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HomeHSNChapter 53HSN 5311 00 21

Unbleached

Unbleached woven fabrics of other vegetable textile fibres

DGFT CLEARANCE

HSN 5311 00 21 (Unbleached woven fabrics of other vegetable textile fibres) is subject to the ITC (HS) import policy administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), which requires a Pre-Shipment Inspection Certificate confirming absence of prohibited azo dyes. Testing for azo dyes is exempted only for imports from specified countries under General Note 10 of the ITC (HS) policy.

What this is
HSN code
5311 00 21
Chapter
53 · Other vegetable textile fibres; paper yarn and woven fabrics of paper yarn
Primary regulator
DGFT · ITC (HS) import policy, General Note 10 (azo-dye testing), Chapter 53
Customs documentation
  • Pre-Shipment Inspection Certificate from accredited lab
  • Azo-dye test report from exporter
Compliance steps
  1. 1
    Source a Pre-Shipment Inspection Certificate from an accredited laboratory of the exporting country confirming absence of prohibited hazardous azo dyes. This requirement applies to all origin countries not listed in the General Note 10 exemption and must be uploaded in e-Sanchit before the bill of entry is filed.
    General Note 10 of the ITC (HS) Import Policy · DGFT Public Notice 14/2023 dated 14-06-2023
  2. 2
    Verify whether the country of origin qualifies for the azo-dye testing exemption — EU, Serbia, Poland, Denmark, Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea and United Kingdom are exempt. For all other origins, azo-dye testing remains mandatory and absence of a compliant test report will result in consignment detention at the port of import.
    General Note 10 of the ITC (HS) Import Policy · DGFT Public Notice 14/2023 dated 14-06-2023
A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is assuming the azo-dye exemption applies to all origins because the product itself is unbleached and appears low-risk. The exemption is strictly country-specific; an unbleached fabric arriving from, for example, Bangladesh or China carries the full testing requirement regardless of its unprocessed state, and a missing test report triggers detention and ground rent accrual while the certifying documentation is obtained retrospectively.

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Frequently asked
Does HSN 5311 00 21 require BIS certification?
No, unbleached woven fabrics of other vegetable textile fibres are not within the BIS Quality Control Order regime. Import is governed by the ITC (HS) policy administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade, principally the azo-dye testing requirement under General Note 10.
Which countries are exempt from azo-dye testing for imports under HSN 5311 00 21?
EU member states, Serbia, Poland, Denmark, Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea and the United Kingdom are exempt per General Note 10 of the ITC (HS) policy and DGFT Public Notice 14/2023 dated 14-06-2023; all other origins must furnish a compliant test certificate.
Does the unbleached nature of the fabric affect the azo-dye testing obligation?
No. The General Note 10 obligation is determined by country of origin, not by the bleaching or processing state of the fabric; unbleached fabric from a non-exempt origin must carry a Pre-Shipment Inspection Certificate confirming absence of prohibited azo dyes.
Last verified against gazette notifications: 2026-05-16. Source: DGFT / Indian Customs CUSDATA.
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