HTS Chapter 03: Fish, crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates
HTS Chapter 03 covers Fish, crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates. Browse 9 published headings, then narrow to the active product line that matches the goods.
2026 HTS Rev 19 Synced Rules verified Operational
Written to help non-specialists understand this page. Rates, dates, and legal facts come from the official records above and on the linked source.
HTS Chapter 03 generally covers fish, crustaceans, molluscs, and certain other aquatic invertebrates, along with specified products made from them. Coverage depends heavily on the product’s condition and preparation—for example, whether it is live, fresh, chilled, frozen, dried, salted, smoked, cooked in a specified way, or presented as fillets, other fish meat, or human-consumption flour, meal, or pellets.
The HTS is organized in levels: chapter, heading, subheading, and the complete 10-digit statistical reporting number. In Chapter 03, headings 0301 through 0309 separate broad product groups. To select the correct 10-digit code, identify the species or product type, physical condition, preparation, presentation, and intended use, then read the heading and subheading text, legal notes, exclusions, and statistical descriptions. Products that are substantially prepared or preserved, or that contain significant additional ingredients, may fall outside Chapter 03 and require review of another chapter, such as Chapter 16.
What to check
- Identify the exact aquatic animal or product, including species where the tariff text distinguishes it, and record whether it is whole, in shell, filleted, minced, or otherwise presented.
- Verify the condition and processing: live, fresh, chilled, frozen, dried, salted, in brine, smoked, steamed, boiled, or otherwise cooked. Do not rely only on the product’s marketing name.
- Check Chapter 03 notes, heading and subheading exclusions, and the relevant tariff provisions for prepared foods, extracts, mixed products, or non-human animal feed.
- Use the product’s intended use carefully, but do not let marketing language override the tariff wording; material, composition, presentation, and processing often control classification.
- After selecting the 10-digit code, check the current HTS entry for any applicable Chapter 99 provisions, additional duties, quota measures, and agency requirements, and obtain customs-broker or ruling advice when the classification is uncertain.
How to use this chapter
A chapter is the first classification level, not a duty rate. Choose the heading that describes the product, narrow by material, construction, use, or other legal distinctions, and verify the final line against the official HTS notes.
Heading list
| HTS code | Description | Linked 8-digit entries |
|---|---|---|
| 0301 | Live fish: | 3 |
| 0302 | Fish, fresh or chilled, excluding fish fillets and other fish meat of heading 0304: | 8 |
| 0303 | Fish, frozen, excluding fish fillets and other fish meat of heading 0304: | 11 |
| 0304 | Fish fillets and other fish meat (whether or not minced), fresh, chilled or frozen: | 10 |
| 0305 | Fish, dried, salted or in brine; smoked fish, whether or not cooked before or during the smoking process: | 0 |
| 0306 | Crustaceans, whether in shell or not, live, fresh, chilled, frozen, dried, salted or in brine; smoked crustaceans, whether in shell or not, whether or not cooked before or during the smoking process; crustaceans, in shell, cooked by steaming or by boiling in water, whether or not chilled, frozen, dried, salted or in brine: | 9 |
| 0307 | Molluscs, whether in shell or not, live, fresh, chilled, frozen, dried, salted or in brine; smoked molluscs, whether in shell or not, whether or not cooked before or during the smoking process: | 7 |
| 0308 | Aquatic invertebrates other than crustaceans and molluscs, live, fresh, chilled, frozen, dried, salted or in brine; smoked aquatic invertebrates other than crustaceans and molluscs, whether or not cooked before or during the smoking process: | 1 |
| 0309 | Flours, meals and pellets of fish, crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates, fit for human consumption: | 0 |
Linked measures
0 linked measure entries in the current snapshot.
Questions about HTS Chapter 03
What does HTS Chapter 03 cover?
HTS Chapter 03 covers Fish, crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates. This page groups the chapter’s 4-digit headings; a shipment still needs the most specific active 8- or 10-digit line supported by the product facts.
Is HTS Chapter 03 a final product classification?
No. A chapter is a broad 2-digit category. Narrow it to the applicable heading and the most specific active statistical line before estimating duty or filing an entry.