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Chapter 72 Iron and steel

29 headings · 167 six-digit codes · World Customs Organization Harmonized System

HS code 72 iron and steel is the part of the tariff that describes the metal itself, before it becomes a finished product. Use this page to see how the headings fit together and which one your goods belong in.

Headings 7201 to 7229 make up Chapter 72: 29 headings and 167 six-digit codes, each with the description customs authorities read it by. The widest is 7202 (Ferro-alloys). The chapter sits in Section XV, Base Metals and Articles of Base Metal, alongside 10 other chapters.

Headings in this chapter

7201Pig iron and spiegeleisen in pigs, blocks or other primary forms720110 to 720150e.g. 720110 — Iron; non-alloy pig iron containing by weight 0.5% or less of phosphorus, in pigs, blocks or other primary forms7202Ferro-alloys720211 to 720299e.g. 720211 — Ferro-alloys; ferro-manganese, containing by weight more than 2% of carbon7203Ferrous products obtained by direct reduction of iron ore and other spongy ferrous products, in lumps, pellets or the like; iron having a minimum purity of 99.94%, in lumps, pellets or similar forms720310 to 720390e.g. 720310 — Ferrous products; obtained by direct reduction of iron ore, in lumps, pellets or similar forms7204Ferrous waste and scrap; remelting scrap ingots of iron or steel720410 to 720450e.g. 720410 — Ferrous waste and scrap; of cast iron7205Granules and powders, of pig iron, spiegeleisen, iron or steel720510 to 720529e.g. 720510 — Iron or steel, pig iron, spiegeleisen; granules thereof7206Iron and non-alloy steel in ingots or other primary forms (excluding iron of heading no. 7203)720610 to 720690e.g. 720610 — Iron or non-alloy steel; ingots (excluding iron of heading no. 7203)7207Iron or non-alloy steel; semi-finished products thereof720711 to 720720e.g. 720711 — Iron or non-alloy steel; semi-finished products of iron or non-alloy steel; containing by weight less than 0.25% of carbon, of rectangular (including square) cross-section, width less than twice thickness7208Iron or non-alloy steel; flat-rolled products of a width of 600mm or more, hot-rolled, not clad, plated or coated720810 to 720890e.g. 720810 — Iron or non-alloy steel; in coils, flat-rolled, of a width 600mm or more, hot-rolled, with patterns in relief7209Iron or non-alloy steel; flat-rolled products, width 600mm or more, cold-rolled (cold-reduced), not clad, plated or coated720915 to 720990e.g. 720915 — Iron or non-alloy steel; in coils, flat-rolled, width 600mm or more, cold-rolled, of a thickness of 3mm or more7210Iron or non-alloy steel; flat-rolled products, width 600mm or more, clad, plated or coated721011 to 721090e.g. 721011 — Iron or non-alloy steel; flat-rolled, width 600mm or more, plated or coated with tin, thickness of 0.5mm or more7211Iron or non-alloy steel; flat-rolled products, width less than 600mm, not clad, plated or coated721113 to 721190e.g. 721113 — Iron or non-alloy steel; flat-rolled, hot-rolled, rolled on four faces or in a closed box pass, of a width more than 150mm but less than 600mm, 4mm thick or more, not in coils, without patterns in relief7212Iron or non-alloy steel; flat-rolled products, width less than 600mm, clad, plated or coated721210 to 721260e.g. 721210 — Iron or non-alloy steel; flat-rolled, width less than 600mm, plated or coated with tin7213Iron or non-alloy steel; bars and rods, hot-rolled, in irregularly wound coils721310 to 721399e.g. 721310 — Iron or non-alloy steel; bars and rods, hot-rolled, in irregularly wound coils, containing indentations, ribs, grooves or other deformations produced during the rolling process7214Iron or non-alloy steel; bars and rods, not further worked than forged, hot-rolled, hot drawn or hot-extruded, but including those twisted after rolling721410 to 721499e.g. 721410 — Iron or non-alloy steel; bars and rods, forged, hot-rolled, hot-drawn or hot-extruded, but including those twisted after rolling7215Iron or non-alloy steel; bars and rods, n.e.c. in chapter 72721510 to 721590e.g. 721510 — Iron or non-alloy steel; bars and rods, of free-cutting steel, cold-formed or cold-finished, n.e.c. in chapter 727216Iron or non-alloy steel, angles, shapes and sections721610 to 721699e.g. 721610 — Iron or non-alloy steel; u, i or h sections, hot-rolled, hot-drawn or extruded, of a height of less than 80mm7217Wire of iron or non-alloy steel721710 to 721790e.g. 721710 — Iron or non-alloy steel; wire, (not plated or coated), whether or not polished7218Stainless steel in ingots or other primary forms; semi-finished products of stainless steel721810 to 721899e.g. 721810 — Steel, stainless; ingots and other primary forms7219Stainless steel; flat-rolled products of width of 600mm or more721911 to 721990e.g. 721911 — Steel, stainless; flat-rolled, width 600mm or more, hot-rolled, in coils, of a thickness exceeding 10mm7220Stainless steel; flat-rolled products of width less than 600mm722011 to 722090e.g. 722011 — Steel, stainless; flat-rolled, width less than 600mm, hot-rolled, of a thickness of 4.75mm or more7221Stainless steel bars and rods, hot-rolled, in irregularly wound coilse.g. 722100 — Steel, stainless; bars and rods, hot-rolled, in irregularly wound coils7222Stainless steel bars and rods, angles, shapes and sections722211 to 722240e.g. 722211 — Steel, stainless; bars and rods, hot-rolled, hot-drawn or extruded, of circular cross-section7223Stainless steel wiree.g. 722300 — Steel, stainless; wire7224Alloy steel in ingots or other primary forms, semi-finished products of other alloy steel722410 to 722490e.g. 722410 — Steel, alloy; ingots and other primary forms7225Alloy steel flat-rolled products, of a width 600mm or more722511 to 722599e.g. 722511 — Steel, alloy; flat-rolled, width 600mm or more, of silicon-electrical steel, grain-oriented7226Alloy steel flat-rolled products, of a width of less than 600mm722611 to 722699e.g. 722611 — Steel, alloy; flat-rolled, width less than 600mm, of silicon-electrical steel, grain-oriented7227Steel, alloy; bars and rods, hot-rolled, in irregularly wound coils722710 to 722790e.g. 722710 — Steel, alloy; bars and rods, hot-rolled, in irregularly wound coils, of high speed steel7228Alloy steel bars, rods, shapes and sections; hollow drill bars and rods, of alloy or non-alloy steel722810 to 722880e.g. 722810 — Steel, alloy; bars and rods, of high speed steel7229Wire of other alloy steel722920 to 722990e.g. 722920 — Steel, alloy; wire, of silico-manganese steel
Chapter 71All chaptersChapter 73

How chapter 72 iron and steel is organised

The chapter follows the steelmaking path. It starts with raw materials and ends with bars and wire. The headings fall into groups, and each group has its own job.

  • 7201 to 7205: pig iron and spiegeleisen, ferro-alloys, direct-reduced iron, ferrous waste and scrap, and granules and powders.
  • 7206 to 7217: iron and non-alloy steel, from ingots and semi-finished steel up to sheet, plate, bars, sections and wire.
  • 7218 to 7223: stainless steel, from primary forms up to sheet, bars and wire.
  • 7224 to 7229: other alloy steel, in primary forms, sheet, bars and wire.

How to find the correct HS code for iron and steel products

Ask four things in this order: what is it made of, what shape is it, how wide is it, and how was it finished. Each answer rules out most of the headings.

Start with the material. Non-alloy steel sits in 7206 to 7217, stainless steel in 7218 to 7223, and other alloy steel in 7224 to 7229. For semi-finished steel, heading 7207 also looks at the carbon content.

Next, check the shape. Ingots and other primary forms come first in each group. Flat sheet, bars, sections and wire follow. Wire has its own heading in each group: 7217, 7223 and 7229.

Then check width. The dividing line is 600mm. For non-alloy steel, 7208, 7209 and 7210 cover widths of 600mm or more, while 7211 and 7212 cover narrower material. Stainless steel uses 7219 and 7220 the same way, and alloy steel uses 7225 and 7226.

Last, look at rolling and coating. Hot-rolled flat steel goes to 7208 and cold-rolled to 7209. Plated, coated or painted flat steel goes to 7210. Hot-rolled bars in irregularly wound coils go to 7213, and other bars go to 7214 and 7215. If you are still unsure, try the HS code classifier.

Ferro-alloys, scrap and stainless steel codes

Ferro-alloys are named for the metal mixed with iron, such as manganese, silicon, chromium, nickel, molybdenum, tungsten, titanium, vanadium or niobium. Each has its own code, for example 720260 for ferro-nickel. Heading 7202 is the widest in the chapter. See HS 7202 ferro-alloys for the full list.

Scrap is easy to place once you know the type. Cast iron, stainless steel, alloy steel, tinned steel, and turnings and shavings each get a code, such as 720421 for stainless steel scrap. Remelting scrap ingots sit in the same place, under HS 7204 ferrous waste and scrap.

Stainless steel buyers often search by sheet width. Wide sheet goes to HS 7219 stainless steel flat-rolled, which then splits by hot-rolled or cold-rolled and by thickness. Narrow strip goes to HS 7220 stainless steel under 600mm.

Chapter 72 vs chapter 73 and the other base metals

Chapter 72 covers the material: ingots, coils, sheets, bars and wire. Chapter 73 covers things made from it. The test is simple. If the steel is still a raw or rolled form, look in 72. If it has been made into a finished item, look in Chapter 73: iron or steel articles.

Section XV also holds the other base metals. Chapter 81 holds other metals, 82 holds tools and cutlery, and 83 holds miscellaneous base metal goods. Aluminium buyers can go straight to Chapter 76: aluminium.

HS code 72 import and export data

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. Pick a code from the heading pages first, then open the import data, export data, buyer data or supplier data pages to work with it.

Related

Other chapters in Section XV

Base Metals and Articles of Base Metal covers chapters 72–83.

These codes carry real shipments.

EximDataX shows the live import–export records filed under Chapter 72: named buyers, suppliers, quantities and values from official customs feeds.

See live data for Chapter 72
Straight answers

HS Chapter 72: common questions

What is HS code 72?

It holds the metal in raw and rolled form.

What is the difference between chapter 72 and chapter 73?

Chapter 72 is for the material, such as ingots, coils, bars and wire. Chapter 73 is for finished articles made of iron or steel.

What is the HS code for stainless steel sheet?

Use 7219 when the sheet is 600mm wide or more. Use 7220 when it is narrower.

What is the HS code for steel scrap?

Ferrous waste and scrap falls under heading 7204. Its codes run from 720410 to 720450 and split by type, such as cast iron or stainless steel.

What is the HS code for ferro-alloys?

Ferro-alloys sit under heading 7202. Codes run from 720211 to 720299, and each one names the alloy metal.

How do I find the correct HS code for my steel product?

Check the material, shape, width, and whether it is hot-rolled, cold-rolled or coated. The HS code classifier can help you narrow it down.

See what your buyers are buying.Then decide.

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