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HSN Code 3402: Organic surface-active agents

HSN 3402 covers organic surface-active agents. Notification 9/2025-Central Tax (Rate) names this heading in 2 entries, at 5% / 18%. The basic customs duty in the Customs Tariff is 10%. Export policy: Free; RoDTEP 0.8–0.9% of FOB value. The heading has 20 eight-digit tariff items.

Checked against the official files on 2 October 202620 tariff itemsChapter 34 · Soap, organic surface-active agents; washing…
GST rate5% / 18%

The heading is named in 2 entries. The description of the goods decides the rate.

Notfn 9/2025-CT (Rate) · 2 entries
Basic customs duty10%

Standard rate on all 20 tariff items.

Customs Tariff · First Schedule · Ch. 34
Import conditionsFSSAI clearance

Food-safety compliance, the shelf-life rule and notified entry points apply.

ITC(HS) Sch. 1 · General Note 4
Export policy · RoDTEPFree · 0.8–0.9%

No export authorisation needed for any line. RoDTEP continues up to 31 December 2026.

Sch. 2 Export Policy · Appendix 4R
Tariff items

All 8-Digit Codes Under HSN 3402

Classify the goods at eight digits before you quote a rate: the duty, the export policy and the RoDTEP rate are fixed line by line. Heading text: Organic surface-active agents (other than soap); surface-active preparations, washing preparations (including auxiliary washing preparations) and cleaning preparations, whether or not containing soap, other than those of heading 3401.

Tariff itemDescriptionBasic customs dutyExport policyRoDTEP
3402 31 00Linear alkylbenzene sulphonic acids and their salts10%Free0.8%
3402 39 00Other10%Free0.8%
3402 41 00Cationic10%Free0.9%
3402 42 00Non-ionic10%Free0.9%
3402 49 00Other10%Free0.8%
3402 50 00Preparations put up for retail sale10%Free0.8%
3402 90 11Washing preparations (including auxiliary washing preparations) and cleaning preparations, having a basis of soap or other organic surface active agentsSynthetic detergents10%Free0.8%
3402 90 12Cleaning or degreasing preparations not having a basis of soap or other organic surface active agentsSynthetic detergents10%Free0.8%
3402 90 19OtherSynthetic detergents10%Free0.8%
3402 90 20Sulphonated or sulphated or oxidized or chlorinated castor oil; sulphonated or sulphated or oxidized or chlorinated fish oil; sulphonated or sulphated or oxidized or chlorinated sperm oil; sulphonated or sulphated or oxidized or chlorinated neats foot oilSynthetic detergents10%Free0.8%
3402 90 30PenetratorsSynthetic detergents10%Free0.8%
3402 90 41Washing preparations (including auxiliary washing preparations) and cleaning preparations, having a basis of soap or other organic surface active agentsWetting agents10%Free0.8%
3402 90 42Cleaning or degreasing preparations not having a basis of soap or other organic surface active agentsWetting agents10%Free0.8%
3402 90 49OtherWetting agents10%Free0.8%
3402 90 51Washing preparations (including auxiliary washing preparations) and cleaning preparations, having a basis of soap or other organic surface active agentsWashing preparations whether or not containing soap10%Free0.8%
3402 90 52Cleaning or degreasing preparations not having a basis of soap or other organic surface active agentsWashing preparations whether or not containing soap10%Free0.8%
3402 90 59OtherWashing preparations whether or not containing soap10%Free0.8%
3402 90 91Washing preparations (including auxiliary washing preparations) and cleaning preparations, having a basis of soap or other organic surface active agentsOther10%Free0.8%
3402 90 92Cleaning or degreasing preparations not hav- ing a basis of soap or other organic surface active agentsOther10%Free0.8%
3402 90 99OtherOther10%Free0.8%

Basic customs duty is the standard rate in the First Schedule to the Customs Tariff Act. An exemption notification or a trade agreement can lower the duty actually payable. RoDTEP is a percentage of FOB value for exports from the domestic tariff area.

GST

GST Rate on HSN 3402

GST on goods is fixed by the entries of Notification No. 9/2025-Central Tax (Rate), in force from 22 September 2025 and amended up to 30 April 2026. The rate shown is the total: half is central tax and half is State tax on a sale within a State, and the whole is charged as IGST on an inter-State sale or an import. Read the description in the entry, not only the code: the same heading can sit in two Schedules.

GST rateEntryCodes namedGoods covered by the entry
5%Schedule I, S. No. 2523402Sulphonated castor oil, fish oil or sperm oil
18%Schedule II, S. No. 673402Organic surface-active agents (other than soap); surface-active preparations, washing preparations (including auxiliary washing preparations) and cleaning preparations, whether or not containing soap, other than those of heading 3401 [other than Sulphonated castor oil, fish oil or sperm oil]
18%Schedule II, S. No. 639Any ChapterGoods which are not specified in Schedule I, III, IV, V, VI or VII (residual entry)

Goods of this heading that fall under no specific entry take the residual entry, unless they are exempt under the exemption notification issued with the rate notification.

Import

Customs Duty on HSN 3402

An import pays three things: basic customs duty at the tariff rate, social welfare surcharge at 10% of that duty (unless exempted for the goods), and IGST at the GST rate on the value plus both duties. A registered importer takes credit of the IGST.

Basic customs duty at
Social welfare surcharge, 10% of the duty
IGST at on value plus both
Total duty and tax
As a share of the value

Standard rates only: no exemption notification, anti-dumping or safeguard duty, or trade-agreement rate is applied, and the surcharge is taken at 10% although some goods are exempted from it. A registered importer takes credit of the IGST.

Three conditions at the port for food items

FSS Act compliance before clearance

Import of edible products is allowed only if the consignment meets the quality and packaging requirements of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Customs clears it after that is ensured.

Shelf life on the day of import

The product must have at least 60% of its original shelf life left, or three months before expiry, whichever is less, worked out from the dates on the label.

Notified food entry points only

Codes of this heading are in List B of Appendix V, so the goods can enter only through the ports, airports, land stations and ICDs in List A.

Export

Export Policy and RoDTEP for HSN 3402

Under Schedule 2 of ITC(HS) 2022 the 20 tariff items are marked: 20 Free. “Free” means no export authorisation is needed; a Restricted item needs one from DGFT, and an STE item moves only through the named State trading enterprise.

RoDTEP is notified for 20 of the 20 tariff items, at 0.8–0.9% of FOB value (Appendix 4R, for exports from the domestic tariff area). The scheme continues up to 31 December 2026 at the rates in force on 30 September 2026.

The rate was cut by half for one month in 2026 and then restored. A shipping bill dated from 23 February to 22 March 2026 carries the reduced rate.

  1. Current RoDTEP schedule takes effectAppendix 4R and 4RE notified by Notification 32/2024-25.
  2. All rates and caps limited to 50%Notification 60/2025-26, with immediate effect.
  3. Full rates restoredNotification 66/2025-26 and its corrigendum: the rates of 22 February 2026 apply again from 23 March.
  4. Scheme continued to 30 September 2026Notification 74/2025-26, rates unchanged.
  5. Scheme continued to 31 December 2026Notification 41/2026-27: rates and caps as on 30 September 2026 continue.
Not shown on this page
  • The item-wise import policy (Free, Restricted or Prohibited) of ITC(HS) Schedule 1. The food-import conditions above come from its General Notes.
  • Exemption notifications, anti-dumping and safeguard duties, and preferential rates under trade agreements. The duty shown is the tariff rate.
  • The GST exemption notification. Goods exempt under it pay no GST even if the heading is named in a rate entry.

Official documents behind this page

  1. Notification No. 9/2025-Central Tax (Rate), 17 September 2025GST rate Schedules I to VI, in force from 22 September 2025, as amended by Notification No. 19/2025-Central Tax (Rate) of 31 December 2025 (Schedule VII omitted from 1 February 2026) and No. 01/2026 of 30 April 2026.
  2. Customs Tariff, First ScheduleCBIC Customs Tariff as on 30 June 2024, with the First Schedule amendments of the Finance (No. 2) Act, 2024, the Finance Act, 2025 and the Finance Act, 2026 applied.
  3. ITC(HS) 2022, Schedule 2, Export PolicyDGFT: the export policy and policy condition of each tariff item.
  4. Appendix 4R and Appendix 4RE, RoDTEP ScheduleDGFT, with effect from 10 October 2024 (Notification No. 32/2024-25); the 2026 changes are in Notifications 60, 66 and 74 of 2025-26 and 41 of 2026-27.
  5. ITC(HS) 2022, Schedule 1, General Notes regarding Import PolicyDGFT, as on 11 August 2025: General Note 4 and Appendix V (food import entry points).

Disclaimer: This guide is general information based on the law and notifications in force when it was last updated. It is not professional advice for your case — rates, thresholds and due dates change, so check the current position or speak to our CA team before you act on it.

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Questions, answered

Short, direct answers to the 5 questions readers ask most on this topic.

Notification No. 9/2025-Central Tax (Rate), in force from 22 September 2025, names heading 3402 at 5% / 18%. The rate depends on the description in the entry, so match your goods to the entry before invoicing. Goods of the heading not covered by a specific entry take the residual 18% entry unless exempt.

The basic customs duty in the First Schedule to the Customs Tariff Act is 10%. Social welfare surcharge at 10% of the basic duty and IGST at the GST rate are added on import. An exemption notification or a trade agreement can reduce the duty actually payable.

Under ITC(HS) 2022, Schedule 2, the tariff items of heading 3402 are marked: 20 Free. Free items need no export authorisation. Restricted items need an authorisation from DGFT, and prohibited items cannot be exported.

Appendix 4R lists 20 tariff items of heading 3402 at 0.8–0.9% of FOB value. The RoDTEP scheme continues up to 31 December 2026 under DGFT Notification No. 41/2026-27.

Heading 3402 has 20 eight-digit tariff items in the Customs Tariff, from 3402 31 00 to 3402 90 99. GST returns and shipping documents use these eight-digit codes.