 230990.

What is the HS code for wheat bran?

Wheat bran has its own six-digit code, 230230, inside the bran and sharps heading 2302.

What is the HS code for fish meal?

Fish meal goes in the six-digit code 230120. It shares heading 2301 with meat meal.

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