For ordinary bulk green tea in immediate packings above 3 kg, HS 0902.20 is the usual six-digit starting point—not an automatic final declaration code. A buyer should first freeze what the goods are, how they were processed, whether they are still tea rather than a preparation, and the net content of each immediate packing. Then extend the six-digit HS candidate through the current tariff schedule and ruling practice of the importing country.
This guide supplies the classification evidence behind the site's EU EORI and TARIC checklist and customs-broker handoff.
Start with the legal wording, not a supplier code
The World Customs Organization's current HS 2022 nomenclature places “tea, whether or not flavoured” in heading 09.02. At six digits it separates green tea that is not fermented from black or partly fermented tea, then separates immediate packings not exceeding 3 kg from “other” packings. The four core subheadings are:
| HS subheading | Legal description in practical terms | Buyer question |
|---|---|---|
| 0902.10 | Green tea, not fermented, in immediate packings of 3 kg or less | Is each pack presented to customs at or below the threshold? |
| 0902.20 | Other green tea, not fermented | Is this green tea in larger immediate packs or another presentation outside 0902.10? |
| 0902.30 | Black or partly fermented tea in immediate packings of 3 kg or less | Does the processing state and pack size match both conditions? |
| 0902.40 | Other black or partly fermented tea | Is the tea fermented/partly fermented and outside the small-pack line? |
Chunmee 41022, Gunpowder 3505, an internal SKU, harvest date, leaf size and quality grade do not replace this legal analysis. They may help identify the commercial product, but they are not HS subheadings. Likewise, a 25 kg outer carton does not settle the question if it contains individually packed 500 g retail units; record the actual immediate packing presented with the goods and obtain destination-specific advice where the packaging arrangement is uncertain.
Build one eight-gate classification record
| Control gate | Evidence to freeze | Hold trigger |
|---|---|---|
| Nomenclature version | Import date, current HS edition and current destination tariff version | The code was copied from an old shipment without a date check |
| Product identity | Botanical/common name, tea style, intended use and physical form | The description says only “tea,” a grade code or an SKU |
| Processing state | Green/not fermented, partly fermented or black/fermented, supported by specification | Commercial colour name and actual processing conflict |
| Composition | Pure tea, flavouring and every added ingredient or carrier | A blend or preparation was treated as plain tea without review |
| Immediate packing | Inner pack type, net content and pack hierarchy as imported | Only the shipping carton, sack or container total is recorded |
| National extension | Destination's current 8-, 10- or other-digit code and applicable measures | A six-digit HS candidate is entered as the complete local code |
| Authority evidence | Ruling, official database extract, broker review and factual match where needed | The goods differ from the evidence or uncertainty remains material |
| Document control | Approved description/code, owner, version, effective date and change triggers | Invoice, packing list, ENS and declaration use different data |
Run an eight-step buyer workflow
1. Freeze the goods before searching a tariff
Start from the signed bulk green tea specification, approved sample, ingredient statement and actual pack drawing. Record whether the goods are loose leaf, broken tea, fannings, powder or an extract/preparation. Heading 09.02 can cover tea whether or not flavoured, but that wording is not permission to classify every drink mix, botanical blend or formulated powder as tea. If added materials change the product's identity, review the legal notes, official explanatory material and relevant rulings.
2. Prove the processing category
Use production and product evidence to distinguish green tea that is not fermented from partly fermented or black tea. Do not decide from liquor colour, marketing language or a numeric trade grade. If the product description, process statement and sample do not agree, stop the code approval and clarify the goods first. The site's green tea grade-code guide explains why commercial grades and customs codes solve different problems.
3. Map the complete composition
List tea, flavours, flowers, fruit pieces, carriers, sweeteners and other ingredients in order of presence where known. Plain and flavoured tea may both sit in heading 09.02, but more complex mixtures require a real classification analysis. Link the approved formula to the flavoured-tea declaration checklist; a changed flavour system can affect both customs evidence and food labelling.
4. Measure the immediate packing
For the six-digit green-tea split, the threshold is the content of the immediate packing, not the total shipment, container payload or pallet. Capture each unit's net tea content and the hierarchy around it. A shipment of 25 kg lined sacks normally points toward the “other green tea” line, while many 1 kg pouches inside master cartons point toward the small-pack line. Treat these as classification candidates until the importer verifies the destination rule and actual presentation.
5. Select the six-digit HS candidate
Apply the heading and subheading wording to the frozen facts. For pure, not-fermented green tea in immediate packs above 3 kg, document why 0902.20 is the candidate. For packs at or below 3 kg, document why 0902.10 is the candidate. Do not choose a code merely because a supplier invoice, marketplace listing or previous broker entry used it. Keep the factual analysis beside the code so another reviewer can reproduce the decision.
6. Extend the code in the destination schedule
The HS harmonises the first six digits; the importing jurisdiction's legal tariff supplies the complete declaration code and current measures. The WCO itself directs traders to the relevant national tariff schedule for final import or export classification. In the EU, the 2026 Combined Nomenclature is an eight-digit system based on the HS, and TARIC adds current measures. Record the database, version, access date and destination rather than storing a “global HS code” with no context.
7. Check consequences and seek a ruling when needed
Classification can drive more than duty: licences, restrictions, certificates, trade remedies, origin treatment, statistics and other controls may depend on it. A zero duty rate therefore does not make classification optional. When composition, process or packaging creates material uncertainty, ask the importer and customs adviser whether an advance or binding ruling is appropriate. In the EU, a Binding Tariff Information decision is generally valid for three years and binds customs administrations and its holder only for goods matching the decision; incomplete or inaccurate application facts can invalidate it.
8. Reconcile documents and control changes
Approve one product description and code record for the quotation, purchase order, commercial invoice, packing list, transport instructions, pre-arrival filing and customs entry. Then define change triggers: new ingredients, different fermentation, retail repacking, revised inner net weight, a new destination, an annual tariff update or a superseded ruling. Use the importer master-data change-control checklist so an old code does not survive after the goods change.
Keep five requirement types separate
- International nomenclature: the WCO HS supplies harmonised headings, six-digit subheadings and interpretive structure.
- Legal requirement: the destination's current tariff legislation and customs decisions control the final declarable code and consequences.
- Trade reference: a supplier code, broker suggestion, database search result or previous entry is useful evidence but is not automatically binding.
- Buyer specification: freezes the product, composition, process, packing facts and evidence needed to classify consistently.
- Contract requirement: allocates who supplies facts, approves the code, obtains rulings, corrects errors and bears defined costs; it cannot override customs law.
Common buyer mistakes
- Confusing Chunmee or Gunpowder grade numbers with customs codes.
- Using “green tea” without documenting the processing state.
- Ignoring flavours, carriers or other added ingredients.
- Testing the 3 kg threshold against the outer carton or total shipment.
- Using six digits as though they were every country's complete legal code.
- Checking duty but not non-tariff measures linked to classification.
- Copying a ruling without confirming that its goods and validity match.
- Letting invoice, pre-arrival and import-entry descriptions drift apart.
- Failing to reclassify after a formula, pack or destination change.
Practical conclusion
Use the sequence freeze goods - prove process - map composition - measure immediate packing - select the six-digit candidate - extend it nationally - resolve uncertainty - control changes. The useful output is not just “0902.20.” It is a dated, reproducible classification record that the importer, supplier and broker can reconcile to the actual bulk tea.
Connect that record to Yunjing Tea's sample-to-shipment quality controls, bulk packing plan and controlled supplier document pack. Then send the tea style, composition, pack size and destination for a specification-based discussion; the importer and competent customs authority remain responsible for the final destination classification.
Sources checked 21 October 2026: the World Customs Organization's current HS 2022 nomenclature and official Chapter 9 text for heading 09.02; the WCO's HS FAQ on national tariff schedules and official interpretation; the European Commission's current tariff-classification guidance; its notice confirming that the 2026 Combined Nomenclature applies from 1 January 2026; Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1926; and the Commission's current Binding Tariff Information guidance. Recheck the exact goods, import date, tariff version, destination code, measures and ruling status before every declaration.
