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HS Code 2501

HS 2501 reference for Egyptian salt exports — the international heading 2501.00, EU and UK subheadings by declared use, and classification for every salt grade.

HS heading 2501 covers "Salt (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."

It is the single heading for virtually all salt trade — rock salt and sea salt alike. The international Harmonized System stops at six digits (2501.00); every digit after that is set by the importing country's own tariff, and the same eight-digit number can mean different things in different countries.

Market at a glance

Metric	Value	Source / year
International HS code	2501.00 — salt, pure NaCl, sea water	HS nomenclature
EU and UK subheadings	2501.00.10 sea water and salt liquors · 2501.00.31 for chemical transformation · 2501.00.51 denatured or other industrial uses · 2501.00.91 suitable for human consumption · 2501.00.99 other	EU Combined Nomenclature / UK Global Tariff
National code length	EU CN 8 (TARIC 10) · USA HTSUS 10 · India ITC-HS 8 · China 8 · Türkiye GTİP 12 · Brazil NCM 8	National tariffs
EGG salt SKUs classified	74 SKUs across 12 grades, all under heading 2501.00	EGG catalogue, 2026
Sources	Siwa Oasis + Qattara Depression rock salt (≥ 97.00 % NaCl); North Sinai + Red Sea sea salt	EGG QA, 2026

International heading and national subheadings

2501.00 is the only code that is valid everywhere. Put it on every document, then let the destination's tariff decide the rest.

EU and UK subheadings

The EU Combined Nomenclature and the UK Global Tariff share this eight-digit split. The subheading follows the salt's declared use, not whether it is sea salt or rock salt:

2501.00.10: Sea water and salt liquors
2501.00.31: Salt for chemical transformation (separation of sodium from chlorine), e.g. chlor-alkali feedstock
2501.00.51: Denatured salt, or salt for other industrial uses (including refining) — not for preserving or preparing food or feed
2501.00.91: Salt suitable for human consumption
2501.00.99: Other salt

Other destinations

National tariffs extend 2501.00 in their own way — the USA HTSUS to 10 digits, India ITC-HS and Brazil NCM to 8, Türkiye GTİP to 12. Their subheadings do not follow the EU numbering, so never copy an EU or UK code onto a shipment to another country: confirm the line-level code with the importer's customs broker.

Duty and preferential rates

Import duty is set by the destination's national subheading, and preferential treatment depends on the origin document the buyer's customs accepts — for example an EUR.1 movement certificate for EU imports of Egyptian goods, or a PAFTA certificate of origin for Arab League markets. Rates change and differ by subheading, so check the destination's current tariff (the tariff calculator in our import guides gives indicative figures) and confirm with your broker before pricing a delivered contract.

Classification by Egyptian salt grade

Every grade below is heading 2501.00. The EU / UK column applies only to shipments into the EU or UK; elsewhere the national tariff decides.

Grade	EU / UK subheading	Notes
Food fine / coarse, table salt	2501.00.91	Add FSSC 22000 + HACCP cert and any health certificate the importer needs
Chlor-alkali feedstock (membrane cell)	2501.00.31	+ low Ca / Mg / SO₄ certificate
Industrial — tanning, textile dyeing, drilling mud, water softening	2501.00.51	Declared industrial use; + grade-specific certificate (LWG letter, low-SO₄ assay, API 13B-1, NSF/ANSI 60)
De-icing (rock + sea)	Confirm with broker	Depends on declared use and any denaturing; + EN 16811-1 / ASTM D632 / BS 3247 / GOST compliance
Pharmaceutical (USP / BP / EP)	Confirm with broker	Pharmacopoeial grade declared on documents
Cosmetic, aquaculture, agricultural / livestock	Confirm with broker	Declared end use drives the subheading

Supply options from EGG

Product	Grade / spec headline	HS heading	MOQ
Food grade sea salt — fine · food-grade catalogue	NaCl ≥ 99.00 %, FSSC 22000 / HACCP / Halal	2501.00	240 MT
USP saline-grade sea salt · pharmaceutical catalogue	NaCl ≥ 99.80 %, USP / BP / EP	2501.00	240 MT
Cosmetic sea salt — fine · cosmetic catalogue	NaCl ≥ 99.00 %, ISO 22716	2501.00	240 MT
Softener pellets · pool & softener catalogue	NaCl ≥ 99.50 %, NSF/ANSI 60	2501.00	240 MT
Aquaculture sea salt	NaCl ≥ 98.50 %, no iodine / anti-caking	2501.00	240 MT
Livestock lick block · agricultural catalogue	NaCl ≥ 96.00 %, feed safe	2501.00	240 MT
Premium chlor-alkali low-SO₄	NaCl ≥ 99.30 %, SO₄ ≤ 0.08 %	2501.00	240 MT
Rock salt — mine grade wholesale · industrial catalogue	NaCl ≥ 97.00 %	2501.00	240 MT
De-icing rock salt EU Grade A · de-icing catalogue	NaCl ≥ 97.00 %, EN 16811-1 / ASTM D632 / BS 3247 / GOST	2501.00	240 MT
Drilling mud rock salt	NaCl ≥ 98.50 %, API 13B-1	2501.00	240 MT
Leather tanning rock salt · textile dyeing sea salt	NaCl ≥ 97.50 % / ≥ 99.00 %	2501.00	240 MT
Applications index · HS codes tool · import guides	—	—	—

How HS classification impacts buyer cost

The subheading affects:

Import duty — set by the national subheading
VAT base — some countries differentiate VAT for food vs industrial salt
Customs clearance speed — food salt may need additional health certificates
Trade restrictions — some salt-exporting countries restrict food-grade exports to manage domestic supply

We declare heading 2501.00 and the subheading agreed with the buyer for the destination on the Commercial Invoice and Packing List, so the classification matches the certificate set before the cargo sails.

Common pitfalls

Copying another country's subheading

the digits after 2501.00 are national. In the EU and UK, 2501.00.10 is sea water and salt liquors, not table salt; a food code from one tariff can be a different product in the next.

Declaring food salt under a non-food subheading

food cargo declared as industrial or "other" is held for health documents. In the EU and UK, food salt is 2501.00.91.

Assuming sea salt and rock salt classify differently

the source does not change the heading; the declared use drives the subheading.

QA and reliability

Egypt Globe Group positions itself as your verified, long-term supply-chain ally: incorporated 2014 with an internal Quality Assurance division at its nucleus, ISO 9001:2015 across all divisions, and uncompromising QA verification from extraction to destination port. Every lot is tested at the loading-port laboratory and the Certificate of Analysis or Mill Test Certificate is issued before the Bill of Lading; lots outside specification are rejected at the loading port, never re-graded or renegotiated. Independent inspection by TÜV Austria, SGS, Intertek or Bureau Veritas (all ISO/IEC 17020 + 17025) is available on every shipment, laycans are run with documented NOR / SOF, and the specification is guaranteed at the port of loading under the sales contract — see inspection & quality control, trade documentation and quality & compliance. The HS classification declared on the Commercial Invoice and Packing List is tied to the lot's CoA grade, so the classification, the certificate set (FSSC 22000, USP, NSF/ANSI 60, EN 16811-1, API 13B-1) and the preferential origin document are consistent on every shipment.

Browse our salt catalog →
View Incoterms 2020 reference →
Compare with industrial salt market brief →
Browse our salt catalog →
View Incoterms 2020 reference →
Compare with industrial salt market brief →

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Frequently asked questions

What HS classification covers Egyptian salt under HS 2501?

Internationally, heading 2501.00 covers all salt, rock salt and sea salt alike. In the EU and UK the subheading follows the declared use: 2501.00.10 sea water and salt liquors, 2501.00.31 salt for chemical transformation, 2501.00.51 denatured or other industrial-use salt, 2501.00.91 salt suitable for human consumption and 2501.00.99 other salt. Other countries use their own extensions.

How are duty rates set for Egyptian salt under HS 2501?

By the destination's national subheading and by the origin document its customs accepts, such as an EUR.1 for EU imports of Egyptian goods or a PAFTA certificate for Arab League markets. Rates change and differ by subheading, so check the current tariff and confirm with your customs broker.

What can Egypt Globe Group supply for Egyptian salt under HS 2501?

74 SKUs across 12 grades of Egyptian rock and sea salt — food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, pool and water softener, aquaculture, agricultural, industrial, chlor-alkali and de-icing — all under heading 2501.00, from 240 MT.

Other questions? Email our export desk — the export desk replies to every request.