Sawdust

Sawdust and wood waste, non-agglomerated

WCCB CLEARANCE

HSN 4401 41 00 (Sawdust) is subject to Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) CITES oversight under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, governing timber and wood-product imports from CITES-listed species. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) administers the ITC (HS) import policy, which excludes all species of sandalwood from this CTI. Both a CITES Certificate and a Phytosanitary Certificate must be uploaded in e-Sanchit before customs out-of-charge.

What this is

HSN code

4401 41 00

Chapter

44 · Wood and articles of wood; wood charcoal

Primary regulator

WCCB · Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 (CITES implementation)

Customs documentation

CITES Certificate from WCCB
Phytosanitary Certificate from exporting country
ITC (HS) species declaration from DGFT

Applicable Partner Government Agencies

WCCBWCCB·Wildlife Crime Control Bureau

Procedural directions for customs clearance are issued by: Directorate General of Foreign Trade.

Compliance steps

1
Verify that the sawdust species is not sandalwood: all sandalwood species are expressly excluded from CTH 4401 under the ITC (HS) import policy. Where the consignment contains or may contain CITES-listed timber species, obtain the CITES Certificate (document code 626000) and upload it in e-Sanchit before the bill of entry is filed.
ITC (HS) exclusion note for sandalwood under CTH 4401 · WCCB CITES certificate requirement · document code 626000
2
Obtain the Phytosanitary Certificate (document code 851000) issued by the competent plant-protection authority of the exporting country and upload it in e-Sanchit. Customs proper officers are required to verify both the CITES Certificate and the Phytosanitary Certificate before granting out-of-charge on PGA-facilitated bills.
CCR e-Sanchit verification requirement · document codes 626000 and 851000

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is importing sawdust without confirming the source species against the CITES Appendices before shipment. A consignment where the CITES Certificate does not accompany the goods or where the species identity is ambiguous will be detained at the port of import pending WCCB verification — demurrage and ground rent accrue from the date of arrival, and confiscation under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 is a live enforcement outcome for CITES-listed species imported without valid documentation.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 4401 41 00 require BIS certification?

No, sawdust and wood waste are outside the BIS Quality Control Order regime. Import is governed by Wildlife Crime Control Bureau CITES oversight under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and by the ITC (HS) policy administered by DGFT, with sandalwood species expressly excluded from this CTI.

Are CITES Certificate and Phytosanitary Certificate both mandatory at the bill of entry?

Yes. Both document code 626000 (CITES Certificate) and document code 851000 (Phytosanitary Certificate) must be uploaded in e-Sanchit before customs out-of-charge; the proper officer is required to verify both before releasing PGA-facilitated consignments.

What happens if the sawdust is sourced from sandalwood species?

Import is not permitted under CTH 4401 41 00 — all sandalwood species are expressly excluded from this CTI under the ITC (HS) import policy; consignments found to contain sandalwood are liable to seizure and re-export or confiscation.

Last verified against gazette notifications: 2026-05-16. Source: WCCB / DGFT / Indian Customs CUSDATA.