HS Code for Footwear: Procedure for Export & Import

No wonder that footwear is one of the most important apparel products. Similar to other clothing, the demand for footwear is high due to its categorization as an important product for covering feet. Not only covering feet as a fashion, but footwear also has an essential function to protect human feet from dangerous things. Therefore, footwear is considered one of the most traded products internationally. In order to facilitate international trade, all parties should understand how important to declare Harmonized Standard (HS) code for footwear. This article will learn about structure of HS code for footwear, the major trading partners, along with finding the accurate HS code for footwear.  

Grasping the structure and list of the HS code for Footwear

Before stepping into the HS code for footwear, you might need to know what the meaning of the HS code is. HS code is a universal code for facilitating international trade that is administered and managed by the World Customs Organization (WCO). This code has a function to assist the customs authority in order to identify the traded products from other countries before entering the national border. The customs officer will assess the products to determine the tariff rates and other latest regulations. 

HS code for footwear or similar products is under Chapter 64. This 2-digit chapter includes all of the footwear, including all types of shoes, sandals, or flip-flops. Then, it can be followed by the other identification numbers, namely 2 digits of heading and 2 digits of subheading, which make the full HS code consist of 6-digit numbers. For example, the HS code for footwear is rubber or plastic sandals, which is under HS code 6402.99. Here is a detailed breakdown of the HS code for rubber or plastic sandals: 

• 64: Chapter code for all footwear, including sandals. 
• 02: Heading code for other footwear made from rubber, plastics, and leather. 
• 99: Subheading code for other classifications of this footwear, which include sandals. 

After 6 digit code, the additional code is mostly based on the trade policy in a specific country. The additional code may vary from 8-digit to 11-digit based on the implementation of the products, and it can be called a commodity code in the European Union and an HTS code in the United States. Other than this, there are some examples of 6-digit HS codes for footwear: 

Challenges to find the accurate HS code for Footwear

Finding the HS code somehow needs extra attention to improve the accuracy of the HS code for footwear. There are some challenges in order to identify and matching with the latest HS code for footwear. Here is the list of challenges to find the HS code for footwear. 

• The material of shoes or other footwear products sometimes changes due to the latest innovation, or sometimes there are combination of two or more materials in one product. Therefore, you need to pay attention to identifying the materials. 
• Some footwear is equipped with the smart new technology, such as AI or a 3D printer, that you might need to pay extra attention to. 
• Other things that you should be careful about when identifying the footwear are the country-specific variations of the HS code for footwear. Each country has its own HS code, and you need to understand that to get a smoot custom clearance process. 

The top 5 largest footwear trading countries

Before utilizing the HS code for footwear, we might need to know what is the major traders of footwear worldwide. This information is helpful for the market research about the leading exporters and importers of footwear, especially rubber or plastic footwear, which is under HS code 640299. The data about international trade of footwear was retrieved from the UN Comtrade Database. 

Source: UN Comtrade Database, accessed December 18, 2025

Based on the data above, China has become the leading exporter of rubber or plastic footwear, including sandals, with a valuation of nearly 20 billion USD. The countries in the second and third positions are Germany and Italy. Meanwhile, the Netherlands and Poland are in fourth and fifth place, respectively. This figure shows that the European countries are also the largest exporters of footwear under HS code 640299, but China is still the biggest exporter of this product, and more than all of the European countries combined. 

Source: UN Comtrade Database, accessed December 18, 2025

In terms of importers, the United States has become the leading country with a total import value of more than 5 billion USD. It is followed by Germany and France in the second and third position as the largest importers of rubber or plastic footwear under HS code 640299. The fourth and fifth biggest positions are occupied by Japan and Italy. 

Finding the accurate HS code for footwear in the HS Code Match 

We know that finding an accurate HS code for footwear is difficult and need an extra effort. However, you can use the third party application to help you find the accurate HS code for footwear, such as HS Code Match. Through this application, you can find and match HS codes for your footwear products without extra effort. Here is the step-by-step instruction to find the HS code for footwear using HS Code Match. 

• First step: Open the HS Code Match application by clicking hscodematch.com on your browser. Then, find the HS Code Search and set the country of origin and destination, along with the goods name. For this example, we can choose based on the largest exporting and importing countries for footwear under HS code 640299, such as China to France. 

• Second step: HS Code Match will provide the best preference HS code for your products under the HS code 640299. For this example, we can select the product for slippers under the HS code 6402995000 in France. 

• Third step: On the HS Code Details, you can see the explanation of the HS code from the Chapter to the Subheading. By looking at this page, you can check that the general import duty for exporting slippers from China to France is 16.8%. 

• Fourth step: If you still want to know about the regulation regarding the product under HS code 6402995000, you can see the list of regulations, such as Partner Government Agencies Notification and antidumping duties. For more information, you can use the provided AI Assistant to learn more about the exportation of this product. 

These are examples of an AI chatbot’s answers for exporting slippers under HS code 6402995000 from China to France: 

First question: What is the total tariff for exporting footwear under HS code 6402995000 from China to France?

Answer: There is no explicit total tariff for exporting footwear under the HS code 6402995000 from China to France. However, the tariff rates to export these footwear products to France is 16.8%, and this applies not only to China, but also to other countries based on the Most Favored Nations (MFN) regime. These regulations are mentioned in the EU general regime of importing products under HS code 6402995000. The EU has imposed an antidumping tariff rate of 62.5% for importing steel track shoes from China. However, this measure is not applied to the product under HS code 6402995000. Here is the summary table for tariff rates related to the footwear product in the EU countries. 

Second question: Are the 16.8% duties under the non-preferential regime applicable to all footwear under HS 6402995000?

Answer: The applicable tariff rate for all footwear products under HS code 6402995000 from China to France is 16.8%. A specific tariff rate is also applied for all products in this category, and it is based on the non-preferential regime under the ERGA OMNES principle. However, there is no exclusion for subcategories for other footwear products under this HS code. The only reference related to other tariff rates applied to leather and steel track shoes from China to the EU countries. There is further explanation related to the extension for 16.8% duty rates for products under the HS code 6402995000. Thus, there is a limitation in interpreting the tariff rate for all footwear under this classification. Here is the summary table to explain the tariff rates for products under HS code 6402995000. 

Third question: Can Chinese exporters avoid tariffs by misdirecting exports through intermediaries?

Answer: Yes, Chinese exporters can evade the tariff rate for exporting products under HS code 6402995000 to France or other EU countries. The avoidance tariff rates can be done through intermediate, similar to the case of ceramic tableware from China to the EU. These products have impacted the anti-dumping duties of 36% by exporting the products through third parties. Consequently, the European Commission has imposed sanction to more than 30 Chinese companies for this unfair practice of circumventing the higher tariff duty on exporting ceramic tableware. Based on the initial tariff rate of 18%, the EU imposed a retroactive duty to increase the tariff rate of 36% and make the total penalty of 15 million euros. From this case, we can conclude that the intermediaries or third country has acted not only as a logistical site, but also as a place to avoid the tariff rate from China to the EU. Here is the description table of the EU regulation for export through intermediaries. 

Conclusion

The declaration of the HS code for footwear is one of the requirements for cross-border trade of footwear. This process of finding the HS code for footwear is only beginning, yet it is crucial for customs clearance. Therefore, international trade parties must pay attention to this process and guarantee that their products will be marketed in the destination country. To alleviate the complexity in finding HS codes and the latest trade regulations, you can use a third-party application, namely HS Code Match. By using this AI-powered application, you can find the closest and most relevant HS codes for your products. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about HS code for Footwear

What is the tariff rate for exporting slippers underthe  HS code from China to France? 

For exporting slippers under the HS code, there is a general tariff 16,8%. This is non preferential tariff rates, which means it applied to all similar product to the European Union countries, including France. 

Are there antidumping measures from the European Union against China for footwear? 

Yes, based on the Partner Government Agencies Notification, the EU has imposed an antidumping measure for some footwear from China. This measurment imposed after the EU found out that Chinese footwear was sold at a lower price, and it was deemed harmful to the local footwear industry. 

Are there any antidumping investigations from the EU against other countries for leather products? 

Yes, the EU is conducting an investigation into leather products from China, Vietnam, and the United States. This investigation is led by the alleged unfair practice of dumping the price of leather products in the EU. 

Are there any investigations on antidumping from the EU against China regarding steel track shoes? 

Yes, the EU has conducted an antidumping investigation related to the steel track shoes from China. There is an allegation that China sold steel track shoes at a lower price than the local footwear products. 

What is the largest exporting country of footwear under the HS code 640299 in the world? 

China has become the biggest exporter of footwear under HS code 640299. This East Asian country is followed by Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Poland as the biggest exporting countries of the HS code under 640299. 

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