HS code for coffee: green, roasted, decaf and instant
Coffee is one of the cleaner categories in the Harmonized System, because the HS code for coffee is decided by two binary questions asked in order: is it roasted, and is it decaffeinated? Answer both and you have your subheading. Almost everything a roaster sells sits in heading 0901.
The complications are all at the edges of the catalog rather than in the coffee itself — instant, equipment and merchandise each leave chapter 9 entirely.
Heading 0901, in four boxes
| Subheading | Roasted? | Decaf? | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
0901.11 | No | No | Green beans, the commodity most importers buy |
0901.12 | No | Yes | Green decaffeinated beans |
0901.21 | Yes | No | Roasted whole bean and ground — most retail coffee |
0901.22 | Yes | Yes | Roasted decaffeinated |
0901.90 | — | — | Coffee husks and skins; substitutes containing coffee |
For a direct-to-consumer roaster, 0901.21 covers the overwhelming majority of SKUs. Whole bean and ground share it — grind level is not a classification attribute. Neither is origin, varietal, roast profile, or bag size.
Instant coffee is not in chapter 9
This is the single most common error in the category. Instant coffee, extracts, essences and concentrates classify under heading 2101, not 0901. The reasoning is that they are preparations derived from coffee rather than coffee itself. If you sell both roasted bags and instant sachets, you are running two chapters, not two subheadings.
The same logic catches ready-to-drink coffee beverages, which classify as beverages rather than as coffee.
Pods and capsules
Pods are a genuine judgment call and worth flagging honestly. A capsule containing nothing but roasted ground coffee is generally still treated as coffee for classification purposes. But capsules that include added ingredients — sugar, milk solids, flavourings — start to look like preparations, and the capsule construction itself has been argued about in rulings. If pods are a meaningful share of revenue, this is a broker question rather than a lookup.
Everything else a coffee store sells
| Product | Likely heading | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Roasted beans and ground | 0901.21 | The core catalog |
| Instant, extracts, concentrates | 2101 | Preparations, not coffee |
| Espresso machines, coffee makers | 8516.71 | Electro-thermic appliances |
| Electric grinders | 8509 | Domestic electromechanical appliances |
| Ceramic mugs | 6912 | Porcelain lands in 6911 instead |
| Filters and filter papers | 4823 | Paper articles |
| Branded apparel | Chapter 61/62 | Classified as clothing — see the clothing guide |
A coffee brand’s catalog therefore spans more chapters than the product suggests: coffee, preparations, appliances, ceramics, paper and apparel. This is normal, and it is exactly why applying one code across a whole store misfires.
Origin matters more here than in most categories
Coffee is traded on origin, and customs cares about it for a different reason than your customers do. Country of origin is where the product was grown or substantially transformed — and roasting is generally treated as substantial transformation. That means beans grown in Ethiopia and roasted in Portland may carry a different declared origin than the single-origin story on your bag. Worth confirming rather than assuming your marketing copy and your customs declaration agree.
Applying it across a Shopify catalog
Most roasters can classify their entire coffee line in one pass — one code across every bean, grind and bag size — then handle equipment and merchandise as small separate groups. The friction is finding the unclassified variants: HS code and country of origin live on each variant’s inventory item, and a 30-SKU roaster with grind and size options can easily be 200 records. Origova lists every empty one and applies codes per group, reversibly.
The short version
Roasted, non-decaf coffee is 0901.21 and that covers most retail bags — grind, varietal, roast level and bag size do not change it. Green is 0901.11, and decaf shifts to the .12 / .22 pair. Instant and extracts leave chapter 9 for 2101. Machines, mugs, filters and apparel each classify by what they are. Roasting generally counts as substantial transformation for origin.
Frequently asked questions
What is the HS code for coffee?
Roasted, non-decaffeinated coffee — whole bean or ground — classifies under 0901.21, which covers most retail coffee. Green unroasted beans are 0901.11, and the decaffeinated versions are 0901.12 and 0901.22 respectively.
Does ground coffee have a different HS code than whole bean?
No. Grind level is not a classification attribute. Whole bean and ground coffee of the same roast and caffeine status share the same subheading, as do different varietals, origins, roast profiles and bag sizes.
What HS code does instant coffee use?
Instant coffee, extracts, essences and concentrates classify under heading 2101, not 0901. They are treated as preparations based on coffee rather than as coffee itself, which puts them in a different chapter entirely.
How do coffee pods and capsules classify?
A capsule containing only roasted ground coffee is generally still treated as coffee. Capsules with added sugar, milk solids or flavourings start to look like preparations, and capsule construction has been contested in rulings. If pods are a significant line, confirm with a broker.
What is the HS code for a coffee machine?
Electric espresso machines and coffee makers generally classify under 8516.71 as electro-thermic appliances, while electric grinders sit under 8509. Neither is in chapter 9 — equipment classifies by what it is, not by what it makes.
What country of origin applies to coffee roasted in a different country from where it was grown?
Roasting is generally treated as substantial transformation, which means the country of roasting may be the declared origin rather than the country of cultivation. This can differ from the single-origin story on your packaging, so confirm it rather than assuming they match.
Verify current classifications at the official Harmonized Tariff Schedule (hts.usitc.gov). For pods and blends containing substitutes, CBP’s CROSS rulings database holds the relevant precedent.
Related: What is an HS code? · Country of origin in Shopify · candles · clothing · jewelry · cosmetics