HS Code 8438Machinery n.e.c. in this chapter, for the industrial preparation or manufacture of food or drink; other than machinery for extraction or preparation of animal or fixed vegetable or microbial fats or oils

What HS code 8438 covers

Think of a factory that makes bread, pasta, sweets, beer or sausages. The machines on its production line are food and drink preparation machinery. Heading 8438 is where many of them are classified. Some traders search for the same thing as HSN code 8438. The number is the same.

The key word is industrial. These are machines for factories, not kitchen gadgets or household appliances. They work on food or drink at scale.

One group is left out. Machines that extract or prepare animal, fixed vegetable or microbial fats and oils belong somewhere else in Chapter 84. If your machine presses or refines edible oil, do not use this heading.

The heading also works as a safety net. A machine lands here only when no more specific heading in the chapter describes it better. If another heading fits the machine more closely, use that one.

Food processing machinery by type

The codes under this heading follow the kind of food or drink being made. Here is how to read them in everyday words.

Start with the baked and sweet goods. Confectionery, cocoa and chocolate machinery has its own code, 843820. Sugar manufacturing machinery sits at 843830.

Next come drink and animal products. Brewery machinery is 843840. Fruit, nut and vegetable processing machinery is 843860.

The last two codes are different. Code 843880 is for food and drink machines that none of the codes above name. Code 843890 is for parts. If you ship spare parts for these machines, you will use 843890 and not the code of the whole machine.

Always read the full code description before you decide. A short label is only a guide.

How to pick the right code for food machinery

Start with the main job of the machine. Then compare it with the neighbouring headings before you settle on 8438. A few close calls come up again and again.

• 8434 is for milking machines and dairy machinery, so a milk plant may belong there.
• 8435 is for presses and crushers used to make wine, cider and fruit juice.
• 8437 is for machines that clean, sort or grade grain and seed, and for cereal milling.
• 8419 is for plant that treats materials by changing their temperature. Check it when heating or cooling is the machine's main job.
• 8422 is for machines that fill, close, seal or label bottles, cans and bags. A filling line may fit here and not in 8438.

Code structure and national tariffs

The code works like an address that gets more exact with every step. Chapter 84 holds machinery. A six-digit code such as 843840 narrows it again to one machine family.

These first six digits are shared by countries that use the Harmonized System of the World Customs Organization. Each country may add more digits for its own tariff, so a national code can be longer. Duty and tax are set at that national level, and this page does not list them. Our HS code classifier can help you check a product before you file.

Import and export data for food processing machinery

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. Start with the import data and export data pages. To look for companies, go to the buyer data and supplier data pages.