Chapter 34 at a glance
- HS chapter
- 34
- Section
- VI — Products of the chemical & allied industries
- Tariff headings
- 7 (24 subheadings)
- General customs duty
- 20%
- Import VAT
- 15% on the added tax value (ATV)
- Products listed
- 4
As at 2026-08-06. Source: SARS Tariff Book, Schedule 1 Part 1.
HS Chapter 34 covers soap, waxes, polishes & candles. Every tariff heading in the chapter is listed below, with its subheadings. Headings we have researched carry a duty page link showing the South African customs duty, a worked landed-cost example and any anti-dumping or ITAC permit exposure.
Duty pages in this chapter
3401.11
Soap & organic surface-active products (toilet use)
20% duty + 15% VAT
3401.20
Soap in other forms (liquid, flakes, paste)
20% duty + 15% VAT
3402
Detergents & cleaning preparations (retail)
20% duty + 15% VAT
3406.00
Candles, tapers & the like
20% duty + 15% VAT
All 7 tariff headings in Chapter 34
Harmonised System HS 2022 nomenclature — the same headings and subheadings the SARS Tariff Book is built on. South Africa classifies to 8 digits, so confirm the last two digits of your line in the Tariff Book before you clear.
3401 Soap; organic surface-active preparations used as soap, skin washing, in bars, cakes, moulded pieces, shapes, liquid or cream, containing soap or not; for retail, paper, wadding, felt and nonwovens, impregnated, coated or covered with soap or detergent
- 3401.11 Soap and organic surface-active products; in the form of bars, cakes, moulded shapes, and paper, wadding, felt and nonwovens, impregnated, coated or covered with soap or detergent, for toilet use (including medicated products) 20% duty
- 3401.19 Soap and organic surface-active products; in the form of bars, cakes, moulded shapes, and paper, wadding, felt and nonwovens, impregnated, coated or covered with soap or detergent, not for toilet use
- 3401.20 Soap; in forms n.e.c. in item no. 3401.11 20% duty
- 3401.30 Organic surface-active products and preparations for washing the skin, in the form of liquid or cream and put up for retail sale, whether or not containing soap
3402 Organic surface-active agents (not soap); surface-active, washing (including auxiliary washing) and cleaning preparations, containing soap or not, excluding those of heading no. 3401 20% duty
Full duty, VAT & risk page for 3402 →
- 3402.31 Anionic organic surface-active agents (other than soap); linear alkylbenzene sulphonic acids and their salts, whether or not put up for retail sale
- 3402.39 Anionic organic surface-active agents (other than soap); other than linear alkylbenzene sulphonic acids and their salts, whether or not put up for retail sale
- 3402.41 Organic surface-active agents; cationic (other than soap), whether or not put up for retail sale
- 3402.42 Organic surface-active agents; non-ionic (other than soap), whether or not put up for retail sale
- 3402.49 Organic surface-active agents; whether or not put up for retail sale, n.e.c. in item no. 3402
- 3402.50 Washing and cleaning preparations; powders, flakes and granules, surface-active, whether or not containing soap (excluding those of heading no. 3401), put up for retail sale
- 3402.90 Washing and cleaning preparations; surface-active, whether or not containing soap (excluding those of heading no. 3401), including auxiliary washing preparations, not for retail sale
3403 Lubricating preparations and those used in oil or grease treatment of textile and similar materials; excluding preparations containing 70% or more (by weight) of petroleum or bituminous mineral oils
- 3403.11 Lubricating preparations; for the treatment of textile and similar materials (leather, furskins etc), containing less than 70% (by weight) of petroleum oils or oils obtained from bituminous minerals
- 3403.19 Lubricating preparations; (other than for the treatment of textile and similar materials), containing less than 70% (by weight) of petroleum oils or oils obtained from bituminous minerals
- 3403.91 Lubricating preparations; for the treatment of textile and similar materials (leather, furskins etc), (not containing petroleum oils or oils obtained from bituminous minerals)
- 3403.99 Lubricating preparations; other than for the treatment of textile and similar materials, not containing petroleum oils or oils obtained from bituminous minerals
3404 Waxes; artificial, prepared
- 3404.20 Waxes; artificial and prepared, of poly(oxyethylene) (polyethylene glycol)
- 3404.90 Waxes; artificial and prepared, other than of polyethylene glycol
3405 Polishes, creams, scouring pastes, powders and similar; in any form, (including articles impregnated, coated or covered with such), for furniture, footwear, floors, coachwork, glass or metal
- 3405.10 Polishes, creams and similar preparations; for footwear or leather, excluding waxes of heading no. 3404
- 3405.20 Polishes, creams and similar preparations; for the maintenance of wooden furniture, floors or other woodwork, excluding waxes of heading no. 3404
- 3405.30 Polishes, creams and similar preparations; for coachwork, other than metal polishes, excluding waxes of heading no. 3404
- 3405.40 Scouring pastes and powders and other scouring preparations; (whether or not in the form of paper, wadding, felt, nonwovens, cellular plastics, cellular rubber, impregnated, coated or covered)
- 3405.90 Polishes, creams and similar preparations; n.e.c. in heading no. 3405, excluding waxes of heading no. 3404
3406 Candles, tapers and the like
- 3406.00 Candles, tapers and the like 20% duty
3407 Modelling pastes, including those for children; dental wax, impression compounds, in sets or packings for retail sale or in plates and similar forms; dentistry preparations with plaster base
- 3407.00 Modelling pastes; preparations known as dental wax, put up in sets, in packings for retail sale or in plates, horseshoe shapes, sticks or similar forms, other preparations for use in dentistry