3003 10 00 · Containing penicillins or derivatives thereof, with a penicillanic acid structure, or streptomycins or their derivatives
This subheading also includes combinations of penicillin and streptomycin
EU Combined Nomenclature · CN code · HS 3003.10
✓ Can be used in a customs declaration Data: EU Combined Nomenclature, in force from 1 January 2026 · checked on 24 October 2026
Importing into EU
Charges on top of the customs duty, and rules the goods must meet at the border.
The rate each member state applies to goods of this code, from the Commission’s Taxes in Europe Database. A reduced rate can cover only part of the goods under a code: check the national VAT law.
TEDB · 26 October 2026
| Country | Value | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| €36.1m | 71.8% | +36.1% | |
| €7.7m | 15.3% | -13.9% | |
| €5.5m | 11% | -12.8% | |
| €457k | 0.9% | +48,995.4% | |
| €424k | 0.8% | -92.8% | |
| €67k | 0.1% | +539.5% | |
| €12k | 0% | — | |
| €793 | 0% | -96.9% |
Decisions of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CROSS) and HMRC (Advance Tariff Rulings) on goods classified here. A ruling binds only its holder, but shows how the authorities classify similar goods. The descriptions are the authorities’ own, in English.
The tariff classification of Bacitracin (CAS No. 1405-87-4) and Timentin™ (Ticarcillin/Clavulanate) in bulk form, from China
The tariff classification of Benzylpenicillin Benzathine (CAS No. 1538-09-6) mixed with Lecithin (CAS No. 8002-43-5) in bulk form, from Spain
The tariff classification of Amoxicillin Trihydrate (CAS 61336-70-7) and Clavulanate Potassium (CAS 61177-45-5) mixture with Cellulose (CAS 9004-34-6), imported in bulk powder form, from Spain
1. This chapter does not cover:
(a) foods or beverages (such as dietetic, diabetic or fortified foods, food supplements, tonic beverages and mineral waters), other than nutritional preparations for intravenous administration (Section IV);
(b) products, such as tablets, chewing gum or patches (transdermal systems), containing nicotine and intended to assist tobacco use cessation (heading 2404);
(c) plasters specially calcined or finely ground for use in dentistry (heading 2520);
(d) aqueous distillates or aqueous solutions of essential oils, suitable for medicinal uses (heading 3301);
(e) preparations of headings 3303 to 3307, even if they have therapeutic or prophylactic properties;
(f) soap or other products of heading 3401 containing added medicaments;
(g) preparations with a basis of plaster for use in dentistry (heading 3407);
(h) blood albumin not prepared for therapeutic or prophylactic uses (heading 3502); or
(ij) diagnostic reagents of heading 3822.
2. For the purposes of heading 3002, the expression ‘immunological products’ applies to peptides and proteins (other than goods of heading 2937) which are directly involved in the regulation of immunological processes, such as monoclonal antibodies (MAB), antibody fragments, antibody conjugates and antibody fragment conjugates, interleukins, interferons (IFN), chemokines and certain tumour-necrosis factors (TNF), growth factors (GF), hematopoietins and colony-stimulating factors (CSF).
3. For the purposes of headings 3003 and 3004 and of note 4(d) to this chapter, the following are to be treated:
(a) as unmixed products:
(1) unmixed products dissolved in water;
(2) all goods of Chapter 28 or 29; and
(3) simple vegetable extracts of heading 1302, merely standardised or dissolved in any solvent;
(b) as products which have been mixed:
(1) colloidal solutions and suspensions (other than colloidal sulphur);
(2) vegetable extracts obtained by the treatment of mixtures of vegetable materials; and
(3) salts and concentrates obtained by evaporating natural mineral waters.
4. Heading 3006 applies only to the following, which are to be classified in that heading and in no other heading of the nomenclature:
(a) sterile surgical catgut, similar sterile suture materials (including sterile absorbable surgical or dental yarns) and sterile tissue adhesives for surgical wound closure;
(b) sterile laminaria and sterile laminaria tents;
(c) sterile absorbable surgical or dental haemostatics; sterile surgical or dental adhesion barriers, whether or not absorbable;
(d) opacifying preparations for X-ray examinations and diagnostic reagents designed to be administered to the patient, being unmixed products put up in measured doses or products consisting of two or more ingredients which have been mixed together for such uses;
(e) placebos and blinded (or double-blinded) clinical trial kits for use in recognised clinical trials, put up in measured doses, even if they might contain active medicaments;
(f) dental cements and other dental fillings; bone reconstruction cements;
(g) first-aid boxes and kits;
(h) chemical contraceptive preparations based on hormones, on other products of heading 2937 or on spermicides;
(ij) gel preparations designed to be used in human or veterinary medicine as a lubricant for parts of the body for surgical operations or physical examinations or as a coupling agent between the body and medical instruments;
(k) waste pharmaceuticals, that is, pharmaceutical products which are unfit for their original intended purpose due to, for example, expiry of shelf life; and
(l) appliances identifiable for ostomy use, that is, colostomy, ileostomy and urostomy pouches cut to shape and their adhesive wafers or faceplates.
1. For the purposes of subheadings 300213 and 300214, the following are to be treated:
(a) as unmixed products, pure products, whether or not containing impurities;
(b) as products which have been mixed:
(1) the products mentioned in (a) above dissolved in water or in other solvents;
(2) the products mentioned in (a) and (b) (1) above with an added stabiliser necessary for their preservation or transport; and
(3) The products mentioned in (a), (b) (1) and (b) (2) above with any other additive.
2. Subheadings 300360 and 300460 cover medicaments containing artemisinin (INN) for oral ingestion combined with other pharmaceutical active ingredients, or containing any of the following active principles, whether or not combined with other pharmaceutical active ingredients: amodiaquine (INN); artelinic acid or its salts; artenimol (INN); artemotil (INN); artemether (INN); artesunate (INN); chloroquine (INN); dihydroartemisinin (INN); lumefantrine (INN); mefloquine (INN); piperaquine (INN); pyrimethamine (INN) or sulfadoxine (INN).
The European Commission's explanatory notes on how to classify goods in these CN codes. They are not legally binding but customs authorities follow them; they complement the HS Explanatory Notes of the World Customs Organization.
This subheading also includes combinations of penicillin and streptomycin
General
The description of a product as a medicament in Union legislation (other than that relating specifically to classification in the Combined Nomenclature) or in the national legislation of the Member States, or in any pharmacopoeia, is not the deciding factor in so far as its classification in this chapter is concerned.
Additional note 1
1. Herbal medicinal preparations are preparations based on one or more active substances, produced by subjecting a plant or parts thereof to a process such as drying, crushing, extraction or purification.
Active substance means a chemically defined substance, a chemically defined group of substances (for example, alkaloids, polyphenols, anthocyanins) or a plant extract. These active substances must have medicinal properties for the prevention or the treatment of specific diseases, ailments or their symptoms.
2. Homeopathic medicinal preparations are prepared from products, substances or compositions called homeopathic stocks (mother tinctures). The degree of dilution must be indicated (for example, D6).
3. Vitamins or mineral preparations are preparations based on vitamins of heading 2936, on minerals including trace elements and mixtures thereof. They are used to treat or prevent specific diseases, ailments or their symptoms. Such preparations contain a much higher amount of vitamins or minerals, generally at least three times higher than the recommended daily allowance (RDA).
As regards the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for certain vitamins and minerals, see, for example, the table in the Annex XIII to Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2011 on the provision of food information to consumers (OJ L 304, 22.11.2011, p. 58) reproduced below:
| Vitamins and minerals | RDA |
| Vitamin A | 800 μg |
| Vitamin D | 5 μg |
| Vitamin E | 12 mg |
| Vitamin K | 75 μg |
| Vitamin C | 80 mg |
| Thiamin | 1,1 mg |
| Riboflavin | 1,4 mg |
| Niacin | 16 mg |
| Vitamin B6 | 1,4 mg |
| Folic acid | 200 μg |
| Vitamin B12 | 2,5 μg |
| Biotin | 50 μg |
| Pantothenic acid | 6 mg |
| Potassium | 2 000 mg |
| Chloride | 800 mg |
| Calcium | 800 mg |
| Phosphorus | 700 mg |
| Magnesium | 375 mg |
| Iron | 14 mg |
| Zinc | 10 mg |
| Copper | 1 mg |
| Manganese | 2 mg |
| Fluoride | 3,5 mg |
| Selenium | 55 μg |
| Chromium | 40 μg |
| Molybdenum | 50 μg |
| Iodine | 150 μg |
4. Recommended daily allowance (RDA) for adults with a weight of 70 kg, on essential amino acids, according to the joint WHO/FAO/UNU expert Consultation 2007:
| Essential Amino Acid | RDA (mg) |
| Histidine | 700 |
| Isoleucine | 1 400 |
| Leucine | 2 730 |
| Lysine | 2 100 |
| Methionine + Cysteine | 1 050 |
| Cysteine | 287 |
| Methionine | 728 |
| Phenylalanine + Tyrosine | 1 750 |
| Threonine | 1 050 |
| Tryptophan | 280 |
| Valine | 1 820 |
Recommended daily allowance (RDA) for adults with a weight of 70 kg, on essential fatty acids, according to the joint WHO/FAO/UNU expert Consultation 2007.
| Types of essential fatty acids | Name of essential fatty acid | RDA (g) |
| n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids | linolenic acid (ALA) | 2 |
| long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids | EPA plus DHA | 0,25 |
| n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids | linoleic acid | 10 |
Heading 3004 does not cover, inter alia, food supplements or dietary preparations (see also note 1(a) to this chapter).
Explanatory Notes to the Combined Nomenclature of the European Union, Official Journal C (consolidated text and later amendments) · © European Union
The Combined Nomenclature of each year, as published in the Official Journal: description, third-country duty and supplementary unit.
| Year | Description | Third-country duty | Supplementary unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Containing penicillins or derivatives thereof, with a penicillanic acid structure, or streptomycins or their derivatives | Free | — |
| 2025 | unchanged | Free | — |
| 2024 | unchanged | Free | — |
| 2023 | unchanged | Free | — |
| 2022 | unchanged | Free | — |
| 2021 | unchanged | Free | — |
| 2020 | unchanged | Free | — |
| 2019 | Containing penicillins or derivatives thereof, with a penicillanic acid structure, or streptomycins or their derivatives | Free | — |
In the EU Combined Nomenclature, 3003 10 00 is one of 1 line under subheading 3003.10, containing penicillins or derivatives thereof, with a penicillanic acid….
The third-country duty is free, and quantities are declared in —.
In the 12 months to August 2026, the EU imported goods of subheading 3003.10 worth €50.2m (up 5% on the year before), at an average of €172.50 per kg; China supplied 72%, followed by Japan.
For the same subheading, the UK duty is free, the Türkiye duty is free, the US duty is free, the Canada duty is free, the Mexico duty is 15%, the Brazil duty is 7.2%–12.6%, the Argentina duty is 7.2%–12.6%, the Peru duty is free, the New Zealand duty is free, the Japan duty is free, the Taiwan duty is free, the GCC duty is free, the Switzerland duty is free, the Norway duty is free, the North Macedonia duty is free and the Nigeria duty is free.
EU member states imported goods of subheading 3003.10 worth US$257m in 2024; the largest supplier from outside the EU was China, and the United Kingdom ranked 2nd with US$14m.
The third-country duty in the EU Combined Nomenclature is free; the supplementary unit is —. Preferential rates for goods from agreement countries, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
For subheading 3003.10 as a whole, the largest supplier from outside the EU in 2024 was China (US$28m), followed by the United Kingdom.