HS Code 3821: Prepared culture media for the development or maintenance of micro-organisms (including viruses and the like) or of plant, human or animal cells

Q: Is HS code 3821 the same in every country?

Yes — HS code 3821 is part of the WCO Harmonized System and is the same in every WCO member country at the 6-digit level. Beyond 6 digits, each country extends the code under its own system (e.g. HTSUS in the US, CN/TARIC in the EU, HSK in Korea, CCCHS in China) for national tariff rates and trade statistics. To see how a specific country classifies this code, select a country.

Q: Which WCO edition does HS code 3821 belong to, and has it been reclassified?

The Harmonized System is maintained by the World Customs Organization (WCO) and revised approximately every five years. The current edition is HS 2022, which replaced HS 2017 on 1 January 2022. Codes are added, merged, or split between editions to reflect new products and trade patterns, so a code valid in one edition may not exist or may mean something different in another.

Q: How do I find the correct country-specific version of HS code 3821?

Beyond the international 6-digit level, each country adds its own digits — the US extends to 10 digits (HTSUS), the EU to 8 or 10 (CN/TARIC), China to 13 (CCCHS), Korea to 10 (HSK), Japan to 9, and so on. To find the full code used by a specific country, select a country in TradeInt's HS Code Tool and search for 3821.

What is HS Code 3821

HS Code 3821 covers Prepared culture media for the development or maintenance of micro-organisms (including viruses and the like) or of plant, human or animal cells. It is a 4-digit heading within Chapter 38 (Miscellaneous chemical products), Section VI. Its 6-digit subheadings are identical in every HS-adopting country; from the 7th digit onward, each country extends the code for its own tariff and statistics.

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What does HS Code 3821 Prepared culture media for the development or maintenance of micro-organisms (including viruses and the like) or of plant, human or animal cells Cover?

Section VI

Chapters (28-38) Products of the chemical or allied industries

Chapter 38

Miscellaneous chemical products

HS Code 3821

Prepared culture media for the development or maintenance of micro-organisms (including viruses and the like) or of plant, human or animal cells

HS Code 382100

Prepared culture media for the development or maintenance of micro-organisms (including viruses and the like) or of plant, human or animal cells

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What HS Codes for Miscellaneous Chemicals Do Not Cover

Chapter 38 is the catch-all for chemical products not specified elsewhere — pesticides, catalysts, lab reagents, biodiesel. Goods frequently misclassified here but that belong elsewhere include:

Separate chemically defined compounds

Chapters 28, 29

Pharmaceutical preparations

Chapter 30

Fertilizers

Chapter 31

Plastics in primary form

Chapter 39

This list highlights common classification errors only — it is not exhaustive. For binding classification, work with a licensed customs broker or qualified trade compliance professional.

Related HS Codes under Culture Media HS 3821

HS Code 382100

Prepared culture media for the development or maintenance of micro-organisms (including viruses and the like) or of plant, human or animal cells

HS Code 3801

Artificial graphite; colloidal or semi-colloidal graphite; preparations based on graphite or other carbon in the form of pastes, blocks, plates or other semi-manufactures

HS Code 3802

Activated carbon; activated natural mineral products; animal black, including spent animal black

HS Code 3803

Tall oil, whether or not refined

HS Code 3804

Residual lyes from the manufacture of wood pulp, whether or not concentrated, desugared or chemically treated, including lignin sulphonates, but excluding tall oil of heading no. 3803

HS Code 3805

Gum, wood or sulphate turpentine, other terpenic oils; crude dipentene; sulphite turpentine, other crude para-cymene; pine oil containing alpha-terpineol as the main constituent

HS Code 3806

Rosin and resin acids and derivatives thereof; rosin spirit and rosin oils; run gums

HS Code 3807

Wood tar; wood tar oils; wood creosote; wood naphtha; vegetable pitch; brewers' pitch and similar preparations based on rosin, resin acids or on vegetable pitch

HS Code 3808

Insecticides, rodenticides, fungicides, herbicides, anti-sprouting products, plant growth regulators, disinfectants and the like, put up in forms or packings for retail sale or as preparations or articles

HS Code 3809

Finishing agents, dye carriers to accelerate the dyeing, fixing of dyestuffs, other products and preparations, of a kind used in the textile, paper, leather or like industries, n.e.c. or included

Frequently Asked Questions

What is HS code 3821?

HS code 3821 covers Prepared culture media for the development or maintenance of micro-organisms (including viruses and the like) or of plant, human or animal cells, a heading within Chapter 38 (Miscellaneous chemical products) of the WCO Harmonized System. Headings sit between the broad chapter level and the more specific 6-digit subheading level.

Is HS code 3821 the same in every country?

Which WCO edition does HS code 3821 belong to, and has it been reclassified?

How do I find the correct country-specific version of HS code 3821?