HS Code 3203Colouring matter of vegetable or animal origin (including dyeing extracts, not animal black); whether or not chemically defined; preparations based on colouring matter of vegetable or animal origin

What HS code 3203 covers

Heading 3203 is the home of colouring matter that comes from plants or animals. That includes dyeing extracts. It also includes preparations that are based on this kind of colouring matter. The goods can be chemically defined or not. Both vegetable dye extracts and animal origin colouring matter fit here.

One exclusion matters. Animal black does not belong in 3203, so goods of that kind need a different heading. Importers in the US often search for this heading as coloring matter under an HTS code 3203 listing. National lists such as HSN and HTS build on the Harmonized System, so the first four digits stay the same.

The heading text comes from the WCO nomenclature. Customs officers use it as the base rule when they decide where a dye belongs.

Difference between HS 3203 and 3204, 3205 and 3206

The first question is where the colour comes from. If it comes from a plant or an animal, think 3203. If it is made in a factory from chemicals, look at the neighbouring headings.

Use these short rules to pick the right heading:

• 3203: colouring matter of vegetable or animal origin, with dyeing extracts and preparations based on it.
• This heading also holds synthetic organic products used as fluorescent brightening agents or as luminophores.
• 3206: colouring matter and preparations not covered by 3203, 3204 or 3205, plus inorganic products of the kind used as luminophores.
• These are plant extracts too, but they are for tanning, not for dyeing.

How to classify vegetable or animal dye extracts

Start with the origin of the colour. Then check the form: is it a dye extract, a pure colouring matter or a preparation based on one? All three can sit in 3203 when the source is vegetable or animal.

Next, rule out animal black, which is excluded. Then ask whether the colour is synthetic organic. If so, go to 3204. If the goods are a lake, go to 3205. If nothing fits, 3206 may catch them.

The code reference and the HS code classifier on this site help you test your goods against these steps. Final classification always rests with the customs authority of the country where the goods are cleared.

HS 3203 import and export data on EximDataX

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.

Other headings in Chapter 32

Chapter 32 mixes dyes, pigments, paints and inks, so a neighbouring heading may fit your goods better. Each page shows its own six-digit codes.