EU Combined Nomenclature · CN code · HS 3901.20

3901 20 10

3901 20 10: Polyethylene in one of the forms mentioned in note 6(b) to this chapter, of a specific gravity of 0,958 or more at 23 °C, containing:50 mg/kg or less of aluminium,2 mg/kg or less of calcium,2 mg/kg or less of chromium,2 mg/kg or less of iron,2 mg/kg or less of nickel,2 mg/kg or less of titanium and8 mg/kg or less of vanadium, for the manufacture of chlorosulphonated polyethylene

High-density polyethylene (HDPE), primary

✓ Can be used in a customs declaration Data: EU Combined Nomenclature, in force from 1 January 2026 · checked on 24 October 2026

  1. 3901 Polymers of ethylene, in primary forms:
  2. 3901 20 Polyethylene having a specific gravity of 0,94 or more:
  3. 3901 20 10 Polyethylene in one of the forms mentioned in note 6(b) to this chapter, of a specific gravity of 0,958 or more at 23 °C, containing:50 mg/kg or less of aluminium,2 mg/kg or less of calcium,2 mg/kg or less of chromium,2 mg/kg or less of iron,2 mg/kg or less of nickel,2 mg/kg or less of titanium and8 mg/kg or less of vanadium, for the manufacture of chlorosulphonated polyethylene

What you pay

Importing into EU

Customs duty Free standard rate depends on the country of origin
Additional duties and charges 4 additional measures Import requirements: 5
VAT standard rate of the member state of import, 17% to 27%
Duty calculatorCalculate duty and taxes →

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 5

  • Duty suspensionAirworthiness tariff suspension Free
    Applies to goods from
    all countries
    Legal act
    Regulation 1517/18
    Documents
    • C119 Authorised Release Certificate — EASA Form 1 (Appendix I to Annex I to Regulation (EU) No 748/2012), or equivalent certificate
  • End-use reliefNon preferential duty under end-use Free
    Applies to goods from
    all countries
    Legal act
    Regulation 1549/06
  • 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
    Documents
    • C127 Merchant product identifier
    • C128 Non-standardised manufacturer product identifier
    • C129 Standardised manufacturer product identifier
    • Y081 No standardised manufacturer product identifier for the declared product exists
  • 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 6

  • Import control
    Applies to goods from
    Iran
    Legal act
    Regulation 0267/12
    Documents
    • Y240 Goods exempted from prohibition by virtue of Article 14 of Regulation (EU) 267/2012
  • Import controlImport control of fluorinated greenhouse gases
    Applies to goods from
    all countries
    Legal act
    Regulation 0573/24
    Documents
    • Y160 Goods other than those falling under the applicable provisions of Regulation (EU) 2024/573
    • Y169 Products and equipment, including parts (excluding military and repair exemption) listed in Annex IV containing F-gases or relies upon F-gases not subject to prohibition as imposed by Article 11.1. (Reg 2024/573).
    • Y123 Undertaking registered in the F-Gas Portal according to Article 20 of Regulation (EU) 2024/573
    • Y054 Goods labelled according to the provisions of Article 12 of Regulation (EU) 2024/573
    • Y163 Net mass of fluorinated greenhouse gases charged in products and equipment
    • Y121 Tonnes of CO₂ equivalent of bulk gases and of gases contained in products or equipment, and parts thereof
  • 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
    Belarus, Ukraine
    Legal act
    Regulation 0765/06, Regulation 0692/14
    Documents
    • 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
    • N954 Movement certificate EUR.1
  • Import control
    Applies to goods from
    Russia
    In force
    until 31 December 2027
    Legal act
    Regulation 0833/14
    Documents
    • 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
    • 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 5

Prohibitions, licences, controls and sanctions that apply when these goods leave the EU.

Export measuresDestinationLegal actValidity
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 (UAV and missiles) Iran Regulation 1529/23 31 January 2026
Export control - Waste All third countries Regulation 1157/24 21 May 2026
Export control of fluorinated greenhouse gases All third countries Regulation 0573/24 12 March 2025

TARIC data as of 24 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.

  • Austria 0% reduced rate
  • Belgium 21%
  • Bulgaria 20%
  • Croatia 25%
  • Cyprus 19%
  • Czechia 21%
  • Denmark 25%
  • Estonia 9% reduced rate
  • 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 · 24 October 2026

Footnotes

EU: imports by month · HS 3901.20

last 12 months€1.9bn-7.9% · previous 12 months
Average import price€1.04 per kg
Preferential rate42%
Jan 2024: €127.9mFeb 2024: €143.7mMar 2024: €130.5mApr 2024: €176.6mMay 2024: €165.5mJun 2024: €159mJul 2024: €181.7mAug 2024: €149.8mSept 2024: €160.2mOct 2024: €173.8mNov 2024: €155.1mDec 2024: €123.2mJan 2025: €164.6mFeb 2025: €147.4mMar 2025: €161.1mApr 2025: €206.6mMay 2025: €181.5mJun 2025: €200.1mJul 2025: €178.4mAug 2025: €159.3mSept 2025: €163.5mOct 2025: €141.2mNov 2025: €116.2mDec 2025: €117.6mJan 2026: €121.6mFeb 2026: €114mMar 2026: €140.4mApr 2026: €146.8mMay 2026: €164.1mJun 2026: €190.8mJul 2026: €226.4mAug 2026: €208.9m 202420252026
Data up to August 2026 (provisional) · Monthly data: Eurostat Comext (CC BY 4.0), HMRC (OGL v3.0)

Main suppliers, last 12 months

CountryValueShareChange
United States €514.7m 27.8% -2.1%
Saudi Arabia €428.6m 23.1% -18.6%
South Korea €250.6m 13.5% +7.6%
Egypt €117.1m 6.3% -10.7%
China €63.4m 3.4% +58.2%
United Kingdom €56.6m 3.1% -4.3%
Uzbekistan €47.4m 2.6% +13.4%
Canada €38.6m 2.1% +93.1%

Same subheading in other tariffs

3901.20 Polyethylene having a specific gravity of 0,94 or more

EU lines: 3901.20

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.

  • N286927 U.S. CBP 21 March 2018 · 3901.20.10.00

    The tariff classification of Artificial Snowflakes with Glitter

Legal notes

Notes
Subheading notes

Chapter notes: Chapter 39 →

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.

3901 20 10 and 3901 20 90 · Polyethylene having a specific gravity of 0,94 or more

See the explanatory note to subheadings 3901 10 10 and 3901 10 90.

General notes to the chapter

PLASTICS AND ARTICLES THEREOF

General

The HS Explanatory Note to Chapter 39, General, ‘Combinations of plastics and materials other than textiles’, point (d), applies, mutatis mutandis, to combinations of carbon fibres and plastics.

Note 4

Calculation of mass ratios of monomer units in copolymers:

The mass ratios of the respective monomer units in copolymer chains are calculated based on the molecular structure of the copolymer (not the starting materials), taking into account the formation reaction of the polymer. When applicable, the atom linking two adjacent monomer units is attributed to the monomer unit from which the atom originates.

The following examples illustrate the calculation of the monomer unit content in copolymers:

  • In poly(ethylene terephthalate), which is a polyester comprised of terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol moieties, both alcoholic oxygens are attributed to the glycol monomer unit. Hence, ethylene glycol is calculated as C2H4O2, and terephthalate is calculated as C8H4O2.
  • In polyamide-6,6, which is a polyamide comprised of hexamethylenediamine and adipic acid, both nitrogen atoms are attributed to the diamine monomer unit. Hence, hexamethylenediamine is calculated as C6H14N2 and adipic acid is calculated as C6H8O2.

Note 6

The term ‘solutions’, used both in this note and in note 4 to Chapter 32, does not apply to colloidal solutions.

For the definition of the term ‘primary forms’, see note 6 to this chapter and the HS General Explanatory Note to this chapter, ‘Primary Forms’.

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.

YearDescriptionThird-country dutySupplementary unit
2026 Polyethylene in one of the forms mentioned in note 6(b) to this chapter, of a specific gravity of 0,958 or more at 23 °C, containing:50 mg/kg or less of aluminium,2 mg/kg or less of calcium,2 mg/kg or less of chromium,2 mg/kg or less of iron,2 mg/kg or less of nickel,2 mg/kg or less of titanium and8 mg/kg or less of vanadium, for the manufacture of chlorosulphonated polyethylene Free —
2025 unchanged Free —
2024 unchanged Free —
2023 unchanged Free —
2022 unchanged Free —
2021 unchanged Free —
2020 unchanged Free —
2019 Polyethylene in one of the forms mentioned in note 6(b) to this chapter, of a specific gravity of 0,958 or more at 23 °C, containing:50 mg/kg or less of aluminium,2 mg/kg or less of calcium,2 mg/kg or less of chromium,2 mg/kg or less of iron,2 mg/kg or less of nickel,2 mg/kg or less of titanium and8 mg/kg or less of vanadium, for the manufacture of chlorosulphonated polyethylene Free —

CN code 3901 20 10 is a line of the EU Combined Nomenclature under HS subheading 3901.20 (polyethylene having a specific gravity of 0,94 or more).

The third-country duty is free, and quantities are declared in —.

Imports of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), primary (HS 3901.20) into the EU came to €1.9bn between September 2025 and August 2026 (down 8% on the year before); United States supplied 28%, followed by Saudi Arabia.

For the same subheading, the UK duty is 6%, the Türkiye duty is 0%–50%, the US duty is 6.5%, the Canada duty is free, the Mexico duty is 5%, the Brazil duty is 0%–20%, the Argentina duty is 0%–6%, the Peru duty is free, the New Zealand duty is free, the Japan duty is 0%–6.5%, 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 5%.

EU member states imported goods of subheading 3901.20 worth US$7bn in 2024; the largest supplier from outside the EU was Saudi Arabia, and the United Kingdom ranked 6th with US$67m.

Questions and answers

What is the EU import duty for CN code 3901 20 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 3901.20 as a whole, the largest supplier from outside the EU in 2024 was Saudi Arabia (US$618m), followed by the United States.

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