HS 12Agricultural commodities

HS Code for Soybeans, Meal & Oil (Chapters 12, 15 and 23)

Soy is the world's largest oilseed crop. Whole beans sit under HS 1201, crude soybean oil under 1507 and defatted meal (SBM) under 2304. Origin GMO status, EUDR compliance and phytosanitary rules matter as much as the tariff line for this trade.

Reviewed against WCO HS · WTO IDB · National customs schedules3 authoritative sourcesLast reviewed July 2026

Sample 6-digit codes

Code	Description
1201.10	Soya beans, seed
1201.90	Soya beans, other than seed
1507.10	Crude soya-bean oil, whether or not degummed
1507.90	Refined soya-bean oil
2304.00	Oil-cake and solid residues from soya-bean oil extraction (meal)

Need to check a specific code? Use the free HS code lookup tool.

Typical import duty by market

Market	Duty
China	3% (whole beans) / 9% (meal) Plus 9% VAT; largest global importer via crushers.
European Union	0% (beans) / 0% (meal) / 3.2-9.6% (oil) EUDR applies from Dec 2025 for beans and derivatives.
India (BCD)	0-45% Varies by notification and by product; crude soy oil at ~10-15%.
Egypt	0% Zero for feed inputs to protect poultry cost base.

Worked landed-cost example

50,000 MT whole soybeans, FOB Paranagua USD 430/t, to Nantong, China

FOB valueUSD 21,500,000

Freight + insuranceUSD 2,100,000

CIF valueUSD 23,600,000

China duty @ 3%USD 708,000

VAT @ 9% on (CIF + duty)USD 2,187,720

Landed cost ≈ USD 26,495,720 - roughly USD 529.91/t.

Run your own numbers in the import duty & tax calculator.

Regulatory checkpoints

· EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) 2023/1115 - due diligence from Dec 2025.
· GMO labelling - EU 1829/2003; import approval per event (MON, GT, etc.).
· Phytosanitary certificate + fumigation for bulk cargoes.
· Aflatoxin B1 limits under Codex CXS 193 and national standards.

Top exporting countries

· Brazil
· United States
· Argentina
· Paraguay
· Canada

Frequently asked questions

Are soybean meal and soy oil taxed the same as whole beans?

No. China taxes beans at 3% but soybean meal at 9% to protect the domestic crush margin. The EU applies zero on both beans and meal but a positive tariff on refined oil.

Does EUDR apply to soy imports?

Yes. From 30 December 2025, soy, soybean meal and downstream derivatives require geolocation of the plot of origin and a due-diligence statement demonstrating deforestation-free supply after 31 December 2020.