HS Code 4017Hard rubber (e.g. ebonite) in all forms, including waste and scrap; articles of hard rubber

Hard rubber HS code 4017: what it covers

Hard rubber is rubber that has been cured until it is stiff and barely bends. Ebonite is the familiar type. Some trades call it vulcanite. Customs papers use the name hard rubber, so that is the term to look for in the Harmonized System.

The heading is wide on purpose. It takes the material in every form, such as plates, rods, tubes and powder. It takes the leftovers from cutting or wear. It also takes finished goods made from the material. A raw ebonite rod, an off-cut and a moulded part can all land here.

Most other headings in this chapter deal with soft, vulcanised rubber. Heading 4017 is the one place for the hard kind.

HSN code 4017 and HTS code 4017 on national lines

The World Customs Organization sets the shared base of the Harmonized System. For hard rubber, that base is 401700. Countries then add digits of their own. India calls its version the HSN code. The United States calls its version the HTS code. The first digits stay the same everywhere.

This matters when you read a customs record or a quote. A local line for an ebonite plate or sheet may carry extra digits. Those extra digits are local rules, so check them for the country you ship to.

Duty and tax rates are also set by each country, not by the shared base. Look them up in the tariff of the importing market. If you are unsure which code fits your goods, the HS code classifier can help with customs classification.

Is hard rubber waste classified under 4017 or 4004?

People mix these up often. The test is simple: is the material hard rubber or not? Scrap, parings and waste from other rubber, plus powders and granules made from it, go to heading 4004.

The same hard or not-hard test settles the classification of ebonite goods against other close headings:

• 4008 covers plates, sheets, strip, rods and profile shapes of vulcanised rubber that is not hard. A hard rubber sheet goes to 4017 instead.
• 4016 is the catch-all for other vulcanised rubber articles that are not hard.
• Fittings of hard rubber may be attached, but the main article is soft, so it stays in 4014.
• 4003 covers reclaimed rubber in primary forms, plates, sheets or strip. It is a different material.

Who imports hard rubber under HS code 4017?

A search on this heading brings up ebonite, hard rubber scrap and hard rubber articles together. Read import data and export data by market, then move to buyer data and supplier data to find companies.

Here is what EximDataX offers for this search:

• 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 40

If your goods are not hard rubber, try a neighbouring heading. Natural rubber is in 4001 and synthetic rubber is in 4002. Compounded rubber is in 4005. Each heading has its own page.