EU Combined Nomenclature · CN code · HS 9609.90
9609 90 10: Pastels and drawing charcoals
✓ Can be used in a customs declaration Data: EU Combined Nomenclature, in force from 1 January 2026 · checked on 24 October 2026
- 9609 Pencils (other than pencils of heading 9608), crayons, pencil leads, pastels, drawing charcoals, writing or drawing chalks and tailors' chalks:
- 9609 90 Other:
- 9609 90 10 Pastels and drawing charcoals
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 2
- 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
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 · 1 November 2026
Preferential rates by country
| Agreement or scheme | Countries | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| standard rate (no agreement) | — | 2.7% |
| 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 |
EU: imports by month · HS 9609.90
Main suppliers, last 12 months
| Country | Value | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
 China | €32.3m | 74% | -25.1% |
 United States | €1.8m | 4% | -15.1% |
 Switzerland | €1.5m | 3.5% | -15.4% |
 Tunisia | €1.3m | 2.9% | -4.8% |
 India | €1.1m | 2.6% | -14% |
 United Kingdom | €1.1m | 2.6% | -24.1% |
 Mexico | €998k | 2.3% | -32.1% |
 South Korea | €539k | 1.2% | +41.5% |
Same subheading in other tariffs
9609.90 Pencils (other than pencils of heading 9608), crayons: other
UK Free – 2% Third-country duty 2 tariff lines · average 1% 
Türkiye 1.7% – 2.7% Third-country duty 2 tariff lines · average 2.2% USA Free General (MFN) 2 tariff lines 
Canada 7% General (MFN) 1 tariff line Mexico 10% – 15% General (MFN) 2 tariff lines · average 12.5% 
Brazil 16.2% General (MFN) 1 tariff line 
Argentina 18% General (MFN) 1 tariff line 
Peru 6% General (MFN) 1 tariff line 
New Zealand Free – 5% General (MFN) 9 tariff lines · average 2.2% 
Japan Free General (MFN) 1 tariff line 
Taiwan 2.5% General (MFN) 2 tariff lines 
GCC 5% General (MFN) 6 tariff lines Switzerland Free General (MFN) 1 tariff line 
Norway Free General (MFN) 1 tariff line 
North Macedonia 12% General (MFN) 2 tariff lines 
Nigeria 20% General (MFN) 1 tariff line EU lines: 9609.90
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.
- N356868 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of school supply kits from China
- N335600 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of crayons from China
- N334305 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of the Disney “Fun Pack” from China
- N325222 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of “Play Chalk” from China.
- 600014955 HMRC
The product is an activity set that includes a 16‑page colouring book, six pages of sticker sheets, a set of eight wax crayons, and eight washable felt‑tip markers. The set is intended for children to use for colouring the book with the crayons, markers, or stickers. It is packaged in a closed…
- 600014414 HMRC
The item is an art set depicting a popular cartoon character. The item includes the following: - A sheet of 24 stickers, 14 crayons (measuring 8cm x 0.4cm diameter and are pink, purple, brown, red, 2 shades of green, yellow, orange, light peach, 2 shades of blue, black and silver), 12 watercolour…
- 600014207 HMRC
The product is an activity set which includes 20 printed A4 posters, a sticker sheet, and a set of 6 wax crayons. The set is for children to colour in the posters using the crayons. It is packaged in a cardboard-style envelope, ready for retail sale.
28 rulings in total for this code
Legal notes
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 | Pastels and drawing charcoals | 2.7% | — |
| 2025 | unchanged | 2.7% | — |
| 2024 | unchanged | 2.7% | — |
| 2023 | unchanged | 2.7% | — |
| 2022 | unchanged | 2.7% | — |
| 2021 | unchanged | 2.7% | — |
| 2020 | unchanged | 2.7% | — |
| 2019 | Pastels and drawing charcoals | 2.7% | — |
CN code 9609 90 10 is a line of the EU Combined Nomenclature under HS subheading 9609.90 (pencils (other than pencils of heading 9608), crayons: other).
The third-country duty is 2.7%, and quantities are declared in —.
153 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 2.7%.
Imports of goods of subheading 9609.90 into the EU came to €43.6m between September 2025 and August 2026 (down 23% on the year before); China supplied 74%, followed by United States.
For the same subheading, the UK duty is 0%–2%, the Türkiye duty is 1.7%–2.7%, the US duty is free, the Canada duty is 7%, the Mexico duty is 10%–15%, the Brazil duty is 16.2%, the Argentina duty is 18%, the Peru duty is 6%, the New Zealand duty is 0%–5%, the Japan duty is free, 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 12% and the Nigeria duty is 20%.
EU member states imported goods of subheading 9609.90 worth US$125m in 2024; the largest supplier from outside the EU was China.
Questions and answers
What is the EU import duty for CN code 9609 90 10?
The third-country duty in the EU Combined Nomenclature is 2.7%; 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 9609 90 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 9609.90 as a whole, the largest supplier from outside the EU in 2024 was China (US$45m), followed by Tunisia.
Typical products
Everyday names, not part of the legal text.