HTS Chapter 34: Soap, washing and lubricating preparations, waxes, candles
HTS Chapter 34 covers Soap, washing and lubricating preparations, waxes, candles. Browse 6 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 34 covers many chemical preparations used for washing, cleaning, lubricating, polishing, waxing, and certain dental or modeling purposes. Its headings include soap and skin-washing products (3401), other surface-active and cleaning preparations (3402), lubricating preparations (3403), artificial and prepared waxes (3404), polishes and similar preparations (3405), and modeling or certain dental preparations (3407).
The HTS is organized from broad to specific: chapter, heading, subheading, and then the complete 10-digit statistical reporting number. Start by identifying the product’s actual composition, physical form, function, packaging, and intended use. Then compare the relevant heading texts, legal notes, exclusions, and subheading descriptions. Similar products can classify differently based on whether they contain soap, are primarily petroleum-based, are prepared for retail sale, or are designed for a particular use. When the facts are complex or documentation is incomplete, a customs broker or binding-ruling request may be appropriate.
What to check
- Identify the product’s ingredients, chemical composition, physical form, packaging, and principal use before selecting a heading.
- Distinguish soap products in heading 3401 from non-soap surface-active, washing, or cleaning preparations in heading 3402.
- Check exclusions and qualifying conditions, including petroleum-oil content, retail presentation, and whether a preparation is specifically covered by another heading.
- Read every subheading level and the statistical suffix; do not stop at the four-digit heading when preparing an entry.
- After selecting the base HTS classification, check current Chapter 99 provisions and other applicable measures separately, using the product’s origin and entry circumstances.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 3401 | Soap; organic surface-active products and preparations for use as soap, in the form of bars, cakes, molded pieces or shapes, whether or not containing soap; organic surface-active products and preparations for washing the skin, in the form of liquid or cream and put up for retail sale, whether or not containing soap; paper, wadding, felt and nonwovens, impregnated, coated or covered with soap or detergent: | 0 |
| 3402 | Organic surface-active agents (other than soap); surface-active preparations, washing preparations (including auxiliary washing preparations) and cleaning preparations, whether or not containing soap, other than those of heading 3401: | 0 |
| 3403 | Lubricating preparations (including cutting-oil preparations, bolt or nut release preparations, antirust or anticorrosion preparations and mold release preparations, based on lubricants) and preparations of a kind used for the oil or grease treatment of textile materials, leather, furskins or other materials, but excluding preparations containing, as basic constituents, 70 percent or more by weight of petroleum oils or oils obtained from bituminous minerals: | 0 |
| 3404 | Artificial waxes and prepared waxes: | 0 |
| 3405 | Polishes and creams, for footwear, furniture, floors, coachwork, glass or metal, scouring pastes and powders and similar preparations (whether or not in the form of paper, wadding, felt, nonwovens, cellular plastics or cellular rubber, impregnated, coated or covered with such preparations), excluding waxes of heading 3404: | 0 |
| 3407 | Modeling pastes, including those put up for children's amusement; preparations known as "dental wax" or as "dental impression compounds", put up in sets, in packings for retail sale or in plates, horseshoe shapes, sticks or similar forms; other preparations for use in dentistry, with a basis of plaster (of calcined gypsum or calcium sulfate): | 0 |
Linked measures
0 linked measure entries in the current snapshot.
Questions about HTS Chapter 34
What does HTS Chapter 34 cover?
HTS Chapter 34 covers Soap, washing and lubricating preparations, waxes, candles. 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 34 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.