3402 50 10: Preparations put up for retail sale: surface-active preparations
Retail washing and cleaning preparations
✓ Can be used in a customs declarationData: EU Combined Nomenclature, in force from 1 January 2026 · checked on 24 October 2026
3402 Organic surface-active agents (other than soap); surface-active preparations, washing preparations (including auxiliary washing preparations) and cleaning preparations, whether or not containing soap, other than those of heading 3401:
Y727 The prohibitions defined in article 1ra paragraph 1 of Council Regulation (EU) No 765/2006 do not apply (see exemptions in article 1ra paragraph 3)
Y728 The prohibitions defined in article 1ra paragraph 1 of Council Regulation (EU) No 765/2006 do not apply (see exemptions in article 1ra paragraph 4)
L152 Import authorisation by virtue of article 1ra paragraph 10 of Council Regulation (EU) 765/2006
Y870 Goods entered the territory of the customs union of the EU and presented to customs authorities prior to the entry into force or to applicability date of the present sanction, whichever is latest (see Article 8f of Regulation (EU) No 765/2006)
Y997 Goods not originating from or destined to Crimea or Sevastopol (Articles 2 and 2b.1 of Council Regulation (EU) No 692/2014)
N864 Invoice declaration or origin declaration made out by any exporter on invoice or any other commercial document
L142 Import authorisation by virtue of article 3i paragraph 3c of Council Regulation (EU) 833/2014
Y874 The prohibitions defined in article 3i.1 of Council Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 do not apply (see exemptions in article 3i.3aa)
L143 Import authorisation by virtue of article 12b.2 of Council Regulation (EU) 833/2014
Y859 Goods entered the territory of the customs union of the EU and presented to customs authorities prior to the entry into force or to applicability date of the present sanction, whichever is latest (see Article 12e of Regulation (EU) No 833/2014)
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
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 controlSanctions regime: Iran
Iran
Regulation 0267/12
30 September 2025
TARIC data as of 25 October 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.
Austria20%
Belgium21%
Bulgaria20%
Croatia25%
Cyprus19%
Czechia21%
Denmark25%
Estonia24%
Finland25.5%
France20%
Germany19%
Greece6% reduced rate
Hungary27%
Ireland23%
Italy22%
Latvia21%
Lithuania21%
Luxembourg14% reduced rate
Malta18%
Netherlands21%
Poland23%
Portugal23%
Romania21%
Slovakia23%
Slovenia22%
Spain21%
Sweden25%
TEDB · 25 October 2026
Preferential rates by country
Agreement or scheme
Countries
Rate
standard rate (no agreement)
—
4%
GSP-EBA (Special arrangement for the least-developed countries - Everything But Arms)
Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin and 42 more
Preferential origin in accordance with the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Union and the Kingdom of Morocco on the amendment of Protocols 1 and 4 to the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement establishing an association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Kingdom of Morocco, of the other part.
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 Cleaning Gel from China
600016582HMRC14 October 2026 – 13 October 2029 · 3402 50 90 00
A pack of 80 wipes that are pre-saturated with Acetone. Each wipe is approximately 15 cm x 23 cm and weighs 60 gr/m2. They are white in colour and are made from nonwoven 100% viscose material. The wipes are used for surface preparation and cleaning. There is approximately 0.65 L of Acetone per…
600016559HMRC13 October 2026 – 12 October 2029 · 3402 50 90 00
A pack of 80 wipes that are pre-saturated with Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK). Each wipe is approximately 15 cm x 23 cm and weigh 60 gr/m2. They are white in colour and are made from nonwoven 100% viscose material. The wipes are used in aerospace, automotive industries for surface preparation and…
600016969HMRC13 October 2026 – 12 October 2029 · 3402 50 90 00
A pack of 180 wipes that are pre-saturated with Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK). Each wipe is approximately 15 cm x 14 cm and weigh 50 gr/m2. They are white in colour and are made from nonwoven 100% viscose material. The wipes are used in aerospace, automotive industries for surface preparation and…
600015470HMRC6 May 2026 – 5 May 2029 · 3402 50 10 00
Detergent tablets used to clean baby bottles within a washer steriliser dryer electrical unit. The tablets are added to unit prior to washing, in a similar way to dishwasher tablets. Ingredients: Sodium Percarbonate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate, Citric Acid Anhydrous, Protease,…
19 rulings in total for this code
Legal notes
Notes
1. This chapter does not cover:
(a) edible mixtures or preparations of animal, vegetable or microbial fats or oils of a kind used as mould release preparations (heading 1517);
(b) separate chemically defined compounds; or
(c) shampoos, dentifrices, shaving creams and foams, or bath preparations, containing soap or other organic surface-active agents (heading 3305, 3306 or 3307).
2. For the purposes of heading 3401, the expression ‘soap’ applies only to soap soluble in water. Soap and the other products of heading 3401 may contain added substances (for example, disinfectants, abrasive powders, fillers or medicaments). Products containing abrasive powders remain classified in heading 3401 only if in the form of bars, cakes or moulded pieces or shapes. In other forms, they are to be classified in heading 3405 as ‘scouring powders and similar preparations’.
3. For the purposes of heading 3402, ‘organic surface-active agents’ are products which, when mixed with water at a concentration of 0,5 % at 20 °C and left to stand for one hour at the same temperature:
(a) give a transparent or translucent liquid or stable emulsion without separation of insoluble matter; and
(b) reduce the surface tension of water to 4,5 × 10–2 N/m (45 dyn/cm) or less.
4. In heading 3403, the expression ‘petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals’ applies to the products defined in note 2 to Chapter 27.
5. In heading 3404, subject to the exclusions provided below, the expression ‘artificial waxes and prepared waxes’ applies only to:
(a) chemically produced organic products of a waxy character, whether or not water-soluble;
(b) products obtained by mixing different waxes;
(c) products of a waxy character with a basis of one or more waxes and containing fats, resins, mineral substances or other materials.
The heading does not apply to:
(a) products of heading 1516, 3402 or 3823, even if having a waxy character;
(b) unmixed animal waxes or unmixed vegetable waxes, whether or not refined or coloured, of heading 1521;
(c) mineral waxes or similar products of heading 2712, whether or not intermixed or merely coloured; or
(d) waxes mixed with, dispersed in or dissolved in a liquid medium (headings 3405, 3809, etc.).
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.
3402 50 10 and 3402 50 90 · Preparations put up for retail sale
For the purposes of these subheadings, the term ‘preparations put up for retail sale’ means preparations put up in packaging ready for retail sale directly to end users (private persons, professionals, companies, etc.) without further processing or repacking. This packaging must bear legible, visible and indelible instructions for the intended use of the preparations by the end user (for example, safety, use or handling instructions). Providing this information on accompanying documents only is not sufficient.
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
Surface-active preparations
4%
—
2025
unchanged
4%
—
2024
unchanged
4%
—
2023
unchanged
4%
—
2022
Surface-active preparations
4%
—
2021
not in this year’s nomenclature
—
—
2020
not in this year’s nomenclature
—
—
2019
not in this year’s nomenclature
—
—
Code history
Since 2022; before, these goods were classified under 3402 20 20.
In the EU Combined Nomenclature, 3402 50 10 is one of 2 lines under subheading 3402.50, preparations put up for retail sale.
The third-country duty is 4%, and quantities are declared in —.
Goods from 153 countries can enter the EU at a preferential rate instead of the standard 4%; 153 of them pay no duty at all, for example under GSP-EBA or CARIFORUM.
In the 12 months to August 2026, the EU imported retail washing and cleaning preparations (HS 3402.50) worth €1.5bn (up 3% on the year before), at an average of €1.96 per kg; United Kingdom supplied 38%, followed by Serbia.
For the same subheading, the UK duty is 4%, the Türkiye duty is 4%, the US duty is 0%–4%, the Canada duty is 6.5%, the Mexico duty is 0%–7%, the Brazil duty is 16.2%, the Argentina duty is 18%, the Peru duty is 6%, the New Zealand duty is 5%, the Japan duty is free, the Taiwan duty is 4%, the GCC duty is 5%, the Switzerland duty is free, the Norway duty is free, the North Macedonia duty is 6.5% and the Nigeria duty is 35%.
EU member states imported goods of subheading 3402.50 worth US$9bn in 2024; the largest supplier from outside the EU was the United Kingdom, and the United Kingdom ranked 1st with US$597m.
Questions and answers
What is the EU import duty for CN code 3402 50 10?
The third-country duty in the EU Combined Nomenclature is 4%; the supplementary unit is —. Preferential rates for goods from agreement countries, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
Which countries get a lower rate on 3402 50 10?
153 countries have a preferential rate on this line, 153 of them at 0%, under GSP-EBA, CARIFORUM and OCTs and other arrangements. The rate applies only to goods that meet the rules of origin of the agreement, with proof of origin. Choose the country of origin on this page to see its rate.
Where does the EU import these goods from?
For subheading 3402.50 as a whole, the largest supplier from outside the EU in 2024 was the United Kingdom (US$597m), followed by Serbia.
Tarifbase uses Google Analytics and Yandex Metrica cookies to see how the site is used and make it better. Choose “Reject” to turn them off. Privacy policy
EU Combined Nomenclature · CN code · 
United Kingdom
Serbia
Türkiye
China
Switzerland
United States
Norway
Ukraine
Canada
Mexico
Brazil
Argentina
Peru
New Zealand
Japan
Taiwan
GCC
North Macedonia
Nigeria