3801 20 10 and 3801 20 90 · Colloidal or semi-colloidal graphite
See the HS Explanatory Note to heading 3801, (2).
EU Combined Nomenclature · CN code · HS 3801.20
✓ 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.
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 | 26 June 2024 |
| 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 31 October 2026
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 · 31 October 2026
| Agreement or scheme | Countries | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| standard rate (no agreement) | — | 4.1% |
| GSP-EBA (Special arrangement for the least-developed countries - Everything But Arms) | Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin and 42 moreAfghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo - Kinshasa, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Kiribati, Laos, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, São Tomé & Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, Yemen, Zambia | Free |
| CARIFORUM | Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize and 10 moreAntigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago | Free |
| OCTs (Overseas Countries and Territories) | Antarctica, Aruba, Caribbean Netherlands, Curaçao and 8 moreAntarctica, Aruba, Caribbean Netherlands, Curaçao, French Polynesia, French Southern Territories, Greenland, New Caledonia, Sint Maarten, St Barthélemy, St Pierre & Miquelon, Wallis & Futuna | Free |
| GSP - General arrangements | Congo - Brazzaville, Cook Islands, India, Indonesia and 7 moreCongo - Brazzaville, Cook Islands, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Micronesia, Nigeria, Niue, Syria, Tajikistan, Vanuatu | Free |
| GSP+ (incentive arrangement for sustainable development and good governance) | Bolivia, Cape Verde, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia and 4 moreBolivia, Cape Verde, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan | Free |
| Central America | Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama | Free |
| Mercosur | Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay | Free |
| SADC EPA | Botswana, Eswatini, Namibia | Free |
| EEA - European Economic Area | Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway | Free |
| Eastern and Southern Africa States | Mauritius, Seychelles, Zimbabwe | Free |
| EU–Andorra customs union | Andorra | Free |
| EU–Albania agreement | Albania | Free |
| EU–Bosnia & Herzegovina agreement | Bosnia & Herzegovina | Free |
| EU–Canada agreement | Canada | Free |
| EU–Switzerland agreement | Switzerland | Free |
| EU–Côte d’Ivoire agreement | Côte d’Ivoire | Free |
| EU–Chile agreement | Chile | Free |
| EU–Cameroon agreement | Cameroon | Free |
| EU–Colombia agreement | Colombia | Free |
| EU–Algeria agreement | Algeria | Free |
| EU–Ecuador agreement | Ecuador | Free |
| EU–Egypt agreement | Egypt | Free |
| 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. | Western Sahara | Free |
| EU–Fiji agreement | Fiji | Free |
| EU–Faroe Islands agreement | Faroe Islands | Free |
| EU–United Kingdom agreement | United Kingdom | Free |
| EU–Georgia agreement | Georgia | Free |
| EU–Ghana agreement | Ghana | Free |
| EU–Israel agreement | Israel | Free |
| EU–Jordan agreement | Jordan | Free |
| EU–Japan agreement | Japan | Free |
| EU–South Korea agreement | South Korea | Free |
| EU–Lebanon agreement | Lebanon | Free |
| EU–Morocco agreement | Morocco | Free |
| EU–Moldova agreement | Moldova | Free |
| EU–Montenegro agreement | Montenegro | Free |
| EU–North Macedonia agreement | North Macedonia | Free |
| EU–Mexico agreement | Mexico | Free |
| EU–New Zealand agreement | New Zealand | Free |
| EU–Peru agreement | Peru | Free |
| EU–Papua New Guinea agreement | Papua New Guinea | Free |
| EU–Palestinian Territories agreement | Palestinian Territories | Free |
| EU–Serbia agreement | Serbia | Free |
| EU–Singapore agreement | Singapore | Free |
| EU–San Marino customs union | San Marino | Free |
| EU–Tunisia agreement | Tunisia | Free |
| EU–Türkiye customs union | Türkiye | Free |
| EU–Ukraine agreement | Ukraine | Free |
| EU–United States agreement | United States | Free |
| EU–Vietnam agreement | Vietnam | Free |
| EU–Samoa agreement | Samoa | Free |
| EU–Kosovo agreement | Kosovo | Free |
| EU–South Africa agreement | South Africa | Free |
| Country | Value | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| €2m | 31.5% | -38.4% | |
| €1.6m | 24.6% | +154% | |
| €1.3m | 20.8% | +17.4% | |
| €491k | 7.7% | -20.6% | |
| €445k | 7% | +129% | |
| €343k | 5.4% | +68.6% | |
| €130k | 2% | +169.3% | |
| €45k | 0.7% | — |
3801.20 Colloidal or semi-colloidal graphite
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 Carbothrm Disinfectant, and Carboglyd Lubricant from Sri Lanka
A graphite slurry mix. This is used in the manufacture of battery electrodes. The material is the anode material in a battery. This allows for electrochemical interactions with Cathode material in the battery when submerged in an electrolyte. Composite materials: Graphite, carbon black, water,…
1. This chapter does not cover:
(a) separate chemically defined elements or compounds with the exception of the following:
(1) artificial graphite (heading 3801);
(2) insecticides, rodenticides, fungicides, herbicides, anti-sprouting products and plant-growth regulators, disinfectants and similar products, put up as described in heading 3808;
(3) products put up as charges for fire-extinguishers or put up in fire-extinguishing grenades (heading 3813);
(4) certified reference materials specified in note 2 below;
(5) products specified in note 3(a) or 3(c) below;
(b) mixtures of chemicals with foodstuffs or other substances with nutritive value, of a kind used in the preparation of human foodstuffs (generally, heading 2106);
(c) products of heading 2404;
(d) slag, ash and residues (including sludges, other than sewage sludge), containing metals, arsenic or their mixtures and meeting the requirements of note 3(a) or 3(b) to Chapter 26 (heading 2620);
(f) spent catalysts of a kind used for the extraction of base metals or for the manufacture of chemical compounds of base metals (heading 2620), spent catalysts of a kind used principally for the recovery of precious metal (heading 7112) or catalysts consisting of metals or metal alloys in the form of, for example, finely divided powder or woven gauze (Section XIV or XV).
2.
(A) For the purpose of heading 3822, the expression ‘certified reference materials’ means reference materials which are accompanied by a certificate which indicates the values of the certified properties, the methods used to determine these values and the degree of certainty associated with each value and which are suitable for analytical, calibrating or referencing purposes.
(B) With the exception of the products of Chapter 28 or 29, for the classification of certified reference materials, heading 3822 shall take precedence over any other heading in the nomenclature.
3. Heading 3824 includes the following goods which are not to be classified in any other heading of the nomenclature:
(a) cultured crystals (other than optical elements) weighing not less than 2,5 g each, of magnesium oxide or of the halides of the alkali or alkaline-earth metals;
(b) fusel oil; Dippel's oil;
(c) ink removers put up in packings for retail sale;
(d) stencil correctors, other correcting fluids and correction tapes (other than those of heading 9612), put up in packings for retail sale; and
(e) ceramic firing testers, fusible (for example, Seger cones).
4. Throughout the nomenclature, ‘municipal waste’ means waste of a kind collected from households, hotels, restaurants, hospitals, shops, offices, etc., road and pavement sweepings, as well as construction and demolition waste. Municipal waste generally contains a large variety of materials such as plastics, rubber, wood, paper, textiles, glass, metals, food materials, broken furniture and other damaged or discarded articles. The term ‘municipal waste’, however, does not cover:
(a) individual materials or articles segregated from the waste, for example wastes of plastics, rubber, wood, paper, textiles, glass or metals, electrical and electronic waste and scrap (including spent batteries) which fall in their appropriate headings of the nomenclature;
(b) industrial waste;
(c) waste pharmaceuticals, as defined in note 4(k) to Chapter 30; or
(d) clinical waste, as defined in note 6(a) below.
5. For the purposes of heading 3825, ‘sewage sludge’ means sludge arising from urban effluent treatment plant and includes pre-treatment waste, scourings and unstabilised sludge. Stabilised sludge when suitable for use as fertiliser is excluded (Chapter 31).
6. For the purposes of heading 3825, the expression ‘other wastes’ applies to:
(a) clinical waste, that is, contaminated waste arising from medical research, diagnosis, treatment or other medical, surgical, dental or veterinary procedures, which often contain pathogens and pharmaceutical substances and require special disposal procedures (for example, soiled dressings, used gloves and used syringes);
(b) waste organic solvents;
(c) wastes of metal pickling liquors, hydraulic fluids, brake fluids and anti-freezing fluids; and
(d) other wastes from chemical or allied industries.
The expression ‘other wastes’ does not, however, cover wastes which contain mainly petroleum oils or oils obtained from bituminous minerals (heading 2710).
7. For the purposes of heading 3826, the term ‘biodiesel’ means mono-alkyl esters of fatty acids of a kind used as a fuel, derived from animal, vegetable or microbial fats and oils whether or not used.
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.
See the HS Explanatory Note to heading 3801, (2).
This subheading covers colloidal graphite in aqueous suspension or in other non-oil suspension.
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 | Other | 4.1% | — |
| 2025 | unchanged | 4.1% | — |
| 2024 | unchanged | 4.1% | — |
| 2023 | unchanged | 4.1% | — |
| 2022 | unchanged | 4.1% | — |
| 2021 | unchanged | 4.1% | — |
| 2020 | unchanged | 4.1% | — |
| 2019 | Other | 4.1% | — |
In the EU Combined Nomenclature, 3801 20 90 is one of 2 lines under subheading 3801.20, colloidal or semi-colloidal graphite.
The third-country duty is 4.1%, and quantities are declared in —.
Goods from 153 countries can enter the EU at a preferential rate instead of the standard 4.1%; 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 goods of subheading 3801.20 worth €6.4m (up 2% on the year before), at an average of €8.81 per kg; South Korea supplied 32%, followed by Switzerland.
For the same subheading, the UK duty is free, the Türkiye duty is 4.1%–6.5%, the US duty is free, the Canada duty is free, the Mexico duty is free, the Brazil duty is 9%, the Argentina duty is 9%, the Peru duty is free, the New Zealand duty is free, the Japan duty is 2.5%, the Taiwan duty is 2.5%, the GCC duty is 5%, the Switzerland duty is free, the Norway duty is free, the North Macedonia duty is free and the Nigeria duty is 10%.
EU member states imported goods of subheading 3801.20 worth US$35m in 2024; the largest supplier from outside the EU was South Korea.
The third-country duty in the EU Combined Nomenclature is 4.1%; the supplementary unit is —. Preferential rates for goods from agreement countries, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
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.
For subheading 3801.20 as a whole, the largest supplier from outside the EU in 2024 was South Korea (US$2m).