HS Code 7212Iron or non-alloy steel; flat-rolled products, width less than 600mm, clad, plated or coated

What HS code 7212 covers

Flat-rolled means the steel has been rolled into a flat shape, like sheet or strip. Under 600mm wide means it is a narrow product. Clad, plated or coated means a layer has been added to the surface.

Customs offices treat all three words as one test. The steel must be flat, it must be narrow, and it must have a layer on it. If any one of these is missing, the goods belong in another heading.

Some countries call the same number the HSN code 7212. The digits match the HS number, and the customs description is the wording that decides the match.

HS 7212 subheadings: tin, zinc, painted, clad

Each six-digit code names one kind of layer. This is the plain-word version of each one:

• 721210: tin-plated steel. Look for a tin layer on the surface.
• 721220: electrolytically zinc-coated steel. The zinc is put on with an electric current.
• 721230: zinc-coated steel that was not done by electrolysis. Hot-dip galvanized strip usually goes here.
• 721250: plated or coated with something else, which is not tin, zinc or plastic.
• 721260: clad steel. A layer of another metal is bonded to the base steel.

How to pick the right 7212 code

Work through these steps in order. Stop when you reach a code that fits.

• Measure the width. It must be less than 600mm.
• Check the base.
• Name the layer. Is it tin, zinc, paint, varnish, plastic, another metal, or a bonded cladding?
• If the layer is zinc, ask how it was applied. Electrolytic zinc goes to 721220. Any other zinc method goes to 721230.
• If the layer is none of the above, use 721250.
• If you are unsure, run the product through the HS code classifier before you file.

7212 vs 7210, 7211, 7220 and 7226

Four nearby headings are often mixed up with 7212. The difference is width, coating or steel type.

Heading 7210 is also clad, plated or coated, but the strip is 600mm or more wide. Heading 7211 has the same narrow width as 7212, but the steel is not clad, plated or coated. So the question between 7211 and 7212 is simply whether there is a layer.

Stainless steel does not go in 7212. Narrow stainless strip goes in 7220, and wide stainless goes in 7219. Alloy steel is also kept apart. Narrow alloy strip goes in 7226, and wide alloy goes in 7225.

Plain wide steel with no layer sits in 7208 if it is hot-rolled and in 7209 if it is cold-rolled.

Import export data, buyers and suppliers for 7212

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.

For inbound trade, open the import data page and filter by 7212 or by one of its six-digit codes. For outbound trade, use the export data page in the same way. Searching by the exact subheading, such as 721210 for tin-plated strip, keeps tinplate and galvanized strip from blurring together.

If you sell or source coated steel, the buyer data and supplier data pages show the companies behind the shipments.