HS Codes and Incoterms: Celery, Carrots

What HS codes apply to fresh celery and carrots?

An HS code is the product number that customs authorities worldwide use to classify goods, and for fresh celery and carrots the six-digit codes are 0709.40 and 0706.10. Both sit in Chapter 7 of the World Customs Organization’s Harmonized System 2022, Edible vegetables and certain roots and tubers.

Product	HS 2022 heading	HS 2022 subheading	Wording in the nomenclature
Fresh or chilled celery	07.09 Other vegetables, fresh or chilled	0709.40	Celery other than celeriac
Fresh or chilled carrots	07.06 Carrots, turnips, salad beetroot, salsify, celeriac, radishes and similar edible roots, fresh or chilled	0706.10	Carrots and turnips

Two details often cause confusion. First, celeriac (root celery) is not covered by 0709.40: the HS wording excludes it, and heading 07.06 names it among the edible roots. An RFQ for stalk celery should therefore say “celery other than celeriac”. Second, 0706.10 covers both carrots and turnips, so the product description on the invoice should say which one is shipped.

Why do national tariff codes differ from the six-digit HS code?

The six-digit HS code is shared internationally, while each importing country or customs union adds its own digits for its tariff and statistics. In the EU, the eight-digit Combined Nomenclature codes for these products are 0706 10 00 for carrots and 0709 40 00 for celery, and these are the codes that EU plant health law uses to decide which rules apply.

For example, Regulation (EU) 2019/2072 lists CN 0706 10 00 among the root and tubercle vegetables that need an official statement on soil content, and CN 0709 40 00 among the leafy vegetables that need an official statement on two leaf miner species. The same regulation lists both codes among the products that need a phytosanitary certificate when they come from third countries other than Switzerland. Our page on EU import requirements for fresh vegetables explains these rules in more detail.

National tariff lines and duty rates for Korea, the GCC states or any other destination are set by the importing country. This article does not list them; the importer’s customs broker should confirm the full code before the contract is signed.

What are Incoterms 2020?

Incoterms 2020 are the International Chamber of Commerce’s rules that define where delivery happens, who pays which costs and where risk passes from seller to buyer. A rule is only complete with a named place and the version year, for example “FCA [named container terminal] Incoterms 2020”.

ICC notes on its Incoterms 2020 page that FCA was revised for the 2020 edition. Where goods are sold FCA for carriage by sea and a bill of lading with an on-board notation is needed, the parties can agree that the buyer instructs its carrier to issue an on-board bill of lading to the seller after loading.

Which Incoterm suits a reefer container of celery or carrots?

For containerised fresh vegetables, ICC guidance recommends FCA or CPT, or CIP when insurance is agreed, rather than FOB, CFR or CIF. The ICC guidance paper on shipping containers through ports gives the reason: FOB, CFR and CIF have an on-board point of delivery, and in container trade users have in practice no control over the start of freight cost or the transfer of risk up to or after that point. The paper links this mismatch to extra costs, double charging of terminal handling charges, uncertainty and disputes.

Rule	Delivery point described in the ICC paper	What the RFQ should name
FCA	Container terminal at the port of departure	The container terminal at the port of loading
CPT	Container terminal at the port of arrival	The container terminal at the port of arrival
CIP	As CPT, where insurance cover is agreed	The arrival terminal, plus the insurance cover agreed
FOB, CFR, CIF	On board the vessel	The paper advises moving container trade away from these rules

The table reflects the ICC texts only. Which party books the reefer, and which settings are requested, is agreed in the contract.

How should the HS code and Incoterm appear in an RFQ and on documents?

The HS code and the Incoterm should be written the same way in the RFQ, the quote, the contract and the shipping documents. A consistent entry looks like this:

Document field	Celery	Carrots
Product description	Fresh celery (other than celeriac)	Fresh carrots
HS code (six digits)	0709.40	0706.10
Delivery term	FCA [container terminal, port of departure] Incoterms 2020	FCA [container terminal, port of departure] Incoterms 2020

When the destination uses a longer national code, the importer adds it; the six-digit code stays the same. Which documents travel with the shipment depends on the market, and our page on export documents by market explains how the list is confirmed after the enquiry. Product details for fresh celery and fresh carrots are confirmed on enquiry.

Key takeaways

• Fresh celery other than celeriac is HS 0709.40; fresh carrots and turnips are HS 0706.10 (WCO HS 2022).
• Celeriac is classified in heading 07.06, not in 0709.40.
• EU plant health rules use the CN codes 0709 40 00 and 0706 10 00; national tariff lines elsewhere are confirmed by the importer.
• ICC guidance recommends FCA or CPT (or CIP with insurance) with a named container terminal for container shipments.
• Write the rule, the named place and “Incoterms 2020” the same way on every document.

To get a quote on these terms, send product, quantity and destination port on WhatsApp at +86 19931677117 or through the request a quote form.