Silver HS Codes
China is a net exporter of silver: exports of unwrought silver (7106.91) run several times imports, and need an export licence. Silver-bearing scrap (7112.99) and silver ash (7112.30) are banned from import.
Trade volumes cover Sep 2025 – Aug 2026, from China customs official statistics.
Full silver HS code list
Six-digit codes are the WCO international standard and identical worldwide. Tonnage is China’s actual customs-recorded trade for each code.
| HS code | Description | Imports | Exports | Import duty | Import status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7106.912 CN subheadings | Silver, unwrought99.99%+ purity is 7106.91.10. Exports need an export licence (code 4). | 1.3 kt$3.30bn | 5.0 kt$9.73bn | 0% | — |
| 7106.104 CN subheadings | Silver powderExports need an export licence (code 4) | 2.3 kt$732m | 102 t$51m | 0% | — |
| 7106.922 CN subheadings | Silver, semi-manufacturedExports need an export licence (code 4) | 353 t$355m | 11 t$14m | 0% | — |
| 7112.99 | Waste and scrap containing silver or silver compoundsTariff line 7112.99.10; regulatory condition 9 = import prohibited (7112.99.90, other precious-metal scrap under the same HS6, is not). | — | 63 t$12m | 8% | Import banned |
| 7112.30 | Ash containing silver or silver compoundsTariff line 7112.30.10; regulatory condition 9 = import prohibited | — | <1 t$2k | 8% | Import banned |
Where a provisional rate applies, the large figure is the rate actually paid and the MFN rate is shown beneath it. Rates are shown only where we have verified them; a dash means we have not confirmed the current rate, not that the rate is zero. Duty and regulatory status change — confirm against the current tariff schedule or a licensed broker before you declare.
Silver scrap HS code
Import into China is prohibited. Silver waste and scrap is classified as solid waste, banned since 2021, and — unlike copper and aluminium — there is no recycled-material national standard that exempts it. Exports out of China are unrestricted.
This is why the import column above reads zero for scrap: it is not a data gap, it is the ban showing up in the official statistics.
Six digits, eight digits, ten digits
The first six digits are the WCO Harmonized System and are the same in every member country. That is the number you quote to a counterparty abroad, and it is what this page lists.
China then extends each subheading to eight digits in its own tariff schedule, and to ten digits for the statistical code actually written on a customs declaration. The extension is not cosmetic: a single HS6 can split into codes with different duty rates and different regulatory conditions.
A worked example worth remembering — refined copper cathode is HS 7403.11 internationally, but 7403.11.00 does not exist in the Chinese schedule. The real codes are 7403.11.11, 7403.11.19 and 7403.11.90. Quoting a code you derived by appending zeros will return nothing at customs, silently.
Silver prices and import policy
HS codes for other metals
Classification guidance on this page is informational. Binding classification is the responsibility of the declarant; consult a licensed customs broker for shipments. Largest import line over Sep 2025 – Aug 2026: HS 7106.10, 2.3 kt.