HTS Chapter 12: Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits; miscellaneous grains, seeds and fruit
HTS Chapter 12 covers Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits; miscellaneous grains, seeds and fruit. Browse 10 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 12 generally covers oil seeds and oleaginous fruits, their flours and meals, seeds used for sowing, certain plants and plant parts, hops, algae, sugar beet and sugar cane, and various forage products. Examples include soybeans, peanuts, rapeseed or colza seed, other oil seeds, planting seeds, medicinal or perfumery plants, and hay or similar animal-feed products. The exact classification depends on the product’s physical form, processing, composition, and intended use.
The HTS is organized in levels: a chapter is a broad product group; a heading is a four-digit category such as 1201; a subheading adds detail at six digits; and a U.S. tariff classification normally continues to a 10-digit statistical reporting number. Start with the heading whose wording best describes the goods, then read every subordinate provision, legal note, and exclusion before selecting the complete 10-digit code. The final result may also require checking applicable Chapter 99 provisions and other government-agency requirements.
What to check
- Describe the goods precisely: identify the plant or seed, whether it is whole or broken, and whether it is fresh, dried, roasted, cooked, ground, pelleted, or otherwise processed.
- Distinguish material from use. Check whether the product is intended for sowing, human consumption, animal feed, oil extraction, perfumery, pharmacy, or another purpose, and verify that the heading’s wording supports that use.
- Read the chapter notes, heading notes, subheading notes, and any exclusions. A product that seems to fit Chapter 12 may instead be covered elsewhere because of processing, preparation, packaging, or composition.
- Continue beyond the four- and six-digit levels to the applicable U.S. 10-digit code, using the current HTS and any relevant statistical descriptions.
- Check separately for Chapter 99 measures, additional duties or temporary provisions, and requirements from agencies such as USDA or FDA. Confirm uncertain classifications with a customs broker or seek a binding ruling from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 1201 | Soybeans, whether or not broken: | 1 |
| 1202 | Peanuts (ground-nuts), not roasted or otherwise cooked, whether or not shelled or broken: | 0 |
| 1205 | Rape or colza seeds, whether or not broken: | 2 |
| 1207 | Other oil seeds and oleaginous fruits, whether or not broken: | 2 |
| 1208 | Flours and meals of oil seeds or oleaginous fruits, other than those of mustard: | 1 |
| 1209 | Seeds, fruits and spores of a kind used for sowing: | 1 |
| 1210 | Hop cones, fresh or dried, whether or not ground, powdered or in the form of pellets; lupulin: | 1 |
| 1211 | Plants and parts of plants (including seeds and fruits), of a kind used primarily in perfumery, in pharmacy or for insecticidal, fungicidal or similar purposes, fresh, chilled, frozen or dried, whether or not cut, crushed or powdered: | 0 |
| 1212 | Locust beans, seaweeds and other algae, sugar beet and sugar cane, fresh, chilled, frozen or dried, whether or not ground; fruit stones and kernels and other vegetable products (including unroasted chicory roots of the variety Cichorium intybus sativum) of a kind used primarily for human consumption, not elsewhere specified or included: | 0 |
| 1214 | Rutabagas (swedes), mangolds, fodder roots, hay, alfalfa (lucerne), clover, sainfoin, forage kale, lupines, vetches and similar forage products, whether or not in the form of pellets: | 2 |
Linked measures
0 linked measure entries in the current snapshot.
Questions about HTS Chapter 12
What does HTS Chapter 12 cover?
HTS Chapter 12 covers Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits; miscellaneous grains, seeds and fruit. 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 12 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.