Chapter 47 Pulp of wood or other fibrous cellulosic material; recovered (waste and scrap) paper or paperboard

HS Code 47 Wood Pulp: What the Chapter Covers

Pulp is a soft mass of plant fibre. Mills press it into paper and paperboard. The chapter also covers recovered paper, which is waste and scrap paper that gets reused. In some countries the same chapter is called HSN code 47.

The chapter can be read in three simple groups:

• Wood pulp: headings 4701 to 4705.
• Pulp from other fibres, such as cotton linters, bamboo and recovered paper: heading 4706.

HS Code 47 Headings in Plain Words

Each heading has its own page with the full list of six-digit codes. Here is what each one means, with one example code where it helps.

• Wood is ground or shredded into fibre. Example: 470100.
• These grades are made to be dissolved and turned into other materials. Example: 470200.
• HS 4703 is chemical wood pulp made by the soda or sulphate (kraft) process. It excludes dissolving grades.
• HS 4704 is chemical wood pulp made by the sulphite process. It also excludes dissolving grades.
• HS 4705 is wood pulp made by a mix of mechanical and chemical steps. Example: 470500.
• HS 4706 is pulp from recovered paper or from other fibre sources. Example: 470610.
• Example: 470710.

How to Find the Correct HS Code Under Chapter 47

Start with how the pulp was made. If wood was only ground up, look at 4701. If chemicals broke the wood down, look at 4702, 4703 or 4704. If both methods were used together, look at 4705.

Next, check the grade. Dissolving grades go to 4702. All other chemical pulp goes to 4703 or 4704.

Then tell sulphate from sulphite. Heading 4704 is sulphite pulp. The pulping chemicals are the only difference, so check your mill documents.

Last, look at the splits inside 4703 and 4704. Both separate unbleached pulp from semi-bleached or bleached pulp. Both also separate coniferous wood (softwood) from non-coniferous wood (hardwood). Those two choices decide your final six-digit code. For a quick check on a product, try the HS code classifier.

Pulp From Other Fibres vs Waste Paper (4706 vs 4707)

These two headings are often mixed up. Heading 4706 is pulp. It is already broken down into fibre. Heading 4707 is paper or paperboard that has been used and thrown away. It is still in sheets, bales or scraps.

Under 4706, cotton linters pulp is 470610 and bamboo pulp is 470630. Pulp made from recovered paper is 470620. The codes from 470691 to 470693 hold pulp from other fibrous plants, split by mechanical, chemical or combined processes.

Under 4707, the split is by paper type. Scrap made mainly of bleached chemical pulp is 470720. Newspapers and journals are 470730. Mixed or unsorted scrap goes to 470790.

If your goods are finished paper or paperboard, look at chapter 48.

HS Code 47 Import and Export Data

EximDataX shows shipment-level import and export records from official customs sources. You can search by HS code to see who imports and exports a product.

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.

To start, pick a heading above and open its page. You can also book a free demo.