Zinc HS Codes
Of five zinc subheadings, the split that trips buyers up is purity: SHG (99.995%) and HG grades fall under different codes — 7901.11 versus 7901.12.
Trade volumes cover Oct 2025 – Sep 2026, from China customs official statistics.
Full zinc 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2608.00 | Zinc ores and concentratesZero import duty, entry clearance form (A) only, no licence required. Exports carry a 30% duty with no provisional relief (the 0% provisional line under this code covers feed-grade zinc oxide only) — like lead concentrate, it flows into China, not out. | 5.34 Mt$7.08bn | 3 t$5k | 0%Export 30% | — |
| 7901.112 CN subheadings | Zinc, not alloyed, unwrought, containing by weight ≥ 99.99% of zincSHG (Special High Grade, 99.995%) sits under this HS6. China splits it: 7901.11.10 for ≥99.995%, 7901.11.90 for 99.99–99.995%. Imports pay the 1% provisional rate. Export duty is 20%: 0% provisional for SHG, 5% for 99.99–99.995%. | 103.5 kt$342m | 219.6 kt$777m | 1%MFN 3%Export 20%（暂定 0~5%） | — |
| 7901.12 | Zinc, not alloyed, unwrought, containing by weight < 99.99% of zincHG (High Grade) falls here | 10.0 kt$30m | 183 t$579k | 1%MFN 3%Export 20%（暂定 15%） | — |
| 7901.20 | Zinc alloys, unwrought | 32.9 kt$110m | 15.6 kt$58m | 1%MFN 3%Export 20%（暂定 0%） | — |
| 7902.00 | Zinc waste and scrap | — | — | 1.5% | 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.
Zinc scrap HS code
Import into China is prohibited. Zinc 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.
Sourcing zinc
Looking up a code usually means there is a shipment behind it. Guilin Metals lists verified Chinese suppliers, recyclers and traders by metal and by region, alongside live prices and monthly trade statistics.
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 Oct 2025 – Sep 2026: HS 2608.00, 5.34 Mt.