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Exporting Indian tea (HS 0902) — grades, residues and market data

Last reviewed 2026-10 · 4 sections

Tea looks like a simple export and behaves like a technical one. The classification is straightforward, the commercial grades are not, and the binding constraint is usually a residue limit rather than a tariff.

What HS 0902 does and does not capture

Heading 0902 covers tea, whether or not flavoured. It separates two things that matter commercially:

  • Green vs black. Green tea (unfermented) and black tea (fermented) sit in different subheadings.
  • Package size. Both are split again by whether the tea is in immediate packings not exceeding a small weight (typically 3 kg) or in bulk. The same tea can change subheading purely by how it is packed.

What the HS does not capture is grade. Leaf versus dust, orthodox versus CTC, and estate or garden identity are commercial distinctions that change the price by multiples while leaving the code unchanged.

Why unit value misleads for tea

Customs unit value (value ÷ net weight) blends every grade a country imports. Tea grades can differ in price by an order of magnitude, so a national unit value is a very weak guide to your own price. Use it only as a coarse sanity band, and prefer buyer-level price discovery for actual pricing.

The constraint that decides the shipment: residue limits

  • Destination maximum residue limits (MRLs) for pesticide actives are set per substance and are frequently far stricter than the levels used at origin. EU, UK and Japanese limits have all been the cause of rejected tea consignments.
  • The practical requirements are testing against the destination MRL list, traceability back to the estate or factory, and pest management that avoids actives the destination will not accept.
  • Buyer schemes (sustainability or origin certifications) are commercial requirements, not customs requirements — useful, but they do not substitute for meeting the legal residue limit.

Origin claims need origin compliance

Names such as Darjeeling, Assam and Nilgiri carry protected geographical indications. Using them is not just marketing — it is a claim about where the tea was grown and, for protected indications, one that has a legal basis. Make sure the supply chain can substantiate any origin name on the invoice.

Use the tools

Sources & further reading

Tea Board of India EU pesticides database (MRLs) 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.

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