Chapter 85 · Electrical machinery and equipment

HS 850610 · Manganese-dioxide primary cells / batteries

Get the code right at quotation time, not at customs.

Misclassifying HS 850610 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 Manganese-dioxide primary cells and batteries
Chapter 85, Electrical machinery and equipment
Industry segment Batteries and power
Chinese name 二氧化锰原电池
China VAT export rebate 13% 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 Guangdong, Fujian, Hubei

Buying notes

Standard alkaline AA / AAA / C / D / 9V cells. China runs about 70% of global alkaline cell tonnage (Sichuan Changhong, Nanfu, Zhongyin, GP Batteries). Section 301 25% on US import. Mercury content has been regulated to zero since 2009 in EU and US; insist on a mercury-free declaration. The shelf-life claim (5 to 10 years) drives premium positioning; cheaper cells at 2 to 3-year shelf life are common in the Chinese-domestic market and should not be re-exported as premium.

Common end uses

The applications that drive most of the global tonnage under this code.

  • Remote controls and consumer electronics
  • Smoke detectors and emergency devices
  • Industrial sensors and meters
  • Toys and battery-operated games
  • Medical devices (glucometers, blood-pressure monitors)

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.

Free download

Free PDF: thirty-point factory audit checklist used on every chemical-park site visit, mapped against the HS-code-leading Chinese producers.