Heading · Section I
0401: Milk and cream, not concentrated nor containing added sugar or other sweetening matter
- —UK
- —EU
- 200%Türkiye
- —USA
- US$12.3bnWorld trade in 2024
4 subheadings make up heading 0401 in chapter 04 (dairy produce).
In the UK Global Tariff all 22 lines under heading 0401 carry a specific or compound duty rather than a percentage.
In the EU Combined Nomenclature all 14 lines under heading 0401 carry a specific or compound duty rather than a percentage.
In the Turkish Customs Tariff Schedule, heading 0401 covers 16 tariff lines and the statutory rate is 200%.
In the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States all 12 lines under heading 0401 carry a specific or compound duty rather than a percentage.
World trade in heading 0401 goods reached US$12.3bn in 2024, up 7.3% on 2023.
Germany was the largest exporter with 13.5% of the total, ahead of the Netherlands.
Germany imported the most (US$2.2bn).
The United Kingdom ranked 17th among 151 exporters with US$212.6m.
The United Kingdom imported US$216.8m.
Duty rates compared
The Turkish schedule prints the statutory rate set under Customs Law 474. The rate applied at import is laid down in the Import Regime Decision and can be lower, or different by country of origin.
Subheadings 4
World trade in 2024
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$2.3mUS$2.3m+US$29.3m+US$222.6m+> US$984.4m
Exports: 151
- Germany: US$1.7bn
- Netherlands: US$1.5bn
- Belgium: US$1bn
- France: US$1bn
- New Zealand: US$984.4m
- Poland: US$723m
- Czechia: US$563.5m
- Austria: US$447.5m
- Spain: US$326m
- Hungary: US$293.5m
- Saudi Arabia: US$269.1m
- Lithuania: US$267.6m
- Ireland: US$247.1m
- Denmark: US$241.8m
- Australia: US$222.6m
- Latvia: US$216m
- United Kingdom: US$212.6m
- Luxembourg: US$178m
- United States: US$167.8m
- Slovenia: US$162.1m
- Thailand: US$146m
- Italy: US$145.1m
- Estonia: US$138.3m
- Slovakia: US$115m
- Portugal: US$87.1m
- South Africa: US$70.8m
- Costa Rica: US$52.5m
- Bosnia & Herzegovina: US$48.1m
- Romania: US$41.6m
- Uganda: US$41.2m
- Cameroon: US$40.4m
- Mexico: US$37.6m
- Egypt: US$35.8m
- Russia: US$32.1m
- Finland: US$31.4m
- China: US$29.3m
- Croatia: US$26.1m
- Brazil: US$24.2m
- Türkiye: US$22.1m
- Kuwait: US$21.9m
- Iran: US$20.3m
- Sweden: US$19.8m
- Ukraine: US$17.5m
- Japan: US$17.5m
- Serbia: US$16.6m
- India: US$16.2m
- Malaysia: US$15.3m
- Indonesia: US$13.5m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$12.7m
- Pakistan: US$12.5m
- Argentina: US$11m
- Canada: US$11m
- Greece: US$10.4m
- United Arab Emirates: US$10.2m
- Kyrgyzstan: US$10.2m
- Bulgaria: US$10.2m
- Uruguay: US$9.7m
- Belarus: US$9.6m
- Vietnam: US$9.4m
- Honduras: US$9m
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$3.8mUS$3.8m+US$25.4m+US$101.3m+> US$327.1m
Imports: 222
- Germany: US$2.2bn
- China: US$1.4bn
- Belgium: US$1.2bn
- Netherlands: US$896.2m
- Italy: US$790.6m
- France: US$599.1m
- Poland: US$327.1m
- Lithuania: US$260.7m
- United Kingdom: US$216.8m
- Romania: US$185.9m
- South Korea: US$185.7m
- Greece: US$175.3m
- Spain: US$174.2m
- Croatia: US$161.5m
- Denmark: US$143.9m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$143.5m
- Singapore: US$141.4m
- United Arab Emirates: US$129.7m
- Philippines: US$128.2m
- Ireland: US$112.1m
- Taiwan: US$111m
- Czechia: US$105.9m
- Latvia: US$101.3m
- Slovakia: US$97.5m
- Malaysia: US$94.7m
- Austria: US$77.8m
- Hungary: US$72.8m
- Portugal: US$72.4m
- Canada: US$69.4m
- Vietnam: US$69m
- Bulgaria: US$67.1m
- Sweden: US$65.8m
- United States: US$60.5m
- Cambodia: US$60.1m
- Saudi Arabia: US$59.5m
- Kuwait: US$54m
- Jordan: US$52.9m
- Iraq: US$52.4m
- Luxembourg: US$50.3m
- Slovenia: US$49.2m
- Guatemala: US$47.1m
- Kazakhstan: US$46.3m
- Mexico: US$46m
- Dominican Republic: US$43.5m
- Estonia: US$41.7m
- Central African Republic: US$41.1m
- Serbia: US$38.6m
- Kenya: US$37.8m
- Mauritania: US$37.4m
- Bosnia & Herzegovina: US$35.1m
- Oman: US$27.9m
- Switzerland: US$27.3m
- Bahrain: US$27m
- Libya: US$25.5m
- Moldova: US$25.5m
- Macao SAR China: US$25.4m
- Montenegro: US$24.6m
- El Salvador: US$23m
- Australia: US$22m
- North Macedonia: US$20.8m
Top exporters
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US$1.7bn | 13.5% | |
| 2 | US$1.5bn | 12.3% | |
| 3 | US$1bn | 8.5% | |
| 4 | US$1bn | 8.3% | |
| 5 | US$984.4m | 8% | |
| 6 | US$723m | 5.9% | |
| 7 | US$563.5m | 4.6% | |
| 8 | US$447.5m | 3.6% | |
| 9 | US$326m | 2.7% | |
| 10 | US$293.5m | 2.4% |
Top importers
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US$2.2bn | 18.2% | |
| 2 | US$1.4bn | 11.5% | |
| 3 | US$1.2bn | 9.5% | |
| 4 | US$896.2m | 7.3% | |
| 5 | US$790.6m | 6.4% | |
| 6 | US$599.1m | 4.9% | |
| 7 | US$327.1m | 2.7% | |
| 8 | US$260.7m | 2.1% | |
| 9 | US$216.8m | 1.8% | |
| 10 | US$185.9m | 1.5% |
Legal notes
Additional notes
1. The duty rate applicable to mixtures falling in headings 0401 to 0406 shall be as follows:
(a) in mixtures where one of the components represents at least 90 % by weight, the rate applicable to that component applies;
(b) in other mixtures, the rate applicable shall be that of the component which results in the highest amount of import duty.
2. For the purposes of subheadings 040811 and 040819, the following applies:
the expression ‘otherwise preserved’ applies also to egg yolks with limited amounts of salt (in general, an amount of up to around 12 % by weight) or minor amounts of chemicals added for preservation purposes, provided that both of the following conditions are fulfilled:
(i) the products retain the character of egg yolks of subheadings 040811 and 040819;
(ii) salt or chemicals are not used at a level higher than is necessary for the purposes of preservation.
3. Dairy produce of Chapter 4 includes dairy permeates, which are milk products characterised by a high content of lactose and obtained by removing milk fats and milk proteins from milk, whey, cream and/or sweet buttermilk, and/or from similar raw material by ultrafiltration or other processing techniques.
4. For the purposes of subheadings 040410 and 040490 the following applies :
Milk permeate and whey permeate can be analytically distinguished by the presence of substances (e.g. lactic acid, lactates and glycomacropeptides) which are associated with whey production.
Subheading 040410 includes ‘whey permeate’ which is a product with generally a slightly sour smell, obtained from whey or mixtures of natural whey constituents by ultrafiltration or other processing techniques.
The presence of substances associated with whey production (e.g. lactic acid, lactates and glycomacropeptides) is a condition for the classification of whey permeates into that subheading.
Subheading 040490 includes ‘milk permeate’ which is a product with generally a milky smell obtained from milk by ultrafiltration or other processing techniques. The quantitatively limited level or absence of lactic acid and lactates (lower than 0,100 % by weight, in milk permeates in powder form, or lower than 0,015 % by weight in milk permeates in liquid form) as well as the absence of glycomacropeptides, are the conditions for the classification of milk permeates into subheading 040490.
The method to be used for the detection of lactates shall be the ISO 8069:2005 method and the method to detect rennet whey (i.e. the presence of caseinomacropeptides such as glycomacropeptides) shall be the method set out in Appendix II to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/150.
Products classified here
Questions and answers
What is the HS code for milk and cream, not concentrated nor containing added sugar or other sweetening matter?
Milk and cream, not concentrated nor containing added sugar or other sweetening matter fall under HS heading 0401, part of chapter 04, in section I of the Harmonized System.
Which country exports the most milk and cream?
Germany, with US$1.7bn in 2024 (13.5% of world exports).