Handbook of Export and Import Commodity Codes

F-2: Export And Import Control Bureau (EICB) Export Schedule

The EICB Export Schedule contains the EICB control codes and the categories/subcategories designated for textile and apparel commodities exported from Canada to either Mexico or the United States under the Tariff Preference Levels (TPL) established within the NAFTA.

The appropriate EICB control codes are determined by identifying the HS classification of these goods according to the International Convention On The Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS).

Unless otherwise indicated, classification of these goods shall be determined according to the terms of the headings and any relative notes to: Section XI and Chapters 50 to 63, and Section XX and Chapter 94 of the HS; the General Rules For The Interpretation Of the HS; and, the Explanatory Notes to the HS.

Pages in the Schedule are numbered according to the HS Chapter. HS Chapters and the products they represent are listed below:

  • Chapter 52 - Cotton yarns and woven fabrics
  • Chapter 54 - Man-made filament yarns and woven fabrics
  • Chapter 55 - Man-made staple fibre yarns and woven fabrics
  • Chapter 58 -Special woven fabrics, pile, terry and tufted
  • Chapter 60 - Knitted or crocheted fabrics
  • Chapter 61 - Articles of apparel, knitted or crocheted
  • Chapter 62 - Articles of apparel, not knitted or crocheted
  • Chapter 63 - Other made up textiles
  • Chapter 94 - Bedding, mattresses, mattress supports, cushions and similar stuffed furnishings

The Tariff Preference Level (TPL) Commodity Code is 14 digits long. The first eight (8) digits represent the headings and subheadings of the International HS. The ninth to eleventh digits identify textile and apparel products more specifically and tend to mirror U.S. statistical suffixes and codes. The last three digits are the U.S. category numbers which relate to the NAFTA conversion factors.

The Article Description column contains the description of apparel, textiles and textile products covered by the NAFTA Tariff Preference Levels (TPL). It is a hierarchical arrangement of headings, subheadings and EICB code items.

The Unit of Measure specifies the unit of measure for apparel, textiles, and textile products.

Abbreviations for unit of measure are explained below:

  • DZN: dozen
  • KGM: kilogram
  • NMB: number
  • PAR: pair
  • SME: square meter equivalent

Listed below are helpful hints on how to classify textiles and apparel products provided for under the Harmonized System:

1. Goods of a mixture of two or more textile materials are to be classified as if consisting wholly of that one textile material that predominates by weight over any other single textile material

When a Chapter or a heading refers to products composed of textile materials of different kinds, those materials are aggregated together for the purpose of classifying similar products containing those materials mixed with others; the choice of appropriate heading shall be effected by determining first the Chapter and then the applicable heading within that Chapter, disregarding any materials not classified in that Chapter.

Examples:

  • (A) A woven fabric composed of:
    40% by weight of synthetic staple fibres,
    35% by weight of combed wool, and
    25% by weight of combed fine animal hair

    is not classified in heading 55.15 (other woven fabrics of synthetic staple fibres) but comes under heading 51.12 (woven fabrics of combed wool or of combed fine animal hair), since the proportion of wool and of fine animal hair must, in this case, be taken in the aggregate.

  • (B) A woven fabric weighing 210 g/m2 composed of:
    40% by weight of cotton,
    30% by weight of artificial staple fibres, and
    30% by weight of synthetic staple fibres

    is not classified in heading 52.11 (woven fabrics of cotton, containing less than 85% by weight of cotton, mixed mainly or solely with man-made fibres, weighing more than 200 g/m2), or in heading 55.14 (woven 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), but comes under heading 55.16 (woven fabrics of artificial staple fibres). This classification is reached by determining first the relevant Chapter (in this case Chapter 55 since the proportion of synthetic staple fibres and artificial staple fibres must, in this case be taken in the aggregate) and then the applicable heading within that Chapter, in this example, is heading 55.16, the heading which occurs last in numerical order among those which equally merit consideration.

  • (C) A woven fabric composed of:
    35% by weight of flax,
    25% by weight of jute, and
    40% by weight of cotton

    is not classified in heading 52.12 other woven fabrics of cotton) but in heading 53.09 (woven fabrics of flax). This classification is reached by determining first the relevant Chapter (in this case Chapter 53 since the proportions of flax and jute must be taken in the aggregate) and then the applicable heading within that Chapter which, in this example, is heading 53.09 since flax predominates over jute, the cotton content being disregarded.

2. When both Chapter 54 (man-made filament) and 55 (man-made staple fibre) are involved with any other Chapter (50, 51, 52, 53), Chapter 54 and 55 are to be treated as a single Chapter.

Example:

A woven fabric composed of:
35% by weight of synthetic filaments,
25% by weight of synthetic staple fibres, and
40% by weight of combed wool

is not classified in heading 51.12 (woven fabrics of combed wool) but comes under heading 54.07 (woven fabrics of synthetic filament yarn), since the proportions of synthetic filaments and synthetic staple fibres must, in this case, be taken in the aggregate.

3. When deciding if an admixture is mainly a particular textile material, regard is to be taken to the textile material which predominates by weight over any other single textile material in the admixture.

Example:

A woven fabric weighing not more than 200 g/m2 and consisting of :
55% by weight of cotton,
22% by weight of man-made fibres,
21% by weight of wool, and
2% by weight of silk

does not fall in heading 52.12 (other woven fabrics of cotton), but in heading 52.10 (woven fabrics of cotton containing less than 85% by weight of cotton, mixed mainly or solely with man-made fibres, weighing not more than 200 g/m2.

4. Goods that contain material of equal amounts and which merit equal consideration in determining a classification are classified in the heading which occurs last in numerical order.

Example:

A woven fabric composed of:
50% by weight of polyester staple fibres,
50% by weight of artificial staple fibres, dyed

is not classified in heading 5515.19 (other woven fabrics of polyester fibres), but comes under heading 5516.92 (other woven fabrics of artificial fibres, dyed), since the number for heading 5516.92 is a larger value than heading 5515.19 and so occurs last in numeric order.

5. The following example will assist the user in classifying an apparel product, and in determining the corresponding EICB export code and product category:

A man's white dress shirt, 100% cotton fabric, woven construction is classified in EICB export code 6205.20.20.25.3.340. Men's dress shirts, of cotton. This classification process begins by determining the relevant Chapter (Chapter 62-apparel made from woven fabric) and appropriate heading within that Chapter which describes men's shirts, i.e., heading 62.05. The next step is to classify the shirt fabric, in this case Chapter 52, woven fabrics that predominate by weight of cotton. Once this has been determined, the next step is to locate the subheading that specifies cotton under heading 62.05. The classification is then complete by determining the appropriate export code for white dress shirts for men, in this case EICB code 6205.20.20.25.3.340.