HS Code for Stickers: Guide for Vinyl Stickers

If you are thinking of business ideas, stickers can be your answer. They are one of the hottest commodities in the world right now. It could be led by the physical media trends that take off in the mid-2020s. As digital media becomes more saturated, people find resort on physical stuff such as CDs, DVDs, cassettes, paper notebooks, as well as stickers. Are you thinking of trading stickers? Start by finding the right HS code for stickers. 

Psychology of stickers: how does it become popular? 

Before digging deeper on HS code for stickers, let’s talk about the product first. Stickers are not just a thing. There are reasons why it becomes popular and never loses its relevance. The most striking traits of stickers are psychological. Stickers are often used to identify things closest to us, whether it is something we love (music group, community, films, brands, etc.), yearn for (nostalgic moment), or even the deepest feelings we cannot express directly (subculture identity, hobby). 

Other than its role in personal agenda above, stickers are often deemed as one of the most essential parts of brand identity. Thus, business units need to consider stickers within their marketing budget. Stickers are great to be placed in packaging or considered as a collectible bonus for customers. This is proven to boost customer engagement and offer “free marketing”. Many streetwear brands use this strategy successfully. 

How to classify stickers?

Stickers are normally made with thin material such as paper, plastic, or vinyl sheet with an adhesive coating on the back. However, a plastic coat or lamination is added to boost the durability (water-resistant, maintaining color and design, and outdoor use). To get more details, check some types of stickers in the market these days. 

• Paper stickers

The most common type of stickers is usually made by printing a design on matte or glossy paper with adhesive. In order to make it more durable, manufacturers may use pigmented ink instead of regular dye ink (alcohol based). This type of ink can be stuck permanently in matte or glossy paper without any risk of fading over time. However, it is not scratch-resistant. It is ideal for labels. 

• Plastic-coated paper stickers

To get a scratch-resistant trait, manufacturers offer additional coating or lamination on top of the stickers. Plastic, whether glossy or matte, is the main material for that. 

• Vinyl stickers 

You can also print your design on vinyl sheets and that will allow you to get more durable stickers. Even without a plastic coat, vinyl has an intact water-resistant ability. It is also more elastic, making it harder to tear like paper and can be sticked in many types of surfaces, including those with contour. However, pigmented ink on top of vinyl stickers is also not scratch-resistant, and thus, some may consider adding additional plastic coating to double the durability. But manufacturers these days also offer UV ink options, which allow you to have scratch-resistant stickers even without a protective coat on top of them. 

• PVC stickers 

PVC is an abbreviation for polyvinyl chloride and basically a type of vinyl. Anyway, it becomes a specific product as it has a slightly different character compared to regular vinyl. PVC stickers are usually more rigid or thicker than regular vinyl stickers. PVC is also better for indoor use. It is often found in furniture and flooring materials. 

• PET stickers 

Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) has been circulating in the global market since the 1940s. However, it currently gains popularity in the stickers industry as it offers not only basic durability, such as water-resistant, scratch-proof, and tear-resistant, but also a transparent effect, elasticity, and perfect thickness for a particular use. For example, journaling, crafting, note-taking, decoration, etc. 

HS code classification for stickers 

Now, what is the HS code for stickers? Based on the classifications above, the HS code for stickers is mostly determined by materials. In general, stickers fall under Chapters 39 and 48 according to the World Customs Organization (WCO) guide. Chapter 39 regulates plastic and derivative products while Chapter 48 rules paper, paperboard, pulp, and similar products. Check the table below to get a clearer framework. 

HS code	Scopes
4811.41	All paper-based stickers (self-adhesive), whether coated or not, whether printed or blank.
3918.10	PVC stickers for flooring, wall, or ceiling coverings with a minimum width of 45 cm
3918.90	Other types of plastic floor, wall, and ceiling covering materials that are not polymer vinyl chloride, with a minimum width of 45 cm
3919.10	Self-adhesive plates, sheets, film, foil, tape, strip, and other flat shapes of plastics, in rolls with a width not exceeding 20 cm
3919.90	Self-adhesive sheets, film foil, other shapes of plastic, with no specific details

According to this guide by WCO, you can determine the right HS code for stickers you intend to trade. In short, all paper-based self-adhesive materials fall under the HS code for stickers 4811.41. Meanwhile, plastic-based stickers (whether PET or vinyl)  fall under HS code 3919.10 or 3919.90, depending on the size requirement. Stickers that are specifically designed for flooring, wall, and ceiling coverings are regulated within HS code 3918.10 and 3918.90, depending on the materials. 

Most prominent actors in the global stickers trade 

The stickers trade is indeed not as big as some other strategic commodities, but it still has its own prominent players on a global scale. To get a better view, we may look at the trade of stickers or self-adhesive sheets, film foil, and other shapes of plastic that do not exceed 20 cm (HS code for stickers 391910). 

Countries	Trade Value (USD)
China	1,816,227,104
United States	995,687,654
Germany	943,540,766
Italy	590,238,199
Japan	269,387,471

Source: UN Comtrade data 2025, accessed in March 2026 

The biggest exporters of relatively small-sized plastic-based stickers are shown above. The fact that China is at the peak of this table is actually unsurprising. It is aligned with their great stationery trade market. Small stickers are ideal to support particular hobbies related to it, such as journaling, crafting, and note-taking. This country is followed by the United States, Germany, Italy, and Japan. 

Countries	Trade Value (USD)
Mexico	726,288,896
United States	628,914,045
Germany	578,351,204
France	363,414,018
China	353,231,178

Source: UN Comtrade data 2025, accessed in March 2026 

Mexico is the largest importer of small plastic stickers, which might be related to its proximity to the United States, and it has a large automotive industry. In context, many of the automotive companies are producing and asembled automobile or trucks in Mexico and send it in Mexico or to the United States. On the other hand, there are many business units moving their production hubs to Mexico for cost efficiency purposes. It is interesting to see that the players are similar in importing activities, behind Mexico, followed by the United States, Germany, France, and China. 

Find the accurate HS code for the sticker or self-adhesive

Finding the HS code for stickers is not as simple as it seems. Even though it only matches the provided HS code from the WCO, there must be a comprehensive understanding of the sticker product. Thus, you need to recognize what your products are made of and what their genuine function is. Lastly, you need to know the national code of the destination country in order to streamline the customs process. 

To ease the complex process of finding the HS code for stickers, you can try a third-party application, such as HSCodeMatch. This application is designed to help you find and match the HS code accurately without the need to find it one by one. Here is the step-by-step guide for finding the HS code for stickers or self-adhesive with HSCodeMatch. 

• First step: Open the HSCodeMatch application in your computer browser at hscodematch.com. Then, click Go to App in the right corner of the HSCodeMatch homepage. Setting the product name or HS code for a specific product, as well as the country of origin and destination. For this example, we can use the trade flow of self-adhesive under HS code 391910 between the United States and Mexico. 

• Second step: Click the Search HS Code, and the system will find the accurate HS code for stickers automatically. From the example, we can see that there is only one option for a sticker or self-adhesive HS code: 39191001. 

• Third step: Tap the View Details option or click the HS code number to look at the HS Code Details page. There, you can find the HS code description and tariff rate for exporting stickers or self-adhesive products from the United States to Mexico. 

• Fourth step: Below the tariff and HS code details, you can find the applicable regulation in HS Code Details. On the right side of the page, there is an AI Assistant that can help you to solve confusion related to exporting these products under the HS code 39191001 from the United States to Mexico. 

In order to inform you about the AI Assistant, we can provide several examples of questions and answers about the exportation of plastic stickers under HS code 39191001 from the United States to Mexico. 

What documents are required to export self-adhesive products under HS code 39191001 from the United States of America to Mexico?

To begin with, the export of products under HS code 39191001 from the United States to Mexico requires some documents in order to smooth the customs process. The following documents are required for exporting a sticker in Mexico: 

• A Commercial Invoice is detailing about the transaction of the products, including description, value, quantity, and the HS code. 
• Packing List is a detail about the shipping content, weights, and dimensions of the products. 
• Bill of Lading or Airway Bill is proof of the transportation service to send the goods. 
• Certificate of Origin is a document for qualifying to preferential tariff rate under the USMCA agreement. 
• An Import/Export Declaration is a document needed during the customs process. 
• A Safety Data Sheet (SDS) is a requirement document to ensure clarity if the products contain hazardous or risky materials. 
• Technical Standard Compliance Documents are documents to ensure that the product adheres to the standard in the destination country. 
• Importers Registration is a requirement from the Mexican customs agency before entering a product into the Mexican territory. 

What are the labeling or marking requirements for self-adhesive plastic films exported to Mexico?

One thing the exporter or importer should notice before exporting self-adhesive plastic films to Mexico is the NOM-050-SCFI-2004 or General Commercial Labeling Standard and NOM-0240SCFI-2013 or Labeling for Pre-Packaged Products. Those products must comply with several rules, as follows: 

• Products description in Spanish
• Country of origin or the label Made in (Country)
• Importer or distributor name of these products and tax ID (RFC)
• Net contents, such as weight, volume, or area in metric units. 
• The batch number or manufacturing date to know when they were produced
• Safety warning or how to handle the products for customers if needed

There are also other requirements for self-adhesive films specifically for automotive or cars. The requirement must follow the marking under NOM-035-SCT-2-2010 or a specific regulation for reflective materials for vehicles. 

What are the specific regional value content (RVC) requirements for plastics under USMCA?

The products under the HS code 39191001 are considered as plastics, therefore it must follow teh 60% RCV threshold using the transaction value method. They also need to follow the 50% RVC threshold for the net cost method in order to be eligible as originating goods. These regulations apply to the plastic products, including vinyl plastic film, retroreflective sheeting, and plastic components used in vehicles and traffic control devices. 

RVC stands for Regional Value Content, which is a rule in the trade agreement between the United States and Mexico to calculate the percentage of a product’s value based on the original materials. The USMCA has specified RVC into two methods of calculation, including the transaction value method based on the price of the goods and the net cost method, which is derived from total production costs minus some expenses. 

Conclusion 

Based on the question, “Is ChatGPT a generative AI?”HS code for stickers is included in several chapters, and it depends on the materials. For stickers or self-adhesive products with the material from paper is under Chapter 48 with other paper-made products. Meanwhile, a self-adhesive or sticker is mostly made from plastic because it is more durable than paper. The plastic-made stickers are covered in Chapter 39, and they differ in function and size in the following headings and subheadings. Due to its differences, the exporters and importers need to thoroughly identify their self-adhesive products and materials before determining the HS code for the sticker to avoid incorrect classification. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about HS Code for Sticker or Self-Adhesive

1. Are stickers or self-adhesive eligible for tariff reduction under USMCA? 

Yes, sticker or self-adhesive products are included in the preferential tariff under the USMCA Free Trade Agreement (FTA). However, there are some requirements that need to be fulfilled to access tariff reduction under all agreements, including USMCA. 

2. What is the regulation for exporting stickers in Mexico? 

Regulations for exporting stickers in Mexico must follow the labeling and marking requirements of the Mexican authorities. If you cannot meet the requirement, there are potential penalties. 

3. What is the HS code for a plastic sticker? 

HS code for stickers is differentiated by their materials. Some of the stickers made from paper will be under Chapter 48, and stickers made from plastics and their derivative will be under Chapter 39. 

4. What is the determination of classifying the HS code for stickers? 

 The most dominant factor to classify sticker or self-adhesive products is the materials. Then, it is followed by the derivative of materials, size, and functions in the heading and subheading. 

5. Is there any easy way to find the HS code for stickers? 

Yes, if you find confusion in finding the accurate HS code for stickers, you can use HSCodeMatch. This application has been developed with AI to identify the products and provide the full-length national standard code.