# HS Codes for Supplements: A Shopify Seller’s Guide — Origova

> Most supplements land in 2106, but vitamins as pure substances and anything presented as medicine classify elsewhere. Where the line sits and why it matters.

Canonical: https://origova.com/dietary-supplement-hs-code

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# HS codes for supplements: a Shopify seller’s guide

_By [Spencer Flaherty](https://origova.com/about), founder of Origova_

Supplements are the category where sellers most often reach for a code that feels right and get it wrong, because the deciding factor is not what the product contains. It is **how the product is presented and what it claims to do**. The same capsule can classify in three different places depending on packaging and labelling.

Most finished consumer supplements land in **heading 2106**. The exceptions matter, and they are where duty and regulatory treatment diverge sharply.

> **Applying one code across a line** — Once you know the code, the work is mechanical. Origova finds every supplement variant still missing one and applies it in a single reversible batch. [Run the free scan →](https://apps.shopify.com/origova)

## The default: 2106

Heading `2106` — "food preparations not elsewhere specified or included" — is the catch-all where most dietary supplements sit. The commonly used subheading for supplement products is `2106.90`. This covers the typical Shopify supplement catalog: multivitamin capsules, protein powders, greens blends, collagen, pre-workout, gummies, and most herbal formulations sold as foods.

The logic is that these are food preparations rather than medicines or isolated chemicals, and 2106 is where the HS puts food preparations it has not named elsewhere.

## The three places it goes instead

| Product form | Likely heading | Why |
|---|---|---|
| **Vitamins as pure or largely pure substances** | `2936` | Provitamins and vitamins in bulk or isolated form are chemicals, not food preparations. This usually catches ingredient-grade material rather than finished retail products. |
| **Presented as medicine, with therapeutic claims and dosage** | `3004` | Medicaments put up in measured doses for retail sale. Labelling and claims drive this, not chemistry. |
| **Protein powders that are mostly milk protein** | `0404` or `3504` | Whey concentrates and milk-derived protein can classify by their dairy origin rather than as a preparation. |
| **Beverages and ready-to-drink** | `2202` | Liquid supplements sold as drinks classify as beverages. |

The 2106-versus-3004 line is the one that catches sellers, and it is genuinely a judgment call. A product marketed as "supports joint comfort" reads as a food supplement; the same capsule marketed as treating a named condition, with a therapeutic dose on the label, starts to look like a medicament. If your labelling sits near that line, it is worth a broker’s opinion — the duty and regulatory consequences differ, not just the digits.

## What does not change the code

- **Flavour and format.** Capsule, tablet, gummy, powder or softgel of the same formulation share a code.
- **Size.** A 30-count and a 120-count of the same product are one code.
- **Organic or non-GMO certification.** Certifications do not classify.
- **Private label vs branded.** Branding has no classification effect.

This is why supplement catalogs are usually fast to classify once the decision is made: a 40-SKU line is often two or three codes, applied across every size and flavour variant.

## Where origin gets complicated

Supplements are frequently blended in one country from ingredients sourced in several, then encapsulated and packed somewhere else. [Country of origin](https://origova.com/shopify-country-of-origin) is where _substantial transformation_ occurred — generally where the finished supplement was manufactured, not where the raw botanical was grown. If you use a contract manufacturer, they can tell you; guessing here is a misdeclaration that produces no error message.

## Applying it across a Shopify catalog

The mechanics are the familiar ones: HS code and country of origin sit on [each variant’s inventory item](https://origova.com/shopify-customs-information), and [nothing native lists which variants are still empty](https://origova.com/bulk-edit-hs-codes-shopify). For a supplement line that mostly takes one code, the efficient path is to scan, select every unclassified variant in the line, apply `210690` once, then handle the exceptions — any bulk vitamin material, any RTD drinks — as their own small groups. [Origova](https://origova.com/index) does exactly that, reversibly.

> **Not customs advice** — Supplements sit close to a regulatory boundary and classification here is more consequential than in most categories. This guide covers the common cases; anything with therapeutic claims, dosage labelling, or unusual composition deserves confirmation from a licensed customs broker. Check current US classifications at [hts.usitc.gov](https://hts.usitc.gov).

## The short version

Most finished retail supplements are `2106.90`. Bulk or isolated vitamins go to `2936`, anything presented as a medicament goes to `3004`, dairy-derived protein may go to `0404`/`3504`, and liquids go to `2202`. Form, size and certification do not change the code. Origin is where the finished product was manufactured.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the HS code for dietary supplements?

Most finished retail supplements classify under heading 2106 — food preparations not elsewhere specified — commonly at subheading 2106.90. This covers multivitamins, protein powders, greens blends, collagen, gummies and most herbal formulations sold as foods.

### Do vitamins have a different HS code than supplements?

They can. Vitamins as pure or largely pure substances classify under 2936 as chemicals, which typically catches ingredient-grade material rather than finished retail products. A consumer multivitamin in capsule form is normally still 2106.

### When does a supplement classify as a medicament under 3004?

When it is presented as medicine — therapeutic claims, measured doses put up for retail sale. Labelling and marketing drive this rather than the ingredients, which means two chemically identical products can classify differently based on how they are sold.

### Does protein powder have its own HS code?

It depends on composition. Plant-protein and general formulations usually sit in 2106, but powders that are predominantly milk-derived protein can classify by their dairy origin under 0404 or 3504. Check the actual protein source before assuming.

### Do gummies, capsules and powders have different codes?

No. Form does not change classification for the same formulation — capsule, tablet, gummy, softgel and powder versions of one product share a code. Neither do count size, flavour, organic certification, or private labelling.

### What country of origin applies to a supplement blended from imported ingredients?

Generally the country where the finished supplement was manufactured — blended and encapsulated — rather than where the raw ingredients were grown, because that is where substantial transformation occurred. Your contract manufacturer can confirm it.

Check current classifications at the official [Harmonized Tariff Schedule (hts.usitc.gov)](https://hts.usitc.gov); CBP’s CROSS rulings database is the place to look for supplement-specific precedent.

Related: [What is an HS code?](https://origova.com/what-is-an-hs-code) · [candles](https://origova.com/hs-code-for-candles-shopify) · [clothing](https://origova.com/hs-code-for-clothing-shopify) · [jewelry](https://origova.com/hs-code-for-jewelry-shopify) · [cosmetics](https://origova.com/hs-code-for-cosmetics-skincare-shopify)