TARIC

TARIC is the Integrated Tariff of the European Union, the customs tariff database used to determine duty and trade-defence measures applicable to goods imported into the EU. TARIC codes are 10 digits, built on top of the international 6-digit Harmonized System and the EU 8-digit Combined Nomenclature. TARIC integrates duty rates, anti-dumping and countervailing orders, tariff suspensions, quotas, end-use restrictions, and other trade-defence measures into a single daily-updated database.

The 6+2+2 structure (EU version)

The Combined Nomenclature (CN) digits 7-8 are the EU’s tariff-line subdivisions of the international HS6. The TARIC digits 9-10 do not subdivide the tariff-rate line; instead they identify the specific integrated measure applicable (anti-dumping, suspension, quota, etc.).

A code with 9-10 digits = 00 means no specific TARIC measure applies to that CN line, the standard CN duty rate is the only one in play. Non-zero TARIC suffixes signal an integrated measure: anti-dumping, suspension, end-use restriction, or another overlay.

What TARIC integrates

Each TARIC code can carry zero or more of:

• Third-country duty, the standard MFN rate for non-EU origin
• Preferential duty, reduced rate under an FTA (e.g. Japan-EU EPA) or a unilateral preference (e.g. GSP)
• Anti-dumping duty, the AD rate plus origin specifics (often supplier-specific within China)
• Countervailing duty, the CVD rate plus origin specifics
• Tariff suspension, temporary duty reduction or zero rate for specific goods (often raw materials EU industry needs)
• Tariff quota, a duty-free or reduced-duty allocation up to a specified volume
• End-use authorisation, reduced or zero duty if the goods are used for a specified purpose
• Restriction or prohibition, import licence required, or import banned

For a Chinese-origin chemical, the TARIC lookup typically reveals the third-country duty plus, if applicable, an anti-dumping duty against China specifically. Most Chinese-origin chemicals do not benefit from preferential duty (the EU has no FTA with China).

The daily update cadence

TARIC publishes a daily diff feed reflecting changes to integrated measures. New anti-dumping investigations, expiring suspensions, quota updates, and origin rule changes flow through the daily feed. For an importer running classification on a high-volume Chinese chemical line, this means the duty rate today can differ from the duty rate next month.

The most common change types affecting Chinese chemical imports:

• New anti-dumping initiations. EU launches an investigation; provisional duties may apply 6 to 9 months later
• Anti-dumping reviews. Existing duties reviewed every 5 years; rate can change up or down
• Suspension expirations. A tariff suspension benefitting a specific raw material expires and the duty resets to the standard rate

A buyer running landed-cost models on EU-bound Chinese chemicals should re-pull TARIC at least quarterly for high-value lines.

TARIC vs the EU TRON anti-dumping case database

TARIC tells you the duty rate. TRON (the EU Trade Defence Investigations database) tells you the case history behind it, the substance scope, the supplier-specific duty rates for individual Chinese exporters, the review timeline, the case documents.

For a Chinese-origin chemical subject to EU anti-dumping, the supplier-specific rate matters. EU anti-dumping investigations typically result in:

• A residual duty (applies to all Chinese exporters not individually investigated), the highest rate
• Specific company duties (apply to investigated cooperating exporters), usually lower than residual
• Sometimes “0%” rates for cooperating exporters that successfully showed no dumping

A buyer sourcing the substance from a specific Chinese factory needs to know which rate applies to that factory. TRON is where you find this.

Practical TARIC use for Chinese-origin chemicals

For a typical Chinese chemical landing into the EU, the TARIC workflow:

1. Get the CN8 classification of the substance
2. Look up the TARIC entry for the CN8 + China origin combination
3. Identify any anti-dumping / countervailing measures applicable
4. If anti-dumping applies, look up the specific Chinese supplier’s rate via TRON
5. Add the specific duty rate to the FOB + freight + insurance to compute landed cost
6. Confirm any preferential duty (typically none for China origin)
7. Confirm any tariff suspension or quota that might apply (rare for China-origin)

The integration with TRON is what makes EU duty calculation more administratively complex than US duty calculation under HTS. The supplier-specific rate component requires a per-supplier lookup, not just a per-product lookup.

Operator note: the EU FTA effect

Some Chinese-origin chemicals can be re-routed through countries with EU FTAs to access preferential rates, for example, through Vietnam (EU-Vietnam FTA) or through certain GSP-eligible countries. The EU rules of origin require substantial transformation in the routing country. Mere repackaging or relabelling does not qualify. EU customs anti-circumvention enforcement around these routes has increased significantly since 2023. A “Vietnamese-origin” certificate on a Chinese-made chemical that has only been repacked in Vietnam will not survive a TARIC origin audit.

Related terms

HS Code is the 6-digit international classification TARIC builds on. HTS Code is the US equivalent of TARIC’s role. Anti-dumping duty is the most common TARIC overlay on Chinese-origin chemicals. MFN tariff is the base third-country rate.