EU Combined Nomenclature · CN code · HS 3215.90
3215 90 20: Other inks (writing, drawing, inkjet): Ink cartridges (without an integrated print head) for insertion into apparatus of subheadings 844331, 844332 or 844339, and incorporating mechanical or electrical components; solid ink in engineered shapes for insertion into apparatus of subheadings 844331, 844332 or 844339
Other inks (writing, drawing, inkjet)
✓ Can be used in a customs declaration Data: EU Combined Nomenclature, in force from 1 January 2026 · checked on 24 October 2026
- 3215 Printing ink, writing or drawing ink and other inks, whether or not concentrated or solid:
- 3215 90 Other:
- 3215 90 20 Ink cartridges (without an integrated print head) for insertion into apparatus of subheadings 844331, 844332 or 844339, and incorporating mechanical or electrical components; solid ink in engineered shapes for insertion into apparatus of subheadings 844331, 844332 or 844339
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 controlImport control - Waste
- Applies to goods from
- all countries
- Legal act
- Regulation 1157/24
- Documents
- C672 Information document accompanying shipments of waste as mentioned in Regulation (EU) 2024/1157 – Article 18 and Annex VII
- C669 Notification document as mentioned in Regulation (EU) 2024/1157 - Article 5 and Annex IA
- Y923 Product not subjected to the provisions of Regulation (EU) 2024/1157
- C670 Movement document as mentioned in Regulation (EU) 2024/1157 – Article 5 and Annex IB
- Import control
- Applies to goods from
- Ukraine
- Legal act
- Regulation 0692/14
- 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
Export measures 3
Prohibitions, licences, controls and sanctions that apply when these goods leave the EU.
| Export measures | Destination | Legal act | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Export controlSanctions regime: Russia | Russia | Regulation 0833/14 | 22 October 2025 |
| Export controlSanctions regime: Belarus | Belarus | Regulation 0765/06 | 20 July 2025 |
| Export control - Waste | All third countries | Regulation 1157/24 | 21 May 2026 |
TARIC data as of 2 November 2026
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 20% -
Belgium 21% -
Bulgaria 20% -
Croatia 25% -
Cyprus 19% -
Czechia 21% -
Denmark 25% -
Estonia 24% -
Finland 25.5% -
France 20% -
Germany 19% -
Greece 24% -
Hungary 27% -
Ireland 23% -
Italy 22% -
Latvia 21% -
Lithuania 21% -
Luxembourg 17% -
Malta 18% -
Netherlands 21% -
Poland 23% -
Portugal 23% -
Romania 21% -
Slovakia 23% -
Slovenia 22% -
Spain 21% -
Sweden 25%
TEDB · 2 November 2026
EU: imports by month · HS 3215.90
Main suppliers, last 12 months
| Country | Value | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
 Malaysia | €350.4m | 28.9% | +6.2% |
 Japan | €265.9m | 22% | -7% |
 China | €163.6m | 13.5% | -22.9% |
 Indonesia | €119.1m | 9.8% | -24.9% |
 United Kingdom | €107.3m | 8.9% | -26% |
 Philippines | €64.5m | 5.3% | -30.2% |
 Singapore | €59.2m | 4.9% | -39.7% |
 United States | €47.8m | 4% | -14.7% |
Same subheading in other tariffs
3215.90 Printing ink, writing or drawing ink and other inks: other
UK Free – 6% Third-country duty 4 tariff lines · average 4.5% 
Türkiye 6.5% Third-country duty 3 tariff lines USA 1.8% – 3.1% General (MFN) 2 tariff lines · average 2.5% 
Canada Free General (MFN) 1 tariff line 
Mexico Free – 5% General (MFN) 4 tariff lines · average 2.5% 
Brazil 12.6% General (MFN) 1 tariff line 
Argentina 12.6% General (MFN) 2 tariff lines 
Peru Free – 6% General (MFN) 3 tariff lines · average 4% 
New Zealand Free – 5% General (MFN) 5 tariff lines · average 2% Japan 3.9% General (MFN) 1 tariff line 
Taiwan 6.5% General (MFN) 1 tariff line 
GCC 5% General (MFN) 12 tariff lines 
Switzerland Free General (MFN) 1 tariff line 
Norway Free General (MFN) 1 tariff line 
North Macedonia 3% – 6% General (MFN) 2 tariff lines · average 4.5% 
Nigeria 10% – 20% General (MFN) 2 tariff lines · average 15% EU lines: 3215.90
- 3215 90 20Ink cartridges (without an integrated print head) for insertion into apparatus of subheadings 844331, 844332 or 844339, and incorporating mechanical or electrical components; solid ink in engineered shapes for insertion into apparatus of subheadings 844331, 844332 or 844339
- 3215 90 70Printing ink, writing or drawing ink and other inks: other
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.
- 600010342 HMRC
A pouch with processed/filtered ink to be inserted into printers. The pouch is filled with ink and does not have an integrated print-head. It contains a chip programmed with information about ink type, colour and cartridge capacity. There is a plastic flag component which moves as the bladder is…
- 600010343 HMRC
A cartridge with processed/filtered ink to be inserted into printers. The cartridge is a metal bladder filled with ink and does not have an integrated print-head. It contains a chip programmed with information about ink type, colour and cartridge capacity. There is a plastic flag component which…
Legal notes
Notes
1. This chapter does not cover:
(a) separate chemically defined elements or compounds (except those of heading 3203 or 3204, inorganic products of a kind used as luminophores (heading 3206), glass obtained from fused quartz or other fused silica in the forms provided for in heading 3207, and also dyes and other colouring matter put up in forms or packings for retail sale of heading 3212);
(b) tannates or other tannin derivatives of products of headings 2936 to 2939, 2941 or 3501 to 3504; or
(c) mastics of asphalt or other bituminous mastics (heading 2715).
2. Heading 3204 includes mixtures of stabilised diazonium salts and couplers for the production of azo dyes.
3. Headings 3203, 3204, 3205 and 3206 apply also to preparations based on colouring matter (including, in the case of heading 3206, colouring pigments of heading 2530 or Chapter 28, metal flakes and metal powders), of a kind used for colouring any material or used as ingredients in the manufacture of colouring preparations. The headings do not apply, however, to pigments dispersed in non-aqueous media, in liquid or paste form, of a kind used in the manufacture of paints, including enamels (heading 3212), or to other preparations of headings 3207, 3208, 3209, 3210, 3212, 3213 or 3215.
4. Heading 3208 includes solutions (other than collodions) consisting of any of the products specified in headings 3901 to 3913 in volatile organic solvents when the weight of the solvent exceeds 50 % of the weight of the solution.
5. The expression ‘colouring matter’ in this chapter does not include products of a kind used as extenders in oil paints, whether or not they are also suitable for colouring distempers.
6. The expression ‘stamping foils’ in heading 3212 applies only to thin sheets of a kind used for printing, for example, book covers or hat bands, and consisting of:
(a) metallic powder (including powder of precious metal) or pigment, agglomerated with glue, gelatin or other binder; or
(b) metal (including precious metal) or pigment, deposited on a supporting sheet of any material.
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
TANNING OR DYEING EXTRACTS; TANNINS AND THEIR DERIVATIVES; DYES, PIGMENTS AND OTHER COLOURING MATTER; PAINTS AND VARNISHES; PUTTY AND OTHER MASTICS; INKS
Note 4
The term ‘solutions’ used both in this note and in note 6(a) to Chapter 39 does not apply to colloidal solutions.
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 | Ink cartridges (without an integrated print head) for insertion into apparatus of subheadings 844331, 844332 or 844339, and incorporating mechanical or electrical components; solid ink in engineered shapes for insertion into apparatus of subheadings 844331, 844332 or 844339 | Free | — |
| 2025 | unchanged | Free | — |
| 2024 | unchanged | Free | — |
| 2023 | unchanged | Free | — |
| 2022 | unchanged | Free | — |
| 2021 | unchanged | Free | — |
| 2020 | unchanged | Free | — |
| 2019 | Ink cartridges (without an integrated print head) for insertion into apparatus of subheadings 844331, 844332 or 844339, and incorporating mechanical or electrical components; solid ink in engineered shapes for insertion into apparatus of subheadings 844331, 844332 or 844339 | Free | — |
Code history
Since 2017; before, these goods were classified under 3215 90 00.
CN code 3215 90 20 is a line of the EU Combined Nomenclature under HS subheading 3215.90 (printing ink, writing or drawing ink and other inks: other).
The third-country duty is free, and quantities are declared in —.
Imports of other inks (writing, drawing, inkjet) (HS 3215.90) into the EU came to €1.2bn between September 2025 and August 2026 (down 14% on the year before); Malaysia supplied 29%, followed by Japan.
For the same subheading, the UK duty is 0%–6%, the Türkiye duty is 6.5%, the US duty is 1.8%–3.1%, the Canada duty is free, the Mexico duty is 0%–5%, the Brazil duty is 12.6%, the Argentina duty is 12.6%, the Peru duty is 0%–6%, the New Zealand duty is 0%–5%, the Japan duty is 3.9%, the Taiwan duty is 6.5%, the GCC duty is 5%, the Switzerland duty is free, the Norway duty is free, the North Macedonia duty is 3%–6% and the Nigeria duty is 10%–20%.
EU member states imported goods of subheading 3215.90 worth US$3.4bn in 2024; the largest supplier from outside the EU was Japan, and the United Kingdom ranked 3rd with US$309m.
Questions and answers
What is the EU import duty for CN code 3215 90 20?
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 3215.90 as a whole, the largest supplier from outside the EU in 2024 was Japan (US$414m), followed by China.
Typical products
Everyday names, not part of the legal text.