Heading · Section VI
3003: Medicaments (excluding goods of heading 3002, 3005 or 3006) consisting of two or more constituents which have been mixed together for therapeutic or prophylactic uses, not put up in measured doses or in forms or packings for retail sale
- FreeUK
- FreeEU
- 0%–40%Türkiye
- FreeUSA
- US$16.6bnWorld trade in 2024
Heading 3003 is divided into 10 six-digit subheadings and sits in chapter 30, pharmaceutical products.
The UK Global Tariff divides heading 3003 into 10 tariff lines; the duty is duty-free.
In the EU Combined Nomenclature, heading 3003 covers 10 tariff lines and the duty is duty-free.
The Turkish Customs Tariff Schedule divides heading 3003 into 10 tariff lines; the statutory rate is between 0% and 40% (average 24%). 4 of them are duty-free.
In the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, heading 3003 covers 11 tariff lines and the duty is duty-free.
In 2024, countries exported heading 3003 goods worth US$16.6bn (+6.3% year on year).
The largest exporter was Ireland (US$3.6bn), followed by the United States.
The biggest buyer was Belgium, with imports of US$3.7bn.
The United Kingdom ranked 15th among 155 exporters with US$298m.
The United Kingdom imported US$188m.
Duty rates compared
The Turkish schedule prints the statutory rate set under Customs Law 474. The rate applied at import is laid down in the Import Regime Decision and can be lower, or different by country of origin.
Subheadings 10
- 3003.10Containing penicillins or derivatives thereof, with a penicillanic acid structure, or streptomycins or their derivatives
- 3003.20Medicaments: other, containing antibiotics
- 3003.31Other, containing hormones or other products of heading 2937: containing insulin
- 3003.39Other, containing hormones or other products of heading 2937: other
- 3003.41Containing ephedrine or its salts
- 3003.42Containing pseudoephedrine (INN) or its salts
- 3003.43Containing norephedrine or its salts
- 3003.49Other, containing alkaloids or derivatives thereof: other
- 3003.60Other, containing antimalarial active principles described in Subheading Note 2 to this Chapter
- 3003.90Medicaments: other
World trade in 2024
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$1.1mUS$1.1m+US$29.4m+US$298m+> US$894.5m
Exports: 155
- Ireland: US$3.6bn
- United States: US$2bn
- Portugal: US$1.6bn
- China: US$995.8m
- Germany: US$894.5m
- Switzerland: US$809.8m
- Italy: US$807.6m
- Belgium: US$740.2m
- France: US$598.6m
- Spain: US$574.5m
- India: US$534.7m
- Netherlands: US$384.8m
- Singapore: US$376m
- Denmark: US$344.7m
- United Kingdom: US$298m
- Japan: US$210m
- Austria: US$182m
- Sweden: US$162.4m
- Poland: US$139.5m
- Slovenia: US$137.4m
- Hungary: US$125.9m
- Canada: US$106.2m
- Czechia: US$88.8m
- South Africa: US$79.4m
- South Korea: US$78.9m
- Australia: US$71.5m
- Romania: US$69.6m
- Saudi Arabia: US$59.7m
- Israel: US$59.3m
- Greece: US$51.3m
- Kuwait: US$44.9m
- Bulgaria: US$43.8m
- Pakistan: US$35.7m
- Norway: US$31.2m
- Croatia: US$29.7m
- Slovakia: US$29.4m
- Brazil: US$27.4m
- Lithuania: US$25m
- Thailand: US$24.2m
- Cyprus: US$17.8m
- Türkiye: US$17.8m
- Malta: US$14.6m
- Mexico: US$13.4m
- Taiwan: US$12.2m
- Nepal: US$10.8m
- Jordan: US$9.3m
- Egypt: US$8.3m
- Chile: US$8.1m
- Argentina: US$7.9m
- Latvia: US$7.7m
- Indonesia: US$7.4m
- Panama: US$4.2m
- Vietnam: US$3.8m
- Costa Rica: US$3.5m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$3.4m
- San Marino: US$3.1m
- Bangladesh: US$2.8m
- Kenya: US$2.4m
- New Zealand: US$2.3m
- Estonia: US$2.2m
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$1.9mUS$1.9m+US$21.7m+US$145.6m+> US$635.4m
Imports: 217
- Belgium: US$3.7bn
- Germany: US$2.3bn
- United States: US$2bn
- Spain: US$735.3m
- Japan: US$653.7m
- Netherlands: US$642.5m
- Ireland: US$635.4m
- Italy: US$403.5m
- Denmark: US$399.2m
- China: US$348.1m
- Saudi Arabia: US$265.5m
- France: US$228.1m
- Switzerland: US$225.8m
- Poland: US$218.2m
- Hungary: US$205.3m
- Russia: US$197.7m
- United Kingdom: US$188m
- Czechia: US$178.5m
- Algeria: US$164.7m
- Austria: US$163.8m
- Brazil: US$162.6m
- United Arab Emirates: US$145.6m
- South Korea: US$140.9m
- India: US$136.8m
- Greece: US$126.6m
- Egypt: US$122.1m
- Türkiye: US$114.8m
- Mexico: US$108.3m
- Portugal: US$103.2m
- Canada: US$96.9m
- Bulgaria: US$70.5m
- Sweden: US$70.3m
- Argentina: US$68m
- Iran: US$61.3m
- Vietnam: US$59.2m
- Colombia: US$55.6m
- Tunisia: US$52.2m
- Slovakia: US$47.5m
- Taiwan: US$46.5m
- Norway: US$44.7m
- Australia: US$42.4m
- Romania: US$41.7m
- Morocco: US$41.5m
- Indonesia: US$40.2m
- Thailand: US$40.1m
- Finland: US$35.4m
- Pakistan: US$31.3m
- Malaysia: US$30.5m
- Bangladesh: US$29.1m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$28.6m
- Jordan: US$27.6m
- Philippines: US$23.8m
- New Zealand: US$23.6m
- Lithuania: US$22m
- Israel: US$21.7m
- Estonia: US$21m
- Kazakhstan: US$18.6m
- Peru: US$16.8m
- Afghanistan: US$15.8m
- Singapore: US$14.6m
Top exporters
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US$3.6bn | 21.5% | |
| 2 | US$2bn | 12.1% | |
| 3 | US$1.6bn | 9.4% | |
| 4 | US$995.8m | 6% | |
| 5 | US$894.5m | 5.4% | |
| 6 | US$809.8m | 4.9% | |
| 7 | US$807.6m | 4.9% | |
| 8 | US$740.2m | 4.5% | |
| 9 | US$598.6m | 3.6% | |
| 10 | US$574.5m | 3.5% |
Top importers
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US$3.7bn | 22.1% | |
| 2 | US$2.3bn | 13.8% | |
| 3 | US$2bn | 12% | |
| 4 | US$735.3m | 4.4% | |
| 5 | US$653.7m | 3.9% | |
| 6 | US$642.5m | 3.9% | |
| 7 | US$635.4m | 3.8% | |
| 8 | US$403.5m | 2.4% | |
| 9 | US$399.2m | 2.4% | |
| 10 | US$348.1m | 2.1% |
Legal notes
Notes
1. This chapter does not cover:
(a) foods or beverages (such as dietetic, diabetic or fortified foods, food supplements, tonic beverages and mineral waters), other than nutritional preparations for intravenous administration (Section IV);
(b) products, such as tablets, chewing gum or patches (transdermal systems), containing nicotine and intended to assist tobacco use cessation (heading 2404);
(c) plasters specially calcined or finely ground for use in dentistry (heading 2520);
(d) aqueous distillates or aqueous solutions of essential oils, suitable for medicinal uses (heading 3301);
(e) preparations of headings 3303 to 3307, even if they have therapeutic or prophylactic properties;
(f) soap or other products of heading 3401 containing added medicaments;
(g) preparations with a basis of plaster for use in dentistry (heading 3407);
(h) blood albumin not prepared for therapeutic or prophylactic uses (heading 3502); or
(ij) diagnostic reagents of heading 3822.
2. For the purposes of heading 3002, the expression ‘immunological products’ applies to peptides and proteins (other than goods of heading 2937) which are directly involved in the regulation of immunological processes, such as monoclonal antibodies (MAB), antibody fragments, antibody conjugates and antibody fragment conjugates, interleukins, interferons (IFN), chemokines and certain tumour-necrosis factors (TNF), growth factors (GF), hematopoietins and colony-stimulating factors (CSF).
3. For the purposes of headings 3003 and 3004 and of note 4(d) to this chapter, the following are to be treated:
(a) as unmixed products:
(1) unmixed products dissolved in water;
(2) all goods of Chapter 28 or 29; and
(3) simple vegetable extracts of heading 1302, merely standardised or dissolved in any solvent;
(b) as products which have been mixed:
(1) colloidal solutions and suspensions (other than colloidal sulphur);
(2) vegetable extracts obtained by the treatment of mixtures of vegetable materials; and
(3) salts and concentrates obtained by evaporating natural mineral waters.
4. Heading 3006 applies only to the following, which are to be classified in that heading and in no other heading of the nomenclature:
(a) sterile surgical catgut, similar sterile suture materials (including sterile absorbable surgical or dental yarns) and sterile tissue adhesives for surgical wound closure;
(b) sterile laminaria and sterile laminaria tents;
(c) sterile absorbable surgical or dental haemostatics; sterile surgical or dental adhesion barriers, whether or not absorbable;
(d) opacifying preparations for X-ray examinations and diagnostic reagents designed to be administered to the patient, being unmixed products put up in measured doses or products consisting of two or more ingredients which have been mixed together for such uses;
(e) placebos and blinded (or double-blinded) clinical trial kits for use in recognised clinical trials, put up in measured doses, even if they might contain active medicaments;
(f) dental cements and other dental fillings; bone reconstruction cements;
(g) first-aid boxes and kits;
(h) chemical contraceptive preparations based on hormones, on other products of heading 2937 or on spermicides;
(ij) gel preparations designed to be used in human or veterinary medicine as a lubricant for parts of the body for surgical operations or physical examinations or as a coupling agent between the body and medical instruments;
(k) waste pharmaceuticals, that is, pharmaceutical products which are unfit for their original intended purpose due to, for example, expiry of shelf life; and
(l) appliances identifiable for ostomy use, that is, colostomy, ileostomy and urostomy pouches cut to shape and their adhesive wafers or faceplates.
Subheading notes
1. For the purposes of subheadings 300213 and 300214, the following are to be treated:
(a) as unmixed products, pure products, whether or not containing impurities;
(b) as products which have been mixed:
(1) the products mentioned in (a) above dissolved in water or in other solvents;
(2) the products mentioned in (a) and (b) (1) above with an added stabiliser necessary for their preservation or transport; and
(3) The products mentioned in (a), (b) (1) and (b) (2) above with any other additive.
2. Subheadings 300360 and 300460 cover medicaments containing artemisinin (INN) for oral ingestion combined with other pharmaceutical active ingredients, or containing any of the following active principles, whether or not combined with other pharmaceutical active ingredients : amodiaquine (INN); artelinic acid or its salts; artenimol (INN); artemotil (INN); artemether (INN); artesunate (INN); chloroquine (INN); dihydroartemisinin (INN); lumefantrine (INN); mefloquine (INN); piperaquine (INN); pyrimethamine (INN) or sulfadoxine (INN).
Products classified here
Questions and answers
What is the HS code for medicaments (excluding goods of heading 3002, 3005 or 3006) consisting of two or more constituents which have been mixed together for therapeutic or prophylactic uses, not put up in measured doses or in forms or packings for retail sale?
Medicaments (excluding goods of heading 3002, 3005 or 3006) consisting of two or more constituents which have been mixed together for therapeutic or prophylactic uses, not put up in measured doses or in forms or packings for retail sale fall under HS heading 3003, part of chapter 30, in section VI of the Harmonized System.
What is the import duty on medicaments (excluding goods of heading 3002… in the UK?
Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 3003 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 medicaments (excluding goods of heading 3002… in the EU?
Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 3003 from countries without a preferential agreement are free of duty. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
Which country exports the most medicaments (excluding goods of heading 3002…?
Ireland, with US$3.6bn in 2024 (21.5% of world exports).