EximDataX
Book demo

Chapter 38 Chemical products n.e.c.

27 headings · 108 six-digit codes · World Customs Organization Harmonized System

HS code 38 groups miscellaneous chemical products that have no home in the other chemical chapters. It runs from activated carbon to biodiesel, so the right heading depends on what the product is and how it is sold.

Headings 3801 to 3827 make up Chapter 38: 27 headings and 108 six-digit codes, each with the description customs authorities read it by. The widest is 3827 (Mixtures containing halogenated derivatives of methane, ethane or propane, not elsewhere…). The chapter sits in Section VI, Products of the Chemical or Allied Industries, alongside 10 other chapters.

Headings in this chapter

3801Artificial graphite; colloidal or semi-colloidal graphite; preparations based on graphite or other carbon in the form of pastes, blocks, plates or other semi-manufactures380110 to 380190e.g. 380110 — Graphite; artificial3802Activated carbon; activated natural mineral products; animal black, including spent animal black380210 to 380290e.g. 380210 — Carbon; activated3803Tall oil, whether or not refinede.g. 380300 — Chemical products; tall oil, whether or not refined3804Residual lyes from the manufacture of wood pulp, whether or not concentrated, desugared or chemically treated, including lignin sulphonates, but excluding tall oil of heading no. 3803e.g. 380400 — Lyes, residual; from the manufacture of wood pulp, whether or not concentrated, desugared or chemically treated, including lignin sulphonates but excluding tall oil of heading no. 38033805Gum, wood or sulphate turpentine, other terpenic oils; crude dipentene; sulphite turpentine, other crude para-cymene; pine oil containing alpha-terpineol as the main constituent380510 to 380590e.g. 380510 — Terpenic oils; gum, wood or sulphate turpentine oils3806Rosin and resin acids and derivatives thereof; rosin spirit and rosin oils; run gums380610 to 380690e.g. 380610 — Rosin and resin acids3807Wood tar; wood tar oils; wood creosote; wood naphtha; vegetable pitch; brewers' pitch and similar preparations based on rosin, resin acids or on vegetable pitche.g. 380700 — Wood tar; wood tar oils; wood creosote; wood naphtha; vegetable pitch; brewers' pitch and similar preparations based on rosin, resin acids or on vegetable pitch3808Insecticides, rodenticides, fungicides, herbicides, anti-sprouting products, plant growth regulators, disinfectants and the like, put up in forms or packings for retail sale or as preparations or articles380852 to 380899e.g. 380852 — Insecticides and the like; containing goods specified in subheading note 1 to this chapter; for retail sale or as preparations or articles; ddt (iso) (clofenotane (inn)), in packings of 300g or less3809Finishing agents, dye carriers to accelerate the dyeing, fixing of dyestuffs, other products and preparations, of a kind used in the textile, paper, leather or like industries, n.e.c. or included380910 to 380993e.g. 380910 — Finishing agents and dye carriers; to accelerate dyeing or fixing of dye-stuffs, other products and preparations, used in textile, paper, leather etc industries, with basis of amylaceous substances, n.e.c.3810Metal-pickling preparations; fluxes etc for soldering, brazing; welding powders, pastes of metal and other materials; preparations used as cores or coatings for welding electrodes or rods381010 to 381090e.g. 381010 — Pickling preparations for metal surfaces; soldering, brazing or welding powders and pastes consisting of metal and other materials3811Anti-knock preparations, oxidation and gum inhibitors, viscosity improvers, anti-corrosive preparations and the like, for mineral oils (including gasoline) or other liquids used for the same purposes381111 to 381190e.g. 381111 — Anti-knock preparations; based on lead compounds3812Prepared rubber accelerators; compound plasticisers for rubber or plastics, n.e.c. or included; anti-oxidising preparations and other compound stabilisers for rubber or plastics381210 to 381239e.g. 381210 — Rubber accelerators; prepared3813Preparations and charges for fire extinguishers; charged fire-extinguishing grenadese.g. 381300 — Fire-extinguishers; preparations and charges and charged fire-extinguishing grenades3814Organic composite solvents and thinners, not elsewhere specified or included; prepared paint or varnish removerse.g. 381400 — Solvents and thinners; organic composite solvents and thinners, n.e.c. or included, prepared paint or varnish removers3815Reaction initiators, reaction accelerators and catalytic preparations n.e.c. or included381511 to 381590e.g. 381511 — Catalysts, supported; reaction initiators, reaction accelerators and catalytic preparations, with nickel or nickel compounds as the active substance, n.e.c. or included3816Refractory cements, mortars, concretes and similar compositions, including dolomite ramming mix, other than products of heading 38.01e.g. 381600 — Refractory cements, mortars, concretes and similar compositions, including dolomite ramming mix, other than products of heading 38.013817Mixed alkylbenzenes and mixed alkylnaphthalenes, other than those of heading no. 2707 or 2902e.g. 381700 — Mixed alkylbenzenes and mixed alkylnaphthalenes, other than those of heading no. 2707 or 29023818Chemical elements doped for use in electronics, in the form of discs, wafers or similar forms; chemical compounds doped for use in electronicse.g. 381800 — Chemical elements; doped for use in electronics, in the form of discs, wafers or similar forms; chemical compounds doped for use in electronics3819Hydraulic brake fluids and other prepared liquids for hydraulic transmission, not containing or containing less than 70% by weight of petroleum oils or oils obtained from bituminous mineralse.g. 381900 — Hydraulic fluids; for brakes and other prepared liquids for hydraulic transmission, not containing or containing less than 70% by weight of petroleum oils or oils obtained from bituminous minerals3820Anti-freezing preparations and prepared de-icing fluidse.g. 382000 — Anti-freezing preparations and prepared de-icing fluids3821Prepared culture media for the development or maintenance of micro-organisms (including viruses and the like) or of plant, human or animal cellse.g. 382100 — Prepared culture media for the development or maintenance of micro-organisms (including viruses and the like) or of plant, human or animal cells3822Reagents; diagnostic or laboratory reagents on a backing, prepared diagnostic or laboratory reagents whether or not on a backing, whether or not put up in the form of kits, other than those of heading 30.06; certified reference materials382211 to 382290e.g. 382211 — Reagents; diagnostic or laboratory reagents on a backing, prepared diagnostic or laboratory reagents whether or not on a backing, whether or not put up in the form of kits; for malaria3823Industrial monocarboxylic fatty acids; acid oils from refining; industrial fatty alcohols382311 to 382370e.g. 382311 — Industrial monocarboxylic fatty acids, acid oils from refining; stearic acid3824Prepared binders for foundry moulds or cores; chemical products and preparations of the chemical or allied industries (including those consisting of mixtures of natural products), not elsewhere specified or included382410 to 382499e.g. 382410 — Binders, prepared; for foundry moulds or cores3825Residual products of the chemical or allied industries, not elsewhere specified or included; municipal waste; sewage sludge; other residual products.382510 to 382590e.g. 382510 — Residual products of the chemical or allied industries, not elsewhere specified or included; municipal waste3826Biodiesel and mixtures thereof; not containing or containing less than 70% by weight of petroleum oils or oils obtained from bituminous mineralse.g. 382600 — Biodiesel and mixtures thereof; not containing or containing less than 70% by weight of petroleum oils or oils obtained from bituminous minerals3827Mixtures containing halogenated derivatives of methane, ethane or propane, not elsewhere specified or included382711 to 382790e.g. 382711 — Mixtures containing halogenated derivatives of methane, ethane or propane, not elsewhere specified or included; containing chlorofluorocarbons (cfcs), whether or not containing hydrochlorofluorocarbons (hcfcs), perfluorocarbons (pfcs) or hydrofluorocarbon
Chapter 37All chaptersChapter 39

What HS code 38 covers: chemical products not elsewhere classified

The letters n.e.c. mean "not elsewhere classified". This chapter is the place for chemical goods that no narrower chapter claims. Some countries call the same chapter HSN code 38, and the first two digits are identical.

The chapters around it each have a clear topic. Chapter 29 holds organic chemicals. Chapter 31 holds fertilizers. Chapter 34 holds soaps and lubricating preparations. Chapter 38 takes the mixed preparations, by-products and special-use chemicals that fit none of those.

That is why the chapter looks so varied. A pesticide, a lab reagent and a fire extinguisher charge all sit here. Each one is a prepared chemical product with its own job.

Main product groups in Chapter 38

The headings fall into a few themes. Knowing the theme is the fastest way to find your heading.

  • Graphite and activated carbon: headings 3801 and 3802. Activated carbon is 380210.
  • Wood and rosin products: headings 3805, 3806 and 3807, such as turpentine oils, rosin and wood tar.
  • Pesticides and disinfectants: heading 3808, for insecticides, fungicides, herbicides and the like.
  • Additives and process chemicals: 3811 for oil additives, 3812 for rubber accelerators and plasticisers, and 3815 for catalysts.
  • Lab and biology products: 3821 for culture media and 3822 for diagnostic and laboratory reagents.
  • Fuels and gases: 3826 for biodiesel and 3827 for halogenated mixtures.

How to choose the right Chapter 38 code

Start with the most specific heading. Use a catch-all only when nothing else fits.

Heading 3824 is the broad home for prepared binders and chemical preparations that are named nowhere else. Heading 3825 is for leftovers: municipal waste, sewage sludge, clinical waste and used solvents. Heading 3827 is narrower still. Use it when the mixture contains halogenated derivatives of methane, ethane or propane. So when you compare 3824 and 3827 for a chemical mixture, check for those halogenated compounds first.

Pack size matters in heading 3808. Its subheadings split retail packs by net weight, with limits of 300g and 7.5kg. Check the pack before you pick a code.

Some headings carry exclusions. Heading 3816 leaves out the products of heading 3801. Heading 3822 leaves out certain pharmaceutical kits that belong in Chapter 30. Headings 3819 and 3826 both set a limit on how much petroleum oil the product may contain, and goods above that limit go to other chapters.

Still unsure? The HS classifier can help you narrow down the code for your product.

Import and export data for Chapter 38 chemicals

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.

Find buyers and suppliers of Chapter 38 chemicals

You can search by HS code to see who imports and exports a product, and book a free demo.

Pick a heading from the list above first. Then open the import data or export data pages. The buyer data and supplier data pages show the companies behind the chemical you sell or source.

Related

Other chapters in Section VI

Products of the Chemical or Allied Industries covers chapters 28–38.

These codes carry real shipments.

EximDataX shows the live import–export records filed under Chapter 38: named buyers, suppliers, quantities and values from official customs feeds.

See live data for Chapter 38
Straight answers

HS Chapter 38: common questions

What is HS code 38?

It is the Harmonized System chapter titled "Chemical products n.e.c.". It holds miscellaneous chemical goods that other chapters do not cover.

What does n.e.c. mean in HS chapter 38?

It means "not elsewhere classified". A product goes here only if no more specific chemical chapter describes it.

What does HS code 38 include?

It includes graphite, activated carbon, wood and rosin products, pesticides, oil additives, catalysts, reagents and biodiesel. Each has its own heading from 3801 to 3827.

What is the difference between HS 3824 and 3825?

Think of 3824 as chemical mixtures and binders with no better home. Think of 3825 as waste and residues from industry and cities.

What is the HS code for activated carbon?

Activated carbon is 380210. It sits under heading 3802, next to activated natural mineral products and animal black.

What is the HS code for pesticides and disinfectants in retail packs?

Look at heading 3808. It covers insecticides, rodenticides, fungicides, herbicides and disinfectants, and its subheadings depend on pack weight.

What is the HS code for biodiesel and mixtures?

Biodiesel and its mixtures go under 382600 in heading 3826, as long as they stay under the petroleum oil limit in the heading text.

See what your buyers are buying.Then decide.

Everything we show you comes from official customs filings — records, not claims. 30 minutes. Your shipment. Your HS code. Real platform. If you don’t see something new about your market by the end of the call, we walk away. No follow-ups.

Show me my buyersSee why we beat Volza & Import Genius
Free 3-day test account. No card on file. No funnel email sequence.