Handbook of Export and Import Commodity Codes

E-3: EICB Import Control Schedule

The EICB Import Control Schedule describes and identifies textile and apparel products that require import permits pursuant to the Export and Import Permits Act. These products are described and coded according to the International Convention On The Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS) (first 6-digits).

This Schedule is designed to correspond as closely as possible to the Canadian Custom Tariff. However, in order to administer Canada's restraint textile trade agreements (Section E6) and NAFTA (Section F), products in this Schedule differ from the Custom Tariff. There are several instances where products described and coded beyond the 6-digit level do not compare to the Custom Tariff (digits 7 through 10).

Unless otherwise indicated, classification of these goods shall be determined according to the terms of the headings and any relative notes to:  Section VIII and Chapter 42, 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 in below.

Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS) Chapters and the products they represent
ChapterCommodity
51Wool yarns and woven fabrics
52Cotton yarns and woven fabrics
53Other vegetable fibre yarns and woven fabrics
54Man-made filament yarns and woven fabrics
55Man-made staple fibre yarns and woven fabrics
56Wadding, felt and non-wovens and special yarns
58Special woven fabrics, pile, terry and tufted
60Knitted or crocheted fabrics
61Articles of apparel, knitted or crocheted
62Articles of apparel, not knitted or crocheted
63Other made up textiles
94Bedding, mattresses, mattress supports, cushions and similar stuffed furnishings

There are approximately 3300 import Commodity Codes which identify textile and apparel products in this Schedule. Every code is 14 digits and is divided into three sections. The EICB code is an 8 digit code, where the first 6 digits represent the headings and subheadings of the International HS. The IC code is a 2 digit code used for import control purposes. Digits 7 to 10 are used to describe and identify textile and apparel products in more detail than at the 6-digit level. Although digits 7 and 8 may correspond to the Custom Tariff, the description may not. Digits 11 to 14 represents a 4 digit Annex Code used to identify special products such as handicraft articles, or to identify other products that satisfy other special conditions beyond those that are described at the 10-digit level. An explanation of these codes are found in Section E4 - Annex Codes. For ease of reference, Annex Codes are shown at the end of the appropriate description text. If these special conditions are inappropriate, the last four digits should be 0000.  Note, all 14 digits must be entered on the permit application in order for a permit to be issued.

The Description column contains the description of textile and apparel products under import control. It is a hierarchial arrangement of Headings, Subheadings and EICB import control items. The descriptions displayed in bold text correspond to the International Convention on the HS. Annex Codes (Section E5) are located at the end of the description text.

Classification of textile and apparel goods are determined first, by satisfying conditions described at the first level (no indentation), followed by satisfying conditions at the next level (subsequent indentation). Each level describes different conditions than the previous level. A level change is indicated by one indentation to the right. A product is classified when there are no further levels to choose from. At this point, the 14 digit Commodity code can be determined by locating the code under the Commodity column.

The Unit Code specifies the unit of measure for textile and apparel commodities. For some sources and for some products this code may be different. The unit of measure for these cases is indicated in Section E3.

For goods imported from Mexico, the unit code for the following headings is SME:

  • 52.08 through 52.12, other than headings ending in 0036 (refer to E5);
  • 54.07 through 54.08, other than headings ending in 0036 (refer to E5);
  • 55.12 through 55.16, other than headings ending in 0036 (refer to E5); and
  • 5801.21 through 5803.10, and 5803.90.90

The unit code for goods of heading 60.01 imported from Mexico, the United States, Chile and Costa Rica is SME.

For goods imported from Chile and Costa Rica, the unit code for the various headings listed below is as follows:

Unit Code SME

  • 51.11 through 51.13 for headings ending in 0000;
  • 52.08 through 52.12 for headings ending in 0000 and 0036 (refer to E5);
  • 54.07 through 54.08 for headings ending in 0000 and 0036 (refer to E5);
  • 55.12 through 55.16 for headings ending in 0000 and 0036 (refer to E5);
  • 5801.21 through 5803.10, and 5803.90.90 for headings ending in 0000 and 0032 (refer to E5);
  • 60.01 for headings ending in 0000 and 0032 (refer to E5),

and Unit Code KGM

  • 51.11 through 51.12 for headings ending in 0414 (refer to E5);
  • 5801.10, 5803.90.11, and 5803.90.19 for headings ending in 0000;
  • 58.02, 58.05, 58.06, 58.10 and 58.11 for headings ending in 0414 (refer to E5);
  • 60.01 for headings ending in 0414 (refer to E5);
  • 60.02 through 60.06 for headings ending in 0000 and 0032 (refer to E5).

Some products of Chapters 61 through 63 require two units of measure. This provision applies to goods of Chapters 61 and 62 imported from the U.S.A., Mexico, Chile and Costa Rica and to goods of Chapter 63 imported from Mexico, Chile and Costa Rica. Products with a unit marked NMB*, PAR* or DZN* require an additional unit measured in KGM. For products with a unit marked KGM* require an additional unit measured in NMB. For these cases, the shipment quantity for a unit of measure marked with an asterisk shall be entered in the doc quantity field of the permit application, while the quantity for the additional unit of measure shall be entered in the permit quantity field. Consider, for example, 544 pairs of men's bib and brace overalls, unlined, woven and made of cotton, weighing a total of 250 kilograms and imported from Mexico. The unit of measure for this product under EICB item 6203.42.00.21.0000 is NMB*. The quantity entered in the permit quantity field on the permit application should 250 and the quantity entered in the doc quantity field should be 544. If this product was imported from any source other than Mexico, Chile, Costa Rica or the U.S.A., the permit quantity should be entered as 544.

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 import control code and product category:

A men's shirt, 100% cotton fabric, woven construction and with a tailored collar is classified in EICB import control code 6205.20.00.11- Men's or boys' shirts, of cotton, woven, with tailored collar. 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 or boys' 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 import control code for tailored collar shirts for men, in this case EICB code 6205.20.00.11. The category corresponding to this import control code is 6 (or 6.0).