Subheading · Chapter 12 · Heading 1209
1209.30: Seeds of herbaceous plants cultivated principally for their flowers
1209.30 is a six-digit subheading of heading 1209, seeds, fruit and spores, of a kind used for sowing, chapter 12.
What you pay
Importing into UK from Barbados
Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff
UK lines →- 1209 30 00 00 Seeds of herbaceous plants cultivated principally for their flowers Free
2%
Additional duties and import rulesBarbados
Charges on top of the customs duty, and rules the goods must meet at the border.
Import requirements 2
- Import controlImport control - CITES
- Applies to goods from
- all countries
- Legal act
- 2021 No. 54
- Import controlImport control of organic products
- Applies to goods from
- all countries except Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, United Kingdom, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia
- Legal act
- S.I. 2019/693
UK: imports by month
Main suppliers, last 12 months
| Country | Value | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
 Netherlands | £4.3m | 31% | +24.5% |
 United States | £2.1m | 15.1% | -9.6% |
 Kenya | £1.6m | 11.4% | +14.8% |
 Germany | £1.3m | 9.7% | -13.3% |
 China | £757k | 5.5% | -29.1% |
 France | £643k | 4.7% | +25.9% |
 India | £514k | 3.7% | +21% |
 Chile | £416k | 3% | +168.1% |
Same subheading in other tariffs
TürkiyeWorld trade in 2024
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$57.4kUS$57.4k+US$1.2m+US$7.6m+> US$30.1m
Exports: 120
- Netherlands: US$64.1m
- United States: US$58.3m
- Germany: US$42.4m
- Japan: US$30.1m
- China: US$27.5m
- Chile: US$21.4m
- Guatemala: US$20.3m
- France: US$16.6m
- Thailand: US$15.2m
- Costa Rica: US$14.6m
- Denmark: US$10.5m
- India: US$7.6m
- United Kingdom: US$7.4m
- Türkiye: US$7.4m
- Mexico: US$6.3m
- Poland: US$6.2m
- Indonesia: US$5.9m
- Italy: US$4.3m
- Lithuania: US$4m
- Tanzania: US$3.6m
- Israel: US$3m
- Kenya: US$2.7m
- New Zealand: US$2.2m
- Sweden: US$1.6m
- Belgium: US$1.4m
- Portugal: US$1.4m
- Ethiopia: US$1.3m
- Sri Lanka: US$1.3m
- Spain: US$1.2m
- Austria: US$1.2m
- Hungary: US$1.2m
- Armenia: US$1m
- Czechia: US$985.3k
- Switzerland: US$822.9k
- Vietnam: US$782.1k
- South Africa: US$761.8k
- Australia: US$655.3k
- Serbia: US$585.5k
- Slovakia: US$527.2k
- Zimbabwe: US$441.5k
- Taiwan: US$431k
- Canada: US$333.1k
- Pakistan: US$322k
- Moldova: US$275.6k
- Russia: US$250.6k
- Malta: US$218.7k
- Peru: US$185.4k
- Estonia: US$141.8k
- Brazil: US$137.7k
- Bolivia: US$133.7k
- Argentina: US$126.3k
- Romania: US$124.9k
- Slovenia: US$98.1k
- Ireland: US$76.6k
- Latvia: US$74.2k
- Kyrgyzstan: US$74k
- Ghana: US$57.9k
- Egypt: US$57.4k
- Greece: US$55.1k
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$52.5k
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$132.1kUS$132.1k+US$1.4m+US$4.4m+> US$24.6m
Imports: 160
- United States: US$68.3m
- Netherlands: US$57.6m
- China: US$30.1m
- Germany: US$25.2m
- Canada: US$24.6m
- Japan: US$21.1m
- India: US$19.9m
- United Kingdom: US$18.3m
- Italy: US$11.6m
- South Korea: US$8.7m
- France: US$8.1m
- Colombia: US$6.2m
- Russia: US$5.4m
- Mexico: US$4.7m
- Türkiye: US$4.5m
- Thailand: US$4.4m
- Vietnam: US$4.3m
- Belgium: US$4m
- Poland: US$4m
- Lithuania: US$3.8m
- Australia: US$3.7m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$3.4m
- Spain: US$3.4m
- Saudi Arabia: US$3.3m
- Brazil: US$3.1m
- Denmark: US$2.9m
- Switzerland: US$2.8m
- Kazakhstan: US$2.6m
- Ecuador: US$2.5m
- Taiwan: US$2.4m
- Austria: US$2.2m
- Israel: US$2.2m
- Kenya: US$2m
- United Arab Emirates: US$2m
- Sweden: US$1.6m
- Czechia: US$1.6m
- Romania: US$1.6m
- Finland: US$1.6m
- South Africa: US$1.5m
- Norway: US$1.4m
- Chile: US$1.2m
- Ukraine: US$1.1m
- New Zealand: US$1m
- Ireland: US$816.4k
- Egypt: US$788.9k
- Argentina: US$785.5k
- Hungary: US$760.1k
- Kuwait: US$737.7k
- Guatemala: US$702.9k
- Armenia: US$698.7k
- Uzbekistan: US$607.7k
- Iraq: US$605.9k
- Iceland: US$564.3k
- Slovakia: US$496.5k
- Peru: US$494.2k
- Serbia: US$483.2k
- Luxembourg: US$447.2k
- Estonia: US$409.8k
- Bulgaria: US$364k
- Costa Rica: US$359.8k
Top exporters
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Netherlands | US$64.1m | 15.9% |
| 2 | United States | US$58.3m | 14.5% |
| 3 | Germany | US$42.4m | 10.5% |
| 4 |  Japan | US$30.1m | 7.5% |
| 5 | China | US$27.5m | 6.8% |
| 6 | Chile | US$21.4m | 5.3% |
| 7 |  Guatemala | US$20.3m | 5.1% |
| 8 | France | US$16.6m | 4.1% |
| 9 |  Thailand | US$15.2m | 3.8% |
| 10 |  Costa Rica | US$14.6m | 3.6% |
Top importers
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | US$68.3m | 17% |
| 2 | Netherlands | US$57.6m | 14.3% |
| 3 | China | US$30.1m | 7.5% |
| 4 | Germany | US$25.2m | 6.3% |
| 5 |  Canada | US$24.6m | 6.1% |
| 6 | Japan | US$21.1m | 5.2% |
| 7 | India | US$19.9m | 5% |
| 8 | United Kingdom | US$18.3m | 4.5% |
| 9 |  Italy | US$11.6m | 2.9% |
| 10 |  South Korea | US$8.7m | 2.1% |
Binding rulings for similar goods 3
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.
- N322814 U.S. CBP
The Classification, Country of Origin Marking and Eligibility of the United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA) for Substrate with Seeds from Canada
- N300995 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of “HWG” Self Water Herb Growing kit from China
- N287678 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of seed growing kits from Japan
Recent rule changes mentioning this code
Acts whose text cites this code or its heading. Check the act itself: a code can be cited for reasons other than a change of its duty.
-
Quota · Applies from: CELEX 32026R1455 · Source: eur-lex.europa.eu
- Tariff change · Applies from:
CELEX 32026R1395 · Source: eur-lex.europa.eu
Subheading 1209.30 is a single line in the UK Global Tariff, where the duty is 2%.
The EU Combined Nomenclature has one tariff line for subheading 1209.30; the duty is 3%.
Goods from 168 countries can enter the UK at a preferential rate instead of the standard 2%; 168 of them pay no duty at all, for example under DCTS Comprehensive or European Union.
In the UK, additional duty of 35% applies on top of the customs duty to goods from Belarus and Russia.
In the 12 months to August 2026, the UK imported these goods worth £13.8m (up 6% on the year before), at an average of £59.57 per kg; Netherlands supplied 31%, followed by United States.
World trade in these goods reached US$402.8m in 2024, down 0.1% on 2023.
The Netherlands was the largest exporter with 15.9% of the total, ahead of the United States.
Products classified here
Questions and answers
What is the HS code for seeds of herbaceous plants cultivated principally for their flowers?
Seeds of herbaceous plants cultivated principally for their flowers fall under HS subheading 1209.30, part of heading 1209, in section II of the Harmonized System.
What is the import duty on seeds of herbaceous plants cultivated principally… in the UK?
Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 1209.30 from countries without a preferential agreement are charged at 2%. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
What is the import duty on seeds of herbaceous plants cultivated principally… in the EU?
Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 1209.30 from countries without a preferential agreement are charged at 3%. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
Which country exports the most seeds of herbaceous plants cultivated principally…?
The Netherlands, with US$64.1m in 2024 (15.9% of world exports).
Which countries can export these goods to the UK duty-free?
168 countries pay no duty under a trade agreement or preference scheme, among them partners under DCTS Comprehensive, European Union, DCTS Enhanced. The goods must meet the agreement’s rules of origin and the importer needs proof of origin; otherwise the standard rate of 2% applies. Pick a country above to see its rate.
Is there anti-dumping duty on these goods?
The UK charges additional duty of 35% on goods from Belarus and Russia. Lower rates apply to the named exporters listed in the measure.
Where does the UK import these goods from?
In the 12 months to August 2026, the largest suppliers were Netherlands (31%), United States (15%) and Kenya (11%), out of total imports of £13.8m.
Typical products
Everyday names, not part of the legal text.