HS 382440 · Concrete and mortar additives
Get the code right at quotation time, not at customs.
Misclassifying HS 382440 on the commercial invoice walks the cargo into the wrong duty rate, the wrong rebate column, and a customs hold that costs days of demurrage to clear. This page gives you the WCO heading, the product it most often covers, the China VAT export rebate rate, the US Section 301 status, the supplier provinces that ship it, and practitioner buying notes for first-time importers.
For an explanation of how the WCO Harmonized System is structured, what each digit means, and why misclassification is the most common landed-cost error first-time buyers make, see the HS code glossary entry.
Key facts
The numbers a buyer needs at the quotation stage. Verify each against the live source before invoicing; rates and rebate columns move.
| WCO heading | Prepared additives for cements, mortars or concretes |
|---|---|
| Chapter | 38, Miscellaneous chemical products |
| Industry segment | Industrial chemicals |
| Chinese name | 水泥/砂浆/混凝土外加剂 |
| China VAT export rebate | 9% Source: China State Taxation Administration (国家税务总局), 2025 schedule. Subject to change. |
| US Section 301 | 25% Source: USTR Section 301 List 1 / 2 / 3 / 4. Verify against the current schedule. |
| Major Chinese supplier provinces | Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong |
Buying notes
Polycarboxylate ether (PCE) superplasticisers, naphthalene sulfonate, lignosulfonate, accelerators, retarders, water-reducers, air-entraining agents. PCE dominates modern concrete admixture (high-rise, infrastructure, ready-mix); China runs roughly 60% of global PCE tonnage (Sika-China, BASF-China, Sobute, Shandong Wanshan). Section 301 25%. Specify the PCE solids content, dosage range, and slump retention on the technical datasheet; lower-solids cheaper-priced product is a common margin trap.
Common end uses
The applications that drive most of the global tonnage under this code.
- Ready-mix concrete (water reduction, slump retention)
- High-strength concrete (UHPC, bridge, high-rise)
- Precast concrete elements
- Cement-based grouts and self-levelling floors
- Tile-adhesive and dry-mix mortar formulations
Where to read next
For the structure of the HS / Harmonized System, what each digit means, and why misclassification costs landed-cost margin, see the HS code glossary entry.
Need a quote on this code? Send us the HS code, the destination port, and the tonnage and we will quote FOB China and CIF / DDP landed including the current Section 301 and rebate position.
Read next
Other codes in the same chapter and the references behind them
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HS 380893 Herbicides and plant-growth regulators
Chapter 38, Herbicides and plant-growth regulators. China VAT rebate 9%.
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HS 382499 Other industrial chemical products
Chapter 38, Other industrial chemical products. China VAT rebate 9%.
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HS 271019 Other petroleum oils
Chapter 27, Other petroleum oils. China VAT rebate 0%.
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HS 281512 Caustic soda lye (liquid 50%)
Chapter 28, Caustic soda lye (liquid 50%). China VAT rebate 0%.
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HS 151800 Chemically modified animal / vegetable oils
Chapter 15, Chemically modified animal / vegetable oils. China VAT rebate 9%.
Glossary
HS Code, Harmonized System Code
A six-digit international product classification code used by customs authorities worldwide to identify goods, assess duties, and apply trade controls. Countries extend the six-digit base with additional digits for tariff and statistical purposes (10-digit HTS in the US, 8-digit CN code in the EU, 10-digit AHECC in Australia).
Free download
Free PDF: thirty-point factory audit checklist used on every chemical-park site visit, mapped against the HS-code-leading Chinese producers.