Duty is charged on a commodity code, not on the word “granite”. Getting the HS code right is the single largest controllable variable in your landed cost, and getting it wrong is a compliance exposure rather than a saving.
Four headings cover almost everything a stone importer will ever buy.
The four headings
- 2515 — marble, travertine, ecaussine and other calcareous monumental or building stone; alabaster. Raw calcareous stone: blocks and roughly trimmed material.
- 2516 — granite, porphyry, basalt, sandstone and other monumental or building stone. Raw siliceous stone: blocks and roughly trimmed material.
- 6801 — setts, kerbstones and flagstones of natural stone, other than slate. Paving units for the public realm.
- 6802 — worked monumental or building stone and articles thereof. Finished stone: slabs, tiles, cut-to-size, cladding, monuments.
Slate has its own heading, 6803.
Chapter 25 versus Chapter 68: the line is “working”
Chapter 25 covers stone that is crude or roughly trimmed — merely cut, by sawing or otherwise, into blocks or slabs of a rectangular shape. A quarry block, squared up, is Chapter 25.
Chapter 68 covers stone worked beyond that: surface-worked, profiled, polished, honed, flamed, cut to a non-rectangular shape, drilled, moulded or carved. A calibrated, polished slab is Chapter 68. A finished headstone is firmly Chapter 68.
Two consequences follow. First, rates differ between chapters, sometimes materially, and it is not always the worked product that carries the higher rate. Second, misclassification is not a saving. A retrospective reclassification comes with back-duty and, in many jurisdictions, penalties and interest.
6801 versus 6802
Both are Chapter 68 — both are worked stone — but they are different headings.
6801 is specifically setts, kerbstones and flagstones: paving units, typically for roads, footways and public realm. 6802 is everything else worked: slabs, tiles, cut-to-size, cladding panels, worktops, monuments and carved articles.
The practical test is what the product is for. A 600×600 calibrated paving slab for a domestic patio and a 100×100×50 sett for a town square are both worked stone; the sett is a paving unit and sits in 6801. Sandstone setts, kerbs and cobbles are a distinct product line with their own standards, and they should not be entered as general worked building stone.
Inside 6802: the subheadings that matter
6802 is subdivided, and the divisions turn on two things: material and degree of working. Broadly you will meet:
- 6802.10 — tiles, cubes and similar articles below a size threshold, plus artificially coloured granules and powder
- 6802.21 — marble, travertine and alabaster, simply cut or sawn with a flat or even surface
- 6802.23 — granite, simply cut or sawn with a flat or even surface
- 6802.29 — other stone, simply cut or sawn
- 6802.91–6802.99 — the same materials, further worked than simply cut or sawn: polished, profiled, carved, moulded
Two axes to be clear about on every entry. Material: is it marble, granite, or other? This is where the marble, granite, quartzite and limestone question becomes a customs question as well as a technical one — and it is why we write the material class on every invoice line. A stone described only as “River White” without saying marble or granite is a stone your broker cannot classify. Degree of working: a sawn slab and a polished slab can fall in different subheadings, and so can a flat panel and a profiled or drilled one.
Chapter 25 in more detail
2515 covers marble, travertine, ecaussine and other calcareous monumental or building stone of an apparent specific gravity of 2.5 or more, plus alabaster, subdivided between crude or roughly trimmed and merely cut into rectangular blocks or slabs. 2516 covers granite, porphyry, basalt, sandstone and other monumental or building stone on the same division.
Note the specific gravity condition on 2515: calcareous stone below 2.5 does not fall there. This catches some softer limestones, and it is a question for your broker rather than your supplier.
Six practical rules
- Classify the product, not the stone. The same granite is Chapter 25 as a block, 6802 as a polished slab and 6801 as a sett.
- Describe accurately on the invoice — material, form, degree of working, dimensions. “Granite” alone is not a description a customs authority can classify from.
- Get a binding ruling if the volume justifies it. Most customs authorities issue advance rulings, and for a recurring import programme this removes the uncertainty permanently.
- Do not classify to get a rate. If a lower rate appears in a heading your product does not belong in, that is not an opportunity.
- Check whether your agreement’s rules of origin turn on the heading. Some preferential rules are expressed as a change of tariff heading, which means the classification of the input and the output both matter.
- Keep supplier and broker aligned. Commercial invoice, packing list and customs entry should describe the same goods in the same terms.
How the code interacts with duty
The code determines which rate applies, and the rate depends on the destination and any agreement in force. As at 2026: the UK applies 0% to worked stone under India–UK CETA, in force since 15 July 2026, with a valid proof of origin. The UAE applies 0% or a reduced rate under CEPA against a 5% MFN rate, with an electronic certificate of origin. Germany and the wider EU already apply 0% to worked stone under the Common Customs Tariff. The United States sits at roughly 18% under the US–India bilateral deal as at early 2026, down from a 50% peak — verify the live HTS rate before quoting.
The claim mechanics are in our guide to the certificate of origin for stone imports, and the wider duty picture is in import duty on Indian stone.
Classification questions we get asked
Is a finished headstone 6802? Yes — worked monumental stone.
Is a rough quarry block 2516? For granite, sandstone and basalt, yes, if it is crude or merely cut into rectangular blocks.
Are calibrated patio slabs 6801 or 6802? This turns on whether they are flagstones for paving. Discuss it with your broker rather than assuming; the answer can depend on the destination’s practice.
Is a quartzite a granite for customs? Not necessarily. Customs headings do not always follow geological classification. Get a petrographic description and let your broker classify from the facts. This matters for Fantasy Brown from Sawar in Ajmer, which is technically a quartzite and is sold across the trade as a marble.
Is stone re-exported through India still Indian? No. For origin purposes, stone quarried abroad and finished in India is not Indian-origin stone. This is one reason we keep foreign stones entirely off our Indian list.
How Gemarix documents a shipment
We describe goods on the invoice the way a customs authority needs them described: material class, form, degree of working, dimensions. We write granite, marble or quartzite explicitly, and we specify River White and Marine Black as marble or granite because those two trade names cover both. And we do not describe a worked product as roughly trimmed, or the reverse, because one heading looks cheaper. Related reading: Incoterms for stone importers and how to import natural stone from India.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the HS code for granite?
It depends on how far the granite has been worked. Rough or roughly trimmed granite blocks fall under heading 2516. Sawn, calibrated or polished granite slabs and cut-to-size pieces fall under 6802. Setts, kerbstones and flagstones fall under 6801. The stone type alone does not determine the code.
What is the difference between HS 2516 and 6802?
The dividing question is working. Chapter 25 covers stone that is crude or merely cut into rectangular blocks or slabs. Chapter 68 covers stone worked beyond that: surface-worked, profiled, polished, honed, flamed, drilled, moulded or carved. A quarry block is 2516; a polished slab is 6802.
What HS code applies to setts and kerbstones?
Heading 6801 covers setts, kerbstones and flagstones of natural stone other than slate. This is a separate heading from 6802, and rates can differ, so paving units should not be entered as general worked building stone.
Is marble a different HS code from granite?
Yes. In the raw chapters, marble and other calcareous stone sit under 2515 while granite, sandstone and basalt sit under 2516. Within worked stone under 6802 the subheadings also split by material, which is why the material class must appear on the invoice.
Can I choose a lower HS code to reduce duty?
No. You classify to get it right, not to get a rate. A retrospective reclassification brings back-duty and, in many jurisdictions, penalties and interest. If your supplier's invoice and your broker's entry disagree on the chapter, resolve it before the container sails.