Chapter 86 Railway, tramway locomotives, rolling-stock and parts thereof; railway or tramway track fixtures and fittings and parts thereof; mechanical (including electro-mechanical) traffic signalling equipment of all kinds

What HS code 86 railway equipment covers

This chapter of the Harmonized System is about vehicles that run on rails. That means train engines, passenger coaches, goods wagons and the repair vehicles that work on the line. It also covers the parts of this rolling stock, such as bogies, wheels and brakes.

The chapter goes beyond the trains themselves. One heading, 8609, holds containers built for carriage by one or more modes of transport.

You may see the same six-digit code called an HSN code. The digits are the same. Only the name changes from place to place.

HS code 86 headings: locomotives, coaches, wagons and parts

Each heading below has its own page with the full list of six-digit codes. Open the one that matches your product.

• 8601: Electric rail locomotives. They take power from an external source of electricity or from electric accumulators, which are batteries.
• 8602: Other rail locomotives and locomotive tenders. Diesel-electric engines have their own code here.
• These carry their own power.
• 8604: Maintenance and service vehicles.
• 8606: Goods vans and wagons that are not self-propelled, including tank wagons, covered wagons and open wagons.
• 8607: Rolling-stock parts such as bogies and bissel-bogies, axles and wheels, brakes, and coupling devices.

How to choose the right railway HS code

Start with the product, then ask a few simple questions. The answers usually point to one heading.

Is it a locomotive? Look at the power source. If it takes power from a wire or a battery, use 8601. If it is diesel-electric or any other type, use 8602. Locomotive tenders also belong in 8602.

Is it a coach, van or wagon? Ask whether it moves under its own power. If yes, it goes in 8603. If it is hauled by an engine, a passenger or special coach goes in 8605 and a goods wagon goes in 8606. Maintenance and service vehicles have their own heading, 8604, whether or not they are self-propelled. Headings 8603 and 8605 both exclude 8604.

Is it a part? Railway parts go in 8607. Bogies, wheels, brakes and coupling devices each have a separate code there, so match the exact part. A locomotive part that is not named elsewhere goes in the catch-all code 860791.

Is it fixed to the track or used to control traffic? That is 8608. The heading is wider than rail.

Is it a container? Check 8609. If you are unsure about any of these, try the HS code classifier.

Railway equipment import and export data: how to find buyers

A code tells you what a product is. Customs records tell you who trades it. Once you know your code, you can look up real railway shipments.

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.

Related chapters: road, air and sea transport

This chapter stops at the rail line. Cars, trucks and other road vehicles are in chapter 87. Aircraft and spacecraft are in chapter 88. If your product does not run on rails, check these chapters next.