1. The relevant chapters
Chapters 50 to 55
Silk, wool, cotton, other vegetable fibres, man-made filaments, man-made staple fibres.
Chapter 56
Wadding, felt, nonwovens, special yarns, twine.
Chapters 58 to 60
Special woven fabrics, knitted and crocheted fabrics.
Chapter 61
Apparel, knitted or crocheted.
Chapter 62
Apparel, not knitted or crocheted.
Chapter 63
Other made up textile articles.
2. The deciding factors
Fibre composition
Cotton, wool, man-made, blends. Blends are classified by the fibre that predominates by weight.
Construction
Woven, knitted, crocheted. This determines chapters 50 to 55 versus chapter 60.
Stage of processing
Yarn, fabric, made up article.
Use
Garments in 61 and 62. Other made up articles in 63.
3. Blends
The rule is the fibre of greatest weight.
A woven fabric of 60 percent cotton and 40 percent polyester classifies as cotton.
Chapter notes may modify this for particular products, so check them.
4. Apparel: two dimensions
Construction
Knitted in 61, woven in 62.
Type and gender
Men’s, women’s, jackets, trousers, dresses, and so on.
5. The common errors
Declared fibre proportions that do not match test results.
Confusing knitted with woven, which moves the goods to a different chapter.
Confusing a made up article with apparel where the boundary is unclear.
Ignoring the exclusions in the notes to chapters 59 and 60.
6. A working habit
Textile classification depends on accurate composition data.
Each product should have a fibre composition test report or a supplier declaration.
Without reliable proportions, the classification cannot be right.
7. Closing view
The deciding elements are data: fibre proportions, construction, weight per square metre.
With that data, classification becomes a lookup.
*This article is based on the notes to chapters 50 to 63 of the Harmonized System. Exporters should confirm classification with China Customs.*