Tools › Guides › Spices (HS 0910)
Exporting Indian spices (HS 0910) — curcumin, ETO and residues
Indian spices are a flagship export and a frequent target of border testing. The tariff is rarely what ends a consignment — contaminants and residues are.
What HS 0910 covers
- Ginger, saffron, turmeric (curcumin), thyme, bay leaves and curry, plus mixtures of spices. Turmeric has its own subheading.
- Form matters: whole vs crushed vs ground can sit in different subheadings, and a spice put up for retail sale can be classified differently from bulk. Classification of a retail-ready jar is not the same exercise as a bulk sack.
- Spices are spread across several headings, so 'spices' is not one code: pepper and chilli sit in 0904, for example. Get the heading right before you argue about duty.
The contaminants that actually cause rejections
- Ethylene oxide (ETO). Used to sterilise, and repeatedly the subject of border alerts on Indian spice consignments where residues exceeded the destination limit. If your supplier uses ETO treatment, verify the method and test the result against the destination limit — an ETO declaration with no test is not evidence.
- Aflatoxins in chilli and similar products, from mould during drying and storage.
- Pesticide residues against destination maximum residue limits, which are set per substance and per commodity.
- Colour adulteration. Sudan dyes and lead-chromate colouring have been documented in spices; buyers test for them, and a positive result is a market-wide reputational problem, not just one consignment.
The practical answer is boring and it works: accredited laboratory testing per consignment against the destination's limits, traceability back to the processor or farm, and a written treatment policy that does not rely on a substance the destination will not accept.
Curcumin, grades and protected names
Turmeric is traded substantially on curcumin content, and a claim about curcumin needs a laboratory basis — it is a specification, not a description. Geographical indications (Alleppey and others) are protected names: using one is a claim about where and how the crop was grown, and the supply chain has to be able to substantiate it.
Documents and limits
- Commercial invoice, packing list, transport document, certificate of origin.
- Phytosanitary certificate; laboratory test reports for residues, ETO and aflatoxin as applicable; treatment declarations.
- Destination labelling rules — including for food-contact packaging, which is regulated in some markets such as Japan.
Use the tools
- HSN 0910 — spices, including turmeric
- Market research — where spice imports are growing
- How to read trade data honestly
- Exporting to the EU — MRLs and RASFF alerts
Sources & further reading
Spices Board India EU RASFF — food safety alerts Codex Alimentarius
These guides summarise public material from the bodies named above. They are general information, not advice on a specific shipment, and they are not a substitute for a ruling from your customs authority or a qualified customs broker / consultant.
More guides
- How to find the right HS / HSN code for your export
- How to read trade data without fooling yourself
- How to estimate landed cost — FOB, CIF, duty and delivered
- The export document set: what is statutory and what is not
- Exporting to the UAE — classification, duty and documentation
- Exporting to the USA — HTS classification, entry and product gatekeepers
- Exporting to the EU — import VAT, CE marking, EUDR and CBAM
- Exporting to the UK — the UK Global Tariff, VAT and UKCA marking
- Exporting to Saudi Arabia — SABER, SFDA and GCC duty
- Exporting to Japan — CEPA preference, MHLW rules and residue limits
- Exporting to Australia — biosecurity, ECTA preference and FSANZ
- Exporting to the Netherlands — the EU gateway and how goods really enter
- Exporting to China — GACC registration, CCC marking and food rules
- Exporting to Germany — packaging law (LUCID), VAT and EU rules
- Exporting to Canada — bilingual labelling, CFIA and CBSA
- Exporting to Kenya — PVoC certification and KEBS standards
- Exporting to Nigeria — SONCAP, NAFDAC and Form M
- Exporting to Vietnam — AIFTA preference, Form AI and labelling
- Exporting to Indonesia — halal certification, SNI and import licensing
- Exporting to Turkey — the EU customs union, TAREKS and surveillance
- Exporting to South Africa — NRCS letters of authority and SACU duty
- Exporting to Brazil — RADAR, ANVISA, INMETRO and stacked taxes
- Exporting to Malaysia — AIFTA preference, JAKIM halal and SIRIM
- Exporting to the Philippines — AIFTA, FDA registration and ICC clearance
- Exporting to Sri Lanka — the ISFTA preference and its value-addition rule
- Exporting to Egypt — GOEIC factory registration and Arabic labelling
- Exporting to Chile — the PTA, SEC certification and warning labels
- Exporting to Tanzania — EAC duty, TBS conformity and TFDA
- Exporting to Mexico — NOM standards, the importers' registry and warning labels
- Exporting to Israel — the standard mark, Hebrew labelling and kosher
- Exporting to Bangladesh — SAFTA, BSTI and the letter-of-credit requirement
- Exporting to South Korea — CEPA, MFDS facility registration and the KC mark
- Exporting to Kuwait — KUCAS conformity and PAFN food rules
- Exporting to Thailand — AIFTA, TISI standards and Thai FDA registration
- Exporting to Switzerland — not the EU: customs, VAT and the EFTA agreement
- Exporting to Nepal — the India–Nepal treaty, not just SAFTA
- Exporting to Oman — conformity, food controls and logistics
- Exporting to Qatar — conformity, food controls and a high-income market
- Exporting to New Zealand — biosecurity, shared food standards and no agreement
- Exporting to Colombia — VUCE, INVIMA and ICA approvals
- Exporting to Kazakhstan — the EAEU customs union and EAC certification
- Exporting to Cambodia — AIFTA, import licensing and CamControl
- Exporting Indian tea (HS 0902) — grades, residues and market data
- Exporting basmati rice (HS 1006) — policy, residues and documents
- Exporting cotton yarn and textiles (HS 5205) — counts and traceability
- Exporting iron and steel articles — CBAM and embedded emissions
- Exporting frozen shrimp and seafood (HS 0306) — listing and residues
- Exporting Indian coffee (HS 0901) — grades, OTA and EUDR
- Exporting leather and leather goods — REACH, EUDR and buyer audits
- Exporting fresh fruit (HS 08) — quarantine treatments and residues
- Exporting pharmaceuticals (HS 3004) — registration, GMP and the CPC
- Exporting gems and jewellery — Kimberley, hallmarking and provenance
- Exporting cashew (HS 0801) — origin, out-turn and residues
- Exporting ayurveda and herbal products (HS 1211) — novel food and heavy metals
- Exporting auto components (HS 8708) — IATF, homologation and origin
- Exporting jute and coir — anti-dumping, LDC competition and biosecurity
- Exporting groundnut (HS 1202) — aflatoxin and the EU health certificate
- Exporting buffalo meat (HS 0202) — plant approval and market access
- Exporting unmanufactured tobacco (HS 2401) — auctions, grades and TPD
- Exporting organic food — NPOP equivalence, and where it stops
- Exporting dairy products (HS 0402) — residue monitoring and market access
- Exporting onion (HS 0703) — the most policy-volatile export India has
- Exporting honey (HS 0409) — residues, the national plan and origin labelling
- Exporting cut flowers (HS 0603) — cold chain, auctions and plant health