Heading · Chapter 12
1209: Seeds, fruit and spores, of a kind used for sowing
Heading 1209 is divided into 10 six-digit subheadings and sits in chapter 12, oil seeds and oleaginous fruits.
Duty rates compared
UK Free – 8% Third-country duty 22 tariff lines · average 1.8% 
EU Free – 8.3% Third-country duty 20 tariff lines · average 2.4% 
Türkiye 3.9% – 19.3% Third-country duty 49 tariff lines · average 17.9% 
USA Free General (MFN) 18 tariff lines · 9× specific or compound duty 
Canada Free – 5.5% Third-country duty 38 tariff lines · average 0.4% 
Mexico Free – 9% Third-country duty 27 tariff lines · average 0.7% 
Brazil Free Third-country duty 10 tariff lines 
Argentina Free Third-country duty 43 tariff lines 
Peru Free Third-country duty 19 tariff lines 
New Zealand Free Third-country duty 108 tariff lines 
Japan Free Third-country duty 12 tariff lines 
Taiwan Free Third-country duty 20 tariff lines 
GCC Free Third-country duty 22 tariff lines 
Switzerland Free Third-country duty 21 tariff lines · 2× specific or compound duty 
Norway Free Third-country duty 19 tariff lines · 13× specific or compound duty 
North Macedonia Free Third-country duty 20 tariff lines 
Nigeria 5% Third-country duty 10 tariff lines Subheadings 10
- 1209.10Seeds, fruit and spores, of a kind used for sowing: sugar beet seeds
- 1209.21Seeds of forage plants: lucerne (alfalfa) seeds
- 1209.22Clover (Trifolium spp.) seeds
- 1209.23Seeds of forage plants: fescue seeds
- 1209.24Kentucky blue grass (Poa pratensis L.) seeds
- 1209.25Ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam., Lolium perenne L.) seeds
- 1209.29Seeds of forage plants: other
- 1209.30Seeds of herbaceous plants cultivated principally for their flowers
- 1209.91Seeds, fruit and spores, of a kind used for sowing: other, vegetable seedsVegetable seeds for sowing
- 1209.99Seeds, fruit and spores, of a kind used for sowing: other, other
EU: imports by month
World trade in 2024
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$801kUS$801k+US$19m+US$141m+> US$391m
Exports: 177
- Netherlands: US$2bn
- United States: US$1bn
- Germany: US$860m
- France: US$816m
- Italy: US$446m
- China: US$391m
- Denmark: US$376m
- Chile: US$345m
- Thailand: US$268m
- India: US$265m
- New Zealand: US$234m
- Belgium: US$208m
- Peru: US$176m
- Spain: US$173m
- Canada: US$167m
- South Africa: US$151m
- Australia: US$141m
- Israel: US$130m
- Argentina: US$109m
- Japan: US$104m
- Poland: US$92m
- Brazil: US$91m
- Mexico: US$76m
- Hungary: US$63m
- Türkiye: US$60m
- Guatemala: US$56m
- Tanzania: US$54m
- South Korea: US$45m
- Czechia: US$42m
- Kenya: US$41m
- Egypt: US$39m
- United Kingdom: US$38m
- Vietnam: US$37m
- Lithuania: US$32m
- Sweden: US$31m
- Taiwan: US$30m
- Austria: US$24m
- Indonesia: US$21m
- Latvia: US$20m
- Bulgaria: US$20m
- Uruguay: US$19m
- Costa Rica: US$19m
- Portugal: US$19m
- Philippines: US$15m
- Afghanistan: US$13m
- Switzerland: US$13m
- Russia: US$12m
- Romania: US$12m
- Ukraine: US$12m
- Ethiopia: US$11m
- Morocco: US$11m
- Kazakhstan: US$10m
- Honduras: US$10m
- Slovakia: US$10m
- Jordan: US$9m
- United Arab Emirates: US$9m
- Serbia: US$9m
- Greece: US$8m
- Slovenia: US$5m
- Zimbabwe: US$5m
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$5mUS$5m+US$29m+US$103m+> US$450m
Imports: 217
- Netherlands: US$811m
- Mexico: US$603m
- United States: US$603m
- France: US$564m
- Germany: US$495m
- Italy: US$452m
- Spain: US$450m
- China: US$371m
- Canada: US$347m
- Russia: US$214m
- United Kingdom: US$204m
- Japan: US$202m
- Poland: US$200m
- Türkiye: US$142m
- India: US$141m
- Morocco: US$138m
- Belgium: US$135m
- Brazil: US$121m
- Egypt: US$117m
- South Korea: US$107m
- Australia: US$106m
- Iran: US$103m
- Denmark: US$93m
- Austria: US$92m
- Ukraine: US$83m
- Czechia: US$73m
- Romania: US$73m
- Belarus: US$72m
- South Africa: US$71m
- Portugal: US$70m
- Pakistan: US$68m
- Argentina: US$68m
- Switzerland: US$62m
- Colombia: US$59m
- Greece: US$55m
- Saudi Arabia: US$55m
- Hungary: US$55m
- Israel: US$54m
- Chile: US$54m
- Kazakhstan: US$49m
- Algeria: US$46m
- Peru: US$44m
- Philippines: US$38m
- Mozambique: US$36m
- Slovakia: US$36m
- Guatemala: US$36m
- Finland: US$35m
- United Arab Emirates: US$33m
- Lithuania: US$32m
- Bangladesh: US$31m
- Iraq: US$30m
- New Zealand: US$30m
- Sweden: US$30m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$29m
- Jordan: US$29m
- Vietnam: US$29m
- Thailand: US$29m
- Ecuador: US$28m
- Kenya: US$27m
- Dominican Republic: US$27m
Top exporters
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Netherlands | US$2bn | 18.2% |
| 2 | United States | US$1bn | 11% |
| 3 |  Germany | US$860m | 9.3% |
| 4 |  France | US$816m | 8.8% |
| 5 |  Italy | US$446m | 4.8% |
| 6 |  China | US$391m | 4.2% |
| 7 |  Denmark | US$376m | 4.1% |
| 8 |  Chile | US$345m | 3.7% |
| 9 |  Thailand | US$268m | 2.9% |
| 10 |  India | US$265m | 2.9% |
Top importers
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Netherlands | US$811m | 8.7% |
| 2 | Mexico | US$603m | 6.5% |
| 3 | United States | US$603m | 6.5% |
| 4 | France | US$564m | 6.1% |
| 5 | Germany | US$495m | 5.3% |
| 6 | Italy | US$452m | 4.9% |
| 7 |  Spain | US$450m | 4.9% |
| 8 | China | US$371m | 4% |
| 9 | Canada | US$347m | 3.7% |
| 10 |  Russia | US$214m | 2.3% |
The UK Global Tariff divides heading 1209 into 22 tariff lines; the duty is between 0% and 8% (average 1.8%). 10 of them are duty-free.
In the EU Combined Nomenclature, heading 1209 covers 20 tariff lines and the duty is between 0% and 8.3%. 9 of them are duty-free.
The Turkish Customs Tariff Schedule divides heading 1209 into 49 tariff lines; the duty is between 3.9% and 19.3% (average 17.9%).
In the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, heading 1209 covers 18 tariff lines and the duty is duty-free. 9 of them are duty-free. 9 lines have a specific or compound duty.
The Customs Tariff of Canada divides heading 1209 into 38 tariff lines; the duty is between 0% and 5.5% (average 0.4%). 35 of them are duty-free.
In the Mexican Tariff (TIGIE), heading 1209 covers 27 tariff lines and the duty is between 0% and 9%. 25 of them are duty-free.
The Brazilian Tariff (NCM/TEC) divides heading 1209 into 10 tariff lines; the duty is duty-free.
In the Argentine Tariff (NCM-SIM), heading 1209 covers 43 tariff lines and the duty is duty-free.
The Customs Tariff of Peru divides heading 1209 into 19 tariff lines; the duty is duty-free.
In the Working Tariff Document of New Zealand, heading 1209 covers 108 tariff lines and the duty is duty-free.
The Customs Tariff Schedules of Japan divides heading 1209 into 12 tariff lines; the duty is duty-free.
In the Customs Import Tariff of Taiwan, heading 1209 covers 20 tariff lines and the duty is duty-free.
The GCC Common Customs Tariff divides heading 1209 into 22 tariff lines; the duty is duty-free.
In the Swiss Customs Tariff (Tares), heading 1209 covers 21 tariff lines and the duty is duty-free. 19 of them are duty-free. 2 lines have a specific or compound duty.
The Customs Tariff of Norway divides heading 1209 into 19 tariff lines; the duty is duty-free. 6 of them are duty-free. 13 lines have a specific or compound duty.
In the Customs Tariff of North Macedonia, heading 1209 covers 20 tariff lines and the duty is duty-free.
The ECOWAS Common External Tariff (Nigeria) divides heading 1209 into 10 tariff lines; the duty is 5%.
In 2024, countries exported heading 1209 goods worth US$9bn (+6.5% year on year).
The largest exporter was the Netherlands (US$2bn), followed by the United States.
The biggest buyer was the Netherlands, with imports of US$811m.
The United Kingdom ranked 32nd among 177 exporters with US$38m.
The United Kingdom imported US$204m.
Legal notes
Notes
1. Heading 1207 applies, inter alia, to palm nuts and kernels, cotton seeds, castor oil seeds, sesamum seeds, mustard seeds, safflower seeds, poppy seeds and shea nuts (karite nuts). It does not apply to products of heading 0801 or 0802 or to olives (Chapter 7 or 20).
2. Heading 1208 applies not only to non-defatted flours and meals but also to flours and meals which have been partially defatted or defatted and wholly or partially refatted with their original oils. It does not, however, apply to residues of headings 2304 to 2306.
3. For the purposes of heading 1209, beet seeds, grass and other herbage seeds, seeds of ornamental flowers, vegetable seeds, seeds of forest trees, seeds of fruit trees, seeds of vetches (other than those of the species Vicia faba) or of lupines are to be regarded as ‘seeds of a kind used for sowing’.
Heading 1209 does not, however, apply to the following, even if for sowing:
(a) leguminous vegetables or sweetcorn (Chapter 7);
(b) spices or other products of Chapter 9;
(c) cereals (Chapter 10); or
4. Heading 1211 applies, inter alia, to the following plants or parts thereof: basil, borage, ginseng, hyssop, liquorice, all species of mint, rosemary, rue, sage and wormwood.
Heading 1211 does not, however, apply to:
(a) medicaments of Chapter 30;
(b) perfumery, cosmetic or toilet preparations of Chapter 33; or
(c) insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, disinfectants or similar products of heading 3808.
5. For the purposes of heading 1212, the term ‘seaweeds and other algae’ does not include:
Questions and answers
What is the HS code for seeds, fruit and spores, of a kind used for sowing?
Seeds, fruit and spores, of a kind used for sowing fall under HS heading 1209, part of chapter 12, in section II of the Harmonized System.
What is the import duty on seeds, fruit and spores, of a kind used for sowing in the UK?
Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 1209 from countries without a preferential agreement are charged at 0% to 8%, depending on the line. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
What is the import duty on seeds, fruit and spores, of a kind used for sowing in the EU?
Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 1209 from countries without a preferential agreement are charged at 0% to 8.3%, depending on the line. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
Which country exports the most seeds, fruit and spores, of a kind used for sowing?
The Netherlands, with US$2bn in 2024 (18.2% of world exports).