3912 20 11 to 3912 20 90 · Cellulose nitrates (including collodions)
See the HS Explanatory Note to heading 3912, (B), second paragraph, (2).
EU Combined Nomenclature · CN code · HS 3912.20
✓ 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restriction on exportSanctions regime: Somalia | Somalia | Regulation 0147/03 | 8 February 2020 |
| Export controlSanctions regime: Russia | Russia | Regulation 0833/14 | 26 June 2024 |
| Export control on restricted goods and technologiesSanctions regime: Russia | Russia | Decision 0512/14 | 1 August 2014 – 31 July 2027 |
| Export control on restricted goods and technologiesSanctions regime: Myanmar/Burma | Myanmar (Burma) | Regulation 0401/13 | 3 May 2013 |
| Export control on restricted goods and technologiesSanctions regime: Iran (human rights) | Iran | Regulation 0264/12 | 9 February 2016 |
| Export control on restricted goods and technologiesSanctions regime: South Sudan | South Sudan | Regulation 0735/15 | 9 May 2015 |
| Export control on restricted goods and technologiesSanctions regime: Sudan | Sudan | Regulation 0747/14 | 11 July 2014 |
| Export control on restricted goods and technologiesSanctions regime: Venezuela | Venezuela | Regulation 2063/17 | 14 November 2017 |
| Export control on restricted goods and technologiesSanctions regime: Syria | Syria | Regulation 0036/12 | 19 January 2012 |
| Export control on restricted goods and technologiesSanctions regime: Zimbabwe | Zimbabwe | Regulation 0284/17 | 19 February 2017 |
| Export control on restricted goods and technologiesSanctions regime: Libya | Libya | Regulation 0044/16 | 20 January 2016 |
| Export control on restricted goods and technologiesSanctions regime: Belarus | Belarus | Regulation 0765/06 | 25 June 2021 |
| Export controlSanctions regime: Belarus | Belarus | Regulation 0765/06 | 25 February 2025 |
| Export controlSanctions regime: Central African Republic | Central African Republic | Decision 0798/13 | 8 April 2020 |
| Export controlSanctions regime: Haiti | Haiti | Regulation 2309/22 | 26 March 2025 |
| Export controlSanctions regime: Libya | Libya | Regulation 0813/25 | 29 April 2025 |
| Export controlSanctions regime: Iran (UAV and missiles) | Iran | Regulation 1529/23 | 31 January 2026 |
| Export controlSanctions regime: Russia | Russia | Regulation 0833/14 | 24 June 2023 |
| Export controlSanctions regime: Belarus | Belarus | Regulation 0765/06 | 25 February 2025 |
| Export authorization (Dual use) | All third countries | Regulation 2003/25 | 15 November 2025 |
| 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 1 November 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 · 1 November 2026
| Agreement or scheme | Countries | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| standard rate (no agreement) | — | 6.5% |
| 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, Indonesia, Kenya and 6 moreCongo - Brazzaville, Cook Islands, 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 |
| 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 |
| Mercosur | Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay | 5.9% |
| Country | Value | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| €54.1m | 46.5% | +166.2% | |
| €19.5m | 16.8% | +25.4% | |
| €17.3m | 14.9% | +41.2% | |
| €15.6m | 13.4% | +94.2% | |
| €4.4m | 3.8% | -14.8% | |
| €1.5m | 1.3% | +6.9% | |
| €1.5m | 1.3% | +159,722% | |
| €1.2m | 1% | -22.9% |
3912.20 Cellulose nitrates (including collodions)
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 3912, (B), second paragraph, (2).
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:
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
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 | Plasticised | 6.5% | — |
| 2025 | unchanged | 6.5% | — |
| 2024 | unchanged | 6.5% | — |
| 2023 | unchanged | 6.5% | — |
| 2022 | unchanged | 6.5% | — |
| 2021 | unchanged | 6.5% | — |
| 2020 | unchanged | 6.5% | — |
| 2019 | Plasticised | 6.5% | — |
CN code 3912 20 90 is a line of the EU Combined Nomenclature under HS subheading 3912.20 (cellulose nitrates (including collodions)).
The third-country duty is 6.5%, and quantities are declared in —.
148 countries pay no duty in the EU thanks to trade agreements and preference schemes such as GSP-EBA and CARIFORUM, against a standard rate of 6.5%.
Imports of goods of subheading 3912.20 into the EU came to €116.1m between September 2025 and August 2026 (up 76% on the year before); China supplied 47%, followed by Thailand.
For the same subheading, the UK duty is 6%, the Türkiye duty is 6%–6.5%, the US duty is 5.2%, the Canada duty is free, the Mexico duty is free, the Brazil duty is 12.6%, the Argentina duty is 12.6%, the Peru duty is free, the New Zealand duty is free, 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 5% and the Nigeria duty is 5%.
EU member states imported goods of subheading 3912.20 worth US$187m in 2024; the largest supplier from outside the EU was Thailand.
The third-country duty in the EU Combined Nomenclature is 6.5%; the supplementary unit is —. Preferential rates for goods from agreement countries, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
152 countries have a preferential rate on this line, 148 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 3912.20 as a whole, the largest supplier from outside the EU in 2024 was Thailand (US$19m), followed by China.
Everyday names, not part of the legal text.