Chapter
Chapter 17: Sugars and sugar confectionery
Chapter 17 of the Harmonized System has 4 headings and belongs to section IV (prepared foodstuffs; beverages, spirits and vinegar; tobacco and manufactured tobacco substitutes; products, whether or not containing nicotine, intended for inhalation without combustion; other nicotine containing products intended for the intake of nicotine into the human body).
Duty rates compared
Headings 4
- 1701Cane or beet sugar and chemically pure sucrose, in solid form
- 1702Other sugars, including chemically pure lactose, maltose, glucose and fructose, in solid form; sugar syrups not containing added flavouring or colouring matter; artificial honey, whether or not mixed with natural honey; caramel
- 1703Molasses resulting from the extraction or refining of sugar
- 1704Sugar confectionery (including white chocolate), not containing cocoa
EU: imports by month
World trade in 2024
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$11mUS$11m+US$214m+US$723m+> US$3bn
Exports: 201
- Brazil: US$21bn
- Germany: US$4bn
- Thailand: US$4bn
- China: US$3bn
- United States: US$3bn
- France: US$3bn
- India: US$3bn
- Belgium: US$2bn
- Netherlands: US$2bn
- Mexico: US$2bn
- Australia: US$2bn
- Poland: US$2bn
- Canada: US$1bn
- Türkiye: US$1bn
- Spain: US$1bn
- Guatemala: US$963m
- Morocco: US$900m
- Russia: US$746m
- Colombia: US$726m
- Saudi Arabia: US$723m
- Czechia: US$684m
- Ukraine: US$677m
- South Africa: US$640m
- Italy: US$623m
- Indonesia: US$567m
- Egypt: US$557m
- United Kingdom: US$548m
- Pakistan: US$547m
- Austria: US$547m
- Denmark: US$505m
- Hungary: US$446m
- Argentina: US$436m
- Eswatini: US$432m
- Vietnam: US$379m
- Slovakia: US$356m
- Malaysia: US$347m
- El Salvador: US$341m
- South Korea: US$335m
- United Arab Emirates: US$324m
- Nicaragua: US$311m
- Dominican Republic: US$305m
- Switzerland: US$271m
- Mauritius: US$267m
- Sweden: US$253m
- Ireland: US$243m
- Portugal: US$242m
- Bulgaria: US$235m
- Lithuania: US$214m
- Honduras: US$204m
- Japan: US$168m
- Uganda: US$166m
- Costa Rica: US$155m
- Taiwan: US$142m
- Belize: US$128m
- Finland: US$123m
- Cambodia: US$117m
- Zambia: US$114m
- New Zealand: US$114m
- Peru: US$112m
- Algeria: US$101m
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$76mUS$76m+US$327m+US$878m+> US$2bn
Imports: 224
- United States: US$7bn
- China: US$3bn
- Indonesia: US$3bn
- Germany: US$3bn
- Saudi Arabia: US$2bn
- United Kingdom: US$2bn
- India: US$2bn
- Mexico: US$2bn
- Canada: US$2bn
- Italy: US$2bn
- Netherlands: US$2bn
- South Korea: US$2bn
- United Arab Emirates: US$2bn
- France: US$1bn
- Malaysia: US$1bn
- Spain: US$1bn
- Belgium: US$1bn
- Egypt: US$1bn
- Japan: US$1bn
- Algeria: US$1bn
- Morocco: US$1bn
- Bangladesh: US$939m
- Iraq: US$878m
- Nigeria: US$820m
- Poland: US$791m
- Philippines: US$778m
- Vietnam: US$731m
- Uzbekistan: US$716m
- Thailand: US$666m
- South Africa: US$568m
- Sudan: US$564m
- Libya: US$559m
- Austria: US$552m
- Sweden: US$552m
- Israel: US$530m
- Ireland: US$501m
- Chile: US$494m
- Türkiye: US$487m
- Yemen: US$469m
- Iran: US$455m
- Somalia: US$450m
- Kazakhstan: US$438m
- Cambodia: US$435m
- Romania: US$433m
- Denmark: US$427m
- Australia: US$423m
- Czechia: US$420m
- Taiwan: US$411m
- Switzerland: US$407m
- Hungary: US$405m
- New Zealand: US$394m
- Sri Lanka: US$382m
- Lebanon: US$361m
- Russia: US$335m
- Singapore: US$332m
- Georgia: US$327m
- Greece: US$325m
- Venezuela: US$314m
- Tanzania: US$314m
- Finland: US$312m
Top exporters
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US$21bn | 28.2% | |
| 2 | US$4bn | 5.5% | |
| 3 | US$4bn | 5.4% | |
| 4 | US$3bn | 4.5% | |
| 5 | US$3bn | 4% | |
| 6 | US$3bn | 4% | |
| 7 | US$3bn | 3.6% | |
| 8 | US$2bn | 3.1% | |
| 9 | US$2bn | 2.9% | |
| 10 | US$2bn | 2.8% |
Top importers
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US$7bn | 9.7% | |
| 2 | US$3bn | 4.6% | |
| 3 | US$3bn | 4.5% | |
| 4 | US$3bn | 3.4% | |
| 5 | US$2bn | 3.2% | |
| 6 | US$2bn | 3% | |
| 7 | US$2bn | 2.5% | |
| 8 | US$2bn | 2.4% | |
| 9 | US$2bn | 2.4% | |
| 10 | US$2bn | 2.3% |
The UK Global Tariff divides chapter 17 into 54 tariff lines; the duty is between 0% and 12% (average 7.7%). 2 of them are duty-free. 28 lines have a specific or compound duty.
In the EU Combined Nomenclature, chapter 17 covers 44 tariff lines and the duty is between 8% and 13.4%. 41 lines have a specific or compound duty.
The Turkish Customs Tariff Schedule divides chapter 17 into 62 tariff lines; the duty is between 0% and 135% (average 75.4%). 2 of them are duty-free.
In 2024, countries exported chapter 17 goods worth US$73bn (−0.6% year on year).
The largest exporter was Brazil (US$21bn), followed by Germany.
The biggest buyer was the United States, with imports of US$7bn.
Chapter notes
Note
Subheading notes
1. For the purposes of subheadings 170112, 170113 and 170114, ‘raw sugar’ means sugar whose content of sucrose by weight, in the dry state, corresponds to a polarimeter reading of less than 99,5°.
2. Subheading 170113 covers only cane sugar obtained without centrifugation, whose content of sucrose by weight, in the dry state, corresponds to a polarimeter reading of 69° or more but less than 93°. The product contains only natural anhedral microcrystals, of irregular shape, not visible to the naked eye, which are surrounded by residues of molasses and other constituents of sugar cane.
Additional notes
1. For the purposes of subheadings 17011210, 17011290, 17011310, 17011390, 17011410 and 17011490, ‘raw sugar’ means sugar, not flavoured or coloured or containing any other added substances, containing, in the dry state, less than 99,5 % by weight of sucrose determined by the polarimetric method.
2. The duty applicable to raw sugar of subheadings 17011210, 17011310 and 17011410 whose yield established according to part B(III) of Annex III to Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 671) differs from 92 % is fixed in the following manner:
the relevant rate is multiplied by a correcting coefficient obtained by dividing the percentage yield established according to the above provisions by 92.
3. For the purposes of subheading 17019910, ‘white sugar’ means sugar, not flavoured or coloured or containing any other added substances, containing, in the dry state, 99,5 % or more by weight of sucrose, determined by the polarimetric method.
4. For products of subheadings 17022010, 17026095 and 17029071, the sugar content (sucrose, fructose, glucose and maltose, where the fructose and glucose are expressed in sucrose equivalent) is to be determined by applying the high performance liquid chromatography method (the “HPLC method”), using the following formula:
S + 0,95 x (F + G) + M
where:
“S” is the sucrose content determined by the HPLC method;
“F” is the fructose content determined by the HPLC method;
“G” is the glucose content determined by the HPLC method;
“M” is the maltose content determined by the HPLC method.
For products of subheadings 17026080, 17029080 and 17029095, the sucrose content, including other sugars expressed as sucrose, is to be determined by the refractometry method (expressed in degrees Brix in accordance with the Annex to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 974/2014). For products of subheadings 17026080 and 17029080, the conversion of the results into sucrose equivalent is to be obtained by multiplying the degrees Brix by the coefficient 0,95.
5. For the purposes of subheadings 17023010, 17024010, 17026010 and 17029030, the term ‘isoglucose’ means the product obtained from glucose or its polymers with a content by weight in the dry state of at least 10 % fructose.
For products of those subheadings, the sucrose content, including other sugars expressed as sucrose, is to be determined by the refractometry method (expressed in degrees Brix in accordance with the Annex to Implementing Regulation (EU) No 974/2014).
6. ‘Inulin syrup’ means:
(a) for the purposes of subheading 17026080, the immediate product obtained by hydrolysis of inulin or oligofructoses, containing in the dry state more than 50 % fructose in free form or as sucrose;
(b) for the purposes of subheading 17029080, the immediate product obtained by hydrolysis of inulin or oligofructoses, containing in the dry state at least 10 % but not more than 50 % of fructose in free form or as sucrose.
The quantity of ‘fructose in free form or as sucrose’ shall be determined using the formula F + 0,5 S/0,95 calculated on the dry matter, where “F” is the fructose content and “S” is the sucrose content, as determined by the High Performance Liquid Chromatography method.
7. When imported in the form of an assortment, goods of subheading 170490 are subject to an agricultural component (EA) fixed according to the average content in milkfats, milk proteins, sucrose, isoglucose, glucose and starch of the assortment as a whole.
8. Throughout the nomenclature, mixtures of sugar with small amounts of other substances are classified in Chapter 17, unless they have the character of a preparation classified elsewhere.
Products classified here
Questions and answers
What is the HS code for sugars and sugar confectionery?
Sugars and sugar confectionery make up HS chapter 17, in section IV of the Harmonized System.
What is the import duty on sugars and sugar confectionery in the UK?
Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 17 from countries without a preferential agreement are charged at 0% to 12%, depending on the line. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
What is the import duty on sugars and sugar confectionery in the EU?
Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 17 from countries without a preferential agreement are charged at 8% to 13.4%, depending on the line. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
Which country exports the most sugars and sugar confectionery?
Brazil, with US$21bn in 2024 (28.2% of world exports).