Chapter
Chapter 55: Man-made staple fibres
Chapter 55 of the Harmonized System has 16 headings and belongs to section XI (textiles and textile articles).
Duty rates compared
UK Free – 8% Third-country duty 148 tariff lines · average 5.2% 
EU 4% – 8% Third-country duty 144 tariff lines · average 6.4% 
Türkiye 4% – 8% Third-country duty 159 tariff lines · average 6.2% 
USA Free – 25% General (MFN) 133 tariff lines · average 10.7% 
Canada Free – 8% Third-country duty 115 tariff lines · average 0.1% 
Mexico Free – 35% Third-country duty 161 tariff lines · average 23.6% 
Brazil Free – 26% Third-country duty 149 tariff lines · average 19.6% 
Argentina Free – 18% Third-country duty 2316 tariff lines · average 17.8% 
Peru Free – 11% Third-country duty 125 tariff lines · average 7% 
New Zealand Free – 5% Third-country duty 262 tariff lines · average 0.6% 
Japan Free – 10% Third-country duty 281 tariff lines · average 6.6% 
Taiwan 1.5% – 10% Third-country duty 147 tariff lines · average 7% 
GCC 5% Third-country duty 131 tariff lines 
Switzerland Free Third-country duty 110 tariff lines 
Norway Free Third-country duty 113 tariff lines 
North Macedonia Free – 12.5% Third-country duty 145 tariff lines · average 6.4% 
Nigeria 5% – 20% Third-country duty 113 tariff lines · average 14.1% Headings 16
- 5501Synthetic filament tow
- 5502Artificial filament tow
- 5503Synthetic staple fibres, not carded, combed or otherwise processed for spinning
- 5504Artificial staple fibres, not carded, combed or otherwise processed for spinning
- 5505Waste (including noils, yarn waste and garnetted stock) of man-made fibres
- 5506Synthetic staple fibres, carded, combed or otherwise processed for spinning
- 5507Artificial staple fibres, carded, combed or otherwise processed for spinning
- 5508Sewing thread of man-made staple fibres, whether or not put up for retail sale
- 5509Yarn (other than sewing thread) of synthetic staple fibres, not put up for retail sale
- 5510Yarn (other than sewing thread) of artificial staple fibres, not put up for retail sale
- 5511Yarn (other than sewing thread) of man-made staple fibres, put up for retail sale
- 5512Woven fabrics of synthetic staple fibres, containing 85 % or more by weight of synthetic staple fibres
- 5513Woven fabrics of synthetic staple fibres, containing less than 85 % by weight of such fibres, mixed mainly or solely with cotton, of a weight not exceeding 170 g/m2
- 5514Woven fabrics of synthetic staple fibres, containing less than 85 % by weight of such fibres, mixed mainly or solely with cotton, of a weight exceeding 170 g/m2
- 5515Other woven fabrics of synthetic staple fibres
- 5516Woven fabrics of artificial staple fibres
EU: imports by month
World trade in 2024
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$2mUS$2m+US$44m+US$341m+> US$2bn
Exports: 185
- China: US$14bn
- United States: US$2bn
- Indonesia: US$2bn
- Türkiye: US$2bn
- India: US$2bn
- Japan: US$2bn
- South Korea: US$1bn
- Thailand: US$1bn
- Germany: US$1bn
- Austria: US$1bn
- Italy: US$995m
- Belgium: US$825m
- Spain: US$708m
- Vietnam: US$666m
- Taiwan: US$581m
- France: US$476m
- Pakistan: US$454m
- Portugal: US$341m
- Netherlands: US$321m
- Malaysia: US$313m
- United Kingdom: US$296m
- Poland: US$199m
- Romania: US$182m
- Egypt: US$160m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$152m
- Czechia: US$152m
- Mexico: US$144m
- Singapore: US$133m
- Denmark: US$132m
- Bulgaria: US$128m
- Nepal: US$92m
- South Africa: US$90m
- Switzerland: US$89m
- Morocco: US$82m
- Slovakia: US$73m
- Canada: US$72m
- Ireland: US$67m
- Slovenia: US$64m
- Brazil: US$59m
- Peru: US$54m
- Greece: US$50m
- Uzbekistan: US$47m
- Hungary: US$45m
- Nicaragua: US$45m
- Saudi Arabia: US$44m
- Nigeria: US$41m
- Guatemala: US$40m
- Senegal: US$38m
- Croatia: US$38m
- El Salvador: US$37m
- Chile: US$30m
- Lithuania: US$25m
- Luxembourg: US$24m
- Honduras: US$23m
- Tunisia: US$23m
- Serbia: US$23m
- Russia: US$19m
- Bosnia & Herzegovina: US$18m
- United Arab Emirates: US$17m
- Sri Lanka: US$17m
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$31mUS$31m+US$161m+US$556m+> US$1bn
Imports: 218
- Vietnam: US$2bn
- Bangladesh: US$2bn
- United States: US$2bn
- Türkiye: US$2bn
- China: US$2bn
- Morocco: US$1bn
- Germany: US$1bn
- Indonesia: US$1bn
- Brazil: US$1bn
- Italy: US$988m
- India: US$902m
- Pakistan: US$843m
- United Arab Emirates: US$830m
- Spain: US$814m
- Mexico: US$768m
- Myanmar (Burma): US$720m
- Egypt: US$716m
- Poland: US$682m
- South Korea: US$582m
- Cambodia: US$574m
- France: US$567m
- Russia: US$556m
- Japan: US$508m
- Honduras: US$449m
- Belgium: US$448m
- United Kingdom: US$430m
- Netherlands: US$394m
- Sri Lanka: US$374m
- Saudi Arabia: US$342m
- Tunisia: US$341m
- Colombia: US$329m
- Thailand: US$327m
- Czechia: US$302m
- Romania: US$300m
- Nigeria: US$296m
- Canada: US$289m
- South Africa: US$259m
- Portugal: US$252m
- Uzbekistan: US$241m
- Malaysia: US$238m
- Peru: US$234m
- Philippines: US$232m
- Kenya: US$225m
- Algeria: US$224m
- Kyrgyzstan: US$212m
- Iraq: US$205m
- Iran: US$204m
- Bulgaria: US$198m
- Afghanistan: US$186m
- Singapore: US$178m
- Taiwan: US$168m
- Israel: US$164m
- Kazakhstan: US$161m
- Greece: US$161m
- Argentina: US$159m
- Ukraine: US$156m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$151m
- Austria: US$144m
- Senegal: US$143m
- Somalia: US$141m
Top exporters
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  China | US$14bn | 37.4% |
| 2 | United States | US$2bn | 6.1% |
| 3 |  Indonesia | US$2bn | 5.3% |
| 4 | Türkiye | US$2bn | 4.6% |
| 5 |  India | US$2bn | 4.5% |
| 6 | Japan | US$2bn | 4.2% |
| 7 |  South Korea | US$1bn | 3.9% |
| 8 |  Thailand | US$1bn | 3.7% |
| 9 |  Germany | US$1bn | 3.6% |
| 10 |  Austria | US$1bn | 3% |
Top importers
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Vietnam | US$2bn | 6.1% |
| 2 |  Bangladesh | US$2bn | 5.7% |
| 3 | United States | US$2bn | 4.7% |
| 4 | Türkiye | US$2bn | 4.3% |
| 5 | China | US$2bn | 4% |
| 6 |  Morocco | US$1bn | 3.5% |
| 7 | Germany | US$1bn | 3.4% |
| 8 | Indonesia | US$1bn | 3.1% |
| 9 | Brazil | US$1bn | 2.8% |
| 10 |  Italy | US$988m | 2.6% |
The UK Global Tariff divides chapter 55 into 148 tariff lines; the duty is between 0% and 8% (average 5.2%). 43 of them are duty-free.
In the EU Combined Nomenclature, chapter 55 covers 144 tariff lines and the duty is between 4% and 8%.
The Turkish Customs Tariff Schedule divides chapter 55 into 159 tariff lines; the duty is between 4% and 8% (average 6.2%).
In 2024, countries exported chapter 55 goods worth US$38bn (+0.8% year on year).
The largest exporter was China (US$14bn), followed by the United States.
The biggest buyer was Vietnam, with imports of US$2bn.
Chapter notes
Note
1. Headings 5501 and 5502 apply only to man-made filament tow, consisting of parallel filaments of a uniform length equal to the length of the tow, meeting the following specifications:
(a) length of tow exceeding 2 m;
(b) twist less than five turns per metre;
(c) measuring per filament less than 67 decitex;
(d) synthetic filament tow only: the tow must be drawn, that is to say, be incapable of being stretched by more than 100 % of its length;
(e) total measurement of tow more than 20000 decitex.
Tow of a length not exceeding 2 m is to be classified in heading 5503 or 5504.
Questions and answers
What is the HS code for man-made staple fibres?
Man-made staple fibres make up HS chapter 55, in section XI of the Harmonized System.
What is the import duty on man-made staple fibres in the UK?
Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 55 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 man-made staple fibres in the EU?
Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 55 from countries without a preferential agreement are charged at 4% to 8%, depending on the line. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
Which country exports the most man-made staple fibres?
China, with US$14bn in 2024 (37.4% of world exports).