HS Code 5101Wool, not carded or combed

What HS code 5101 covers

Heading 5101 is for raw wool, the fibre as it comes off the sheep before it is made ready for spinning. Carding and combing are the steps that straighten fibres, and this heading sits before both of them.

Customs classification of wool starts here. Chapter 51 deals with wool and animal hair, and Section XI deals with textiles as a whole. Importers and exporters put these codes on their declarations, so a wrong code can cause delays and questions at the border.

Four terms matter for this heading. Greasy wool still holds its natural grease. Fleece-washed wool is washed while still in the fleece, and it still counts as greasy here. Degreased wool has had the grease taken out. Carbonised wool has been treated to remove plant matter such as burrs.

How to pick the right 5101 subheading

Shorn means the wool was cut from the animal by shearing. The group called other than shorn covers the rest, such as pulled wool. Work through the questions below in order.

Some tariffs and trade sites write the codes with a dot, so 510111 appears as 5101.11 and 510119 as 5101.19. They are the same codes.

• Is the wool carbonised? Use 510130.
• Is it degreased and not carbonised? Use 510121 if shorn, or 510129 if not shorn.
• Is it greasy, including fleece-washed? Use 510111 if shorn, or 510119 if not shorn.

Difference between HS 5101 and 5105 wool, and other nearby headings

Most mistakes come from picking a neighbouring heading. The rule of thumb is simple: 5101 is wool before any carding or combing, and the other headings cover what sits beside it or comes after it.

• 5102 covers fine or coarse animal hair in its raw state. It is hair, not wool.
• 5104 is garnetted stock, which is wool or hair made from reworked material.
• 5105 is wool and animal hair that has been carded or combed. Once raw wool goes through either step, it moves here.
• 5106 is yarn of carded wool. Wool that has been spun into yarn leaves the raw wool headings altogether.

Is the HS code for wool the same in every country?

The first six digits come from the Harmonized System and are shared by the countries that use it. Many countries add extra digits of their own and set their own duty rates, so the full tariff line can differ. Always check the national tariff of the importing country before you ship. If you are unsure which code fits your goods, the HS code classifier can help you test a product description.

Find HS 5101 importers and exporters in customs records

Raw wool moves between a small set of sellers and mills, and customs records show who they are. Use the 5101 heading, or one of its six-digit codes, to look up the wool buyers and wool suppliers you want to reach.

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.