EU Combined Nomenclature · CN code · HS 3005.90
3005 90 10: Gauze, bandages and dressings (non-adhesive): Wadding and articles of wadding
Gauze, bandages and dressings (non-adhesive)
✓ Can be used in a customs declaration Data: EU Combined Nomenclature, in force from 1 January 2026 · checked on 24 October 2026
- 3005 Wadding, gauze, bandages and similar articles (for example, dressings, adhesive plasters, poultices), impregnated or coated with pharmaceutical substances or put up in forms or packings for retail sale for medical, surgical, dental or veterinary purposes:
- 3005 90 Other:
- 3005 90 10 Wadding and articles of wadding
What you pay
Importing into EU
Additional duties and import rules
Charges on top of the customs duty, and rules the goods must meet at the border.
Additional duties and charges 3
- Duty on low-value parcelsLow-value consignment customs duty 3 EUR
- Applies to goods from
- all countries
- In force
- until 31 October 2026
- Legal act
- Regulation 0382/26
- Duty on low-value parcelsLow-value consignment customs duty 3 EUR
- Applies to goods from
- all countries
- In force
- from 1 November 2026
- Legal act
- Regulation 0382/26
- Handling feeUnion handling fee 2 EUR
- Applies to goods from
- all countries
- In force
- from 1 November 2026
- Legal act
- Regulation 2108/26
- Documents
- Y126 Goods sold in distance sales
Import requirements 3
- Import control
- Applies to goods from
- Ukraine
- Legal act
- Regulation 0692/14
- Import controlImport control on REACH
- Applies to goods from
- all countries
- Legal act
- Regulation 1907/06
- Documents
- Y106 Compliance with the REACH restrictions defined in Column 2 of Annex XVII of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006
- Y110 Exemption from REACH restrictions by virtue of Article 67(1) and 67(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006
- Y113 Substance/mixture not subjected to the provisions of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 (Annex XVII)
- Import control
- Applies to goods from
- Ukraine
- Legal act
- Regulation 0263/22
- Documents
- Y984 Goods not originating from or not destined for the non-government controlled areas of Ukraine in the oblasts of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia
- N954 Movement certificate EUR.1
- N864 Invoice declaration or origin declaration made out by any exporter on invoice or any other commercial document
Import VAT in the EU member states
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.
-
Austria 0% reduced rate -
Belgium 6% reduced rate -
Bulgaria 20% -
Croatia 5% reduced rate -
Cyprus 5% reduced rate -
Czechia 12% reduced rate -
Denmark 25% -
Estonia 24% -
Finland 25.5% -
France 2.1% / 10% reduced rate -
Germany 19% -
Greece 13% reduced rate -
Hungary 27% -
Ireland 0% reduced rate -
Italy 5% / 10% reduced rate -
Latvia 12% reduced rate -
Lithuania 5% reduced rate -
Luxembourg 3% reduced rate -
Malta 5% reduced rate -
Netherlands 9% reduced rate -
Poland 23% -
Portugal 6% reduced rate -
Romania 11% reduced rate -
Slovakia 5% reduced rate -
Slovenia 9.5% reduced rate -
Spain 10% reduced rate -
Sweden 25%
TEDB · 26 October 2026
EU: imports by month · HS 3005.90
Main suppliers, last 12 months
| Country | Value | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
 China | €357.7m | 48.8% | -14% |
 United Kingdom | €153.5m | 21% | -6.1% |
 United States | €131m | 17.9% | +41.7% |
 India | €13.3m | 1.8% | -10.5% |
 Thailand | €13.3m | 1.8% | -17.7% |
 Mexico | €11.7m | 1.6% | +459.7% |
 Türkiye | €7.8m | 1.1% | +23.8% |
 Switzerland | €5.3m | 0.7% | -1.6% |
Same subheading in other tariffs
3005.90 Wadding, gauze, bandages and similar articles: other
UK Free Third-country duty 4 tariff lines Türkiye Free Third-country duty 10 tariff lines USA Free General (MFN) 2 tariff lines 
Canada Free Third-country duty 4 tariff lines Mexico 15% – 20% Third-country duty 4 tariff lines · average 17.5% 
Brazil Free – 10.8% Third-country duty 5 tariff lines · average 6.5% 
Argentina Free – 10.8% Third-country duty 12 tariff lines · average 9% 
Peru 6% Third-country duty 5 tariff lines 
New Zealand Free Third-country duty 6 tariff lines 
Japan Free Third-country duty 1 tariff line 
Taiwan Free Third-country duty 6 tariff lines 
GCC Free Third-country duty 5 tariff lines Switzerland Free Third-country duty 1 tariff line 
Norway Free Third-country duty 3 tariff lines 
North Macedonia Free Third-country duty 4 tariff lines 
Nigeria Free Third-country duty 1 tariff line EU lines: 3005.90
Binding rulings for similar goods
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.
- N355760 U.S. CBP
Country of origin determination for four neurological sponges; 19 CFR 102.21(c)(3); tariff shift
- N353972 U.S. CBP
Country of origin determination for four neurological sponges; 19 CFR 102.21(c)(4); tariff shift
- N349217 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of MEDIHONEY® Gel in retail packings, from Canada
- N349221 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of MEDIHONEY® Calcium Alginate Dressing in retail packings from Canada
- 600015817 HMRC
10pk non-adherent dressing pads that are nonwoven and not coated or impregnated with any pharmaceutical product. Consists of: 3pc - 100 x 100mm, 3pc - 75 x 75mm, 4pc - 40 x 50mm. In a box.
- 600013957 HMRC
A topical silicone gel or spray for the treatment of scars on human skin. Ingredients include polysiloxanes and silicone dioxide. Designed to improve the appearance of hypertrophic or keloid scars, including surgical scars (including C-section), cosmetic surgery scars, burn scars and children’s…
8 rulings in total for this code
Legal notes
CN Explanatory Notes
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.
General notes to the chapter
PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTS
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
This line in earlier years
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 | Wadding and articles of wadding | Free | — |
| 2025 | unchanged | Free | — |
| 2024 | unchanged | Free | — |
| 2023 | unchanged | Free | — |
| 2022 | unchanged | Free | — |
| 2021 | unchanged | Free | — |
| 2020 | unchanged | Free | — |
| 2019 | Wadding and articles of wadding | Free | — |
CN code 3005 90 10 is a line of the EU Combined Nomenclature under HS subheading 3005.90 (wadding, gauze, bandages and similar articles: other).
The third-country duty is free, and quantities are declared in —.
Imports of gauze, bandages and dressings (non-adhesive) (HS 3005.90) into the EU came to €732.3m between September 2025 and August 2026 (down 2% on the year before); China supplied 49%, followed by United Kingdom.
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%–20%, the Brazil duty is 0%–10.8%, the Argentina duty is 0%–10.8%, the Peru duty is 6%, 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 3005.90 worth US$2bn in 2024; the largest supplier from outside the EU was China, and the United Kingdom ranked 2nd with US$228m.
Questions and answers
What is the EU import duty for CN code 3005 90 10?
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.
Where does the EU import these goods from?
For subheading 3005.90 as a whole, the largest supplier from outside the EU in 2024 was China (US$455m), followed by the United Kingdom.
Typical products
Everyday names, not part of the legal text.