Chapter
Chapter 25: Salt; sulphur; earths and stone; plastering materials, lime and cement
29 headings make up chapter 25, part of section V, mineral products.
Duty rates compared
UK Free Third-country duty 86 tariff lines 
EU Free – 1.7% Third-country duty 80 tariff lines · average 0.2% · 3× specific or compound duty 
Türkiye Free – 1.7% Third-country duty 140 tariff lines · average 0.2% · 4× specific or compound duty 
USA Free – 3% General (MFN) 79 tariff lines · average 0.3% · 1× specific or compound duty 
Canada Free – 2.5% General (MFN) 78 tariff lines · average 0% 
Mexico Free – 10% General (MFN) 79 tariff lines · average 0.5% 
Brazil Free – 5.4% General (MFN) 86 tariff lines · average 3.4% 
Argentina Free – 5.4% General (MFN) 141 tariff lines · average 3.4% 
Peru Free – 6% General (MFN) 80 tariff lines · average 0.5% 
New Zealand Free – 5% General (MFN) 97 tariff lines · average 0.1% 
Japan Free – 2.5% General (MFN) 71 tariff lines · average 0.2% · 1× specific or compound duty 
Taiwan Free – 7.5% General (MFN) 109 tariff lines · average 0.9% 
GCC 5% General (MFN) 329 tariff lines 
Switzerland Free General (MFN) 67 tariff lines 
Norway Free General (MFN) 74 tariff lines 
North Macedonia Free – 15% General (MFN) 80 tariff lines · average 4.5% 
Nigeria 5% – 20% General (MFN) 70 tariff lines · average 6.7% Headings 29
- 2501Salt (including table salt and denatured salt) and pure sodium chloride, whether or not in aqueous solution or containing added anti-caking or free-flowing agents; sea water
- 2502Unroasted iron pyrites
- 2503Sulphur of all kinds, other than sublimed sulphur, precipitated sulphur and colloidal sulphur
- 2504Natural graphite
- 2505Natural sands of all kinds, whether or not coloured, other than metal-bearing sands of Chapter 26
- 2506Quartz (other than natural sands); quartzite, whether or not roughly trimmed or merely cut, by sawing or otherwise, into blocks or slabs of a rectangular (including square) shape
- 2507Kaolin and other kaolinic clays, whether or not calcined
- 2508Other clays (not including expanded clays of heading 6806), andalusite, kyanite and sillimanite, whether or not calcined; mullite; chamotte or dinas earths
- 2509Chalk
- 2510Natural calcium phosphates, natural aluminium calcium phosphates and phosphatic chalk
- 2511Natural barium sulphate (barytes); natural barium carbonate (witherite), whether or not calcined, other than barium oxide of heading 2816
- 2512Siliceous fossil meals (for example, kieselguhr, tripolite and diatomite) and similar siliceous earths, whether or not calcined, of an apparent specific gravity of 1 or less
- 2513Pumice stone; emery; natural corundum, natural garnet and other natural abrasives, whether or not heat-treated
- 2514Slate, whether or not roughly trimmed or merely cut, by sawing or otherwise, into blocks or slabs of a rectangular (including square) shape
- 2515Marble, travertine, ecaussine and other calcareous monumental or building stone of an apparent specific gravity of 2,5 or more, and alabaster, whether or not roughly trimmed or merely cut, by sawing or otherwise, into blocks or slabs of a rectangular (including square) shape
- 2516Granite, porphyry, basalt, sandstone and other monumental or building stone, whether or not roughly trimmed or merely cut, by sawing or otherwise, into blocks or slabs of a rectangular (including square) shape
- 2517Pebbles, gravel, broken or crushed stone, of a kind commonly used for concrete aggregates, for road metalling or for railway or other ballast, shingle and flint, whether or not heat-treated; macadam of slag, dross or similar industrial waste, whether or not incorporating the materials cited in the first part of the heading; tarred macadam; granules, chippings and powder, of stones of heading 2515 or 2516, whether or not heat-treated
- 2518Dolomite, whether or not calcined or sintered, including dolomite roughly trimmed or merely cut, by sawing or otherwise, into blocks or slabs of a rectangular (including square) shape
- 2519Natural magnesium carbonate (magnesite); fused magnesia; dead-burned (sintered) magnesia, whether or not containing small quantities of other oxides added before sintering; other magnesium oxide, whether or not pure
- 2520Gypsum; anhydrite; plasters (consisting of calcined gypsum or calcium sulphate) whether or not coloured, with or without small quantities of accelerators or retarders
- 2521Limestone flux; limestone and other calcareous stone, of a kind used for the manufacture of lime or cement
- 2522Quicklime, slaked lime and hydraulic lime, other than calcium oxide and hydroxide of heading 2825
- 2523Portland cement, aluminous cement, slag cement, supersulphate cement and similar hydraulic cements, whether or not coloured or in the form of clinkers
- 2524Asbestos
- 2525Mica, including splittings; mica waste
- 2526Natural steatite, whether or not roughly trimmed or merely cut, by sawing or otherwise, into blocks or slabs of a rectangular (including square) shape; talc
- 2528Natural borates and concentrates thereof (whether or not calcined), but not including borates separated from natural brine; natural boric acid containing not more than 85 % of H3BO3 calculated on the dry weight
- 2529Feldspar; leucite; nepheline and nepheline syenite; fluorspar
- 2530Mineral substances not elsewhere specified or included
EU: imports by month
World trade in 2024
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$24mUS$24m+US$275m+US$953m+> US$2.4bn
Exports: 208
- Australia: US$4.3bn
- China: US$4.2bn
- Türkiye: US$3.3bn
- United States: US$3bn
- United Arab Emirates: US$2.6bn
- Germany: US$2.6bn
- India: US$2.4bn
- Morocco: US$1.9bn
- Spain: US$1.8bn
- Egypt: US$1.8bn
- Vietnam: US$1.8bn
- Canada: US$1.6bn
- Netherlands: US$1.4bn
- France: US$1.4bn
- Belgium: US$1.1bn
- Brazil: US$1.1bn
- Jordan: US$1.1bn
- Mexico: US$1bn
- Italy: US$1bn
- South Africa: US$972m
- Saudi Arabia: US$953m
- Zimbabwe: US$902m
- Norway: US$833m
- Japan: US$817m
- Russia: US$802m
- Thailand: US$792m
- United Kingdom: US$708m
- Greece: US$684m
- Kazakhstan: US$677m
- Oman: US$635m
- Indonesia: US$623m
- Pakistan: US$620m
- Peru: US$619m
- Malaysia: US$613m
- Qatar: US$597m
- Algeria: US$587m
- Austria: US$584m
- Slovakia: US$518m
- Iran: US$436m
- Portugal: US$432m
- Togo: US$427m
- Senegal: US$426m
- Poland: US$407m
- South Korea: US$398m
- Zambia: US$350m
- Croatia: US$340m
- Ireland: US$331m
- Tunisia: US$316m
- Ukraine: US$316m
- Cambodia: US$297m
- Czechia: US$296m
- Denmark: US$275m
- Nigeria: US$247m
- Kenya: US$223m
- Kuwait: US$221m
- Switzerland: US$218m
- Mozambique: US$202m
- Bulgaria: US$201m
- Sweden: US$200m
- Chile: US$190m
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$62mUS$62m+US$212m+US$634m+> US$1.5bn
Imports: 223
- China: US$9.6bn
- United States: US$5.3bn
- India: US$4.7bn
- Netherlands: US$2.2bn
- Germany: US$2bn
- Italy: US$1.8bn
- France: US$1.5bn
- Indonesia: US$1.5bn
- Japan: US$1.4bn
- Belgium: US$1.4bn
- Morocco: US$1.2bn
- Canada: US$1.2bn
- United Kingdom: US$1.2bn
- Taiwan: US$1.1bn
- South Korea: US$1bn
- Brazil: US$923m
- Poland: US$890m
- Spain: US$851m
- Singapore: US$815m
- Philippines: US$735m
- Mexico: US$688m
- Bangladesh: US$640m
- Türkiye: US$634m
- Austria: US$597m
- Malaysia: US$585m
- Australia: US$583m
- Israel: US$552m
- Switzerland: US$549m
- Norway: US$542m
- Sweden: US$510m
- Vietnam: US$486m
- Hungary: US$485m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$472m
- Saudi Arabia: US$447m
- Kuwait: US$411m
- Thailand: US$409m
- Denmark: US$406m
- Czechia: US$392m
- Russia: US$385m
- Congo - Kinshasa: US$380m
- United Arab Emirates: US$354m
- Finland: US$351m
- Lithuania: US$329m
- Chile: US$294m
- Romania: US$289m
- Côte d’Ivoire: US$289m
- Portugal: US$282m
- South Africa: US$276m
- Mali: US$269m
- Ghana: US$247m
- Serbia: US$247m
- Libya: US$227m
- Egypt: US$217m
- Qatar: US$216m
- Ukraine: US$215m
- Bulgaria: US$212m
- Sri Lanka: US$206m
- Uganda: US$205m
- Ireland: US$202m
- Colombia: US$196m
Top exporters
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Australia | US$4.3bn | 6.6% |
| 2 |  China | US$4.2bn | 6.6% |
| 3 | Türkiye | US$3.3bn | 5.2% |
| 4 | United States | US$3bn | 4.7% |
| 5 |  United Arab Emirates | US$2.6bn | 4.1% |
| 6 |  Germany | US$2.6bn | 4% |
| 7 |  India | US$2.4bn | 3.7% |
| 8 |  Morocco | US$1.9bn | 2.9% |
| 9 |  Spain | US$1.8bn | 2.8% |
| 10 |  Egypt | US$1.8bn | 2.8% |
Top importers
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | US$9.6bn | 14.9% |
| 2 | United States | US$5.3bn | 8.3% |
| 3 | India | US$4.7bn | 7.3% |
| 4 |  Netherlands | US$2.2bn | 3.5% |
| 5 | Germany | US$2bn | 3.1% |
| 6 |  Italy | US$1.8bn | 2.7% |
| 7 |  France | US$1.5bn | 2.4% |
| 8 |  Indonesia | US$1.5bn | 2.3% |
| 9 | Japan | US$1.4bn | 2.2% |
| 10 |  Belgium | US$1.4bn | 2.1% |
In the UK Global Tariff, chapter 25 covers 86 tariff lines and the duty is duty-free. 80 of them are duty-free.
The EU Combined Nomenclature divides chapter 25 into 80 tariff lines; the duty is between 0% and 1.7% (average 0.2%). 67 of them are duty-free. 3 lines have a specific or compound duty.
In the Turkish Customs Tariff Schedule, chapter 25 covers 140 tariff lines and the duty is between 0% and 1.7%. 120 of them are duty-free. 4 lines have a specific or compound duty.
World trade in chapter 25 goods reached US$64.3bn in 2024, down 16.3% on 2023.
Australia was the largest exporter with 6.6% of the total, ahead of China.
China imported the most (US$9.6bn).
Chapter notes
Notes
1. Except where their context or note 4 to this chapter otherwise requires, the headings of this chapter cover only products which are in the crude state or which have been washed (even with chemical substances eliminating the impurities without changing the structure of the product), crushed, ground, powdered, levigated, sifted, screened, concentrated by flotation, magnetic separation or other mechanical or physical processes (except crystallisation), but not products which have been roasted, calcined, obtained by mixing or subjected to processing beyond that mentioned in each heading.
The products of this chapter may contain an added anti-dusting agent, provided that such addition does not render the product particularly suitable for specific use rather than for general use.
2. This chapter does not cover:
(a) sublimed sulphur, precipitated sulphur or colloidal sulphur (heading 2802);
(b) earth colours containing 70 % or more by weight of combined iron evaluated as Fe2O3 (heading 2821);
(c) medicaments or other products of Chapter 30;
(d) perfumery, cosmetic or toilet preparations (Chapter 33);
(e) dolomite ramming mix (heading 3816);
(f) setts, curbstones or flagstones (heading 6801); mosaic cubes or the like (heading 6802); roofing, facing or damp-course slates (heading 6803);
(g) precious or semi-precious stones (heading 7102 or 7103);
(h) cultured crystals (other than optical elements) weighing not less than 2,5 g each, of sodium chloride or of magnesium oxide, of heading 3824; optical elements of sodium chloride or of magnesium oxide (heading 9001);
(ij) billiard chalks (heading 9504); or
(k) writing or drawing chalks or tailors' chalks (heading 9609).
3. Any products classifiable in heading 2517 and any other heading of the chapter are to be classified in heading 2517.
4. Heading 2530 applies, inter alia, to: vermiculite, perlite and chlorites, unexpanded; earth colours, whether or not calcined or mixed together; natural micaceous iron oxides; meerschaum (whether or not in polished pieces); amber; agglomerated meerschaum and agglomerated amber, in plates, rods, sticks or similar forms, not worked after moulding; jet; strontianite (whether or not calcined), other than strontium oxide; broken pieces of pottery, brick or concrete.
Questions and answers
What is the HS code for salt; sulphur; earths and stone; plastering materials, lime and cement?
Salt; sulphur; earths and stone; plastering materials, lime and cement make up HS chapter 25, in section V of the Harmonized System.
What is the import duty on salt; sulphur; earths and stone; plastering… in the UK?
Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 25 from countries without a preferential agreement are free of duty. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
What is the import duty on salt; sulphur; earths and stone; plastering… in the EU?
Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 25 from countries without a preferential agreement are charged at 0% to 1.7%, depending on the line. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
Which country exports the most salt; sulphur; earths and stone; plastering…?
Australia, with US$4.3bn in 2024 (6.6% of world exports).