Customs - Tariff Book Last updated: 9 May 2025

This Chapter does not cover meat, meat offal, fish, crustaceans, molluscs or other aquatic invertebrates, as well as insects, prepared or preserved by the processes specified in Chapter 2 or 3, Note 6 to Chapter 4 or in heading 05.04.

Food preparations fall in this Chapter provided that they contain more than 20 per cent by mass of sausage, meat, meat offal, blood, insects, fish or crustaceans, molluscs or other aquatic invertebrates, or any combination thereof. In cases where the preparation contains two or more of the products mentioned above, it is classified in the heading of Chapter 16 corresponding to the component or components which predominate by weight. These provisions do not apply to the stuffed products of heading 19.02 or to the preparations of heading 21.03 or 21.04.

For the purposes of subheading 1602.10, the expression "homogenised preparations" means preparations of meat, meat offal, blood or insects, finely homogenised, put up for retail sale as food suitable for infants or young children or for dietetic purposes, in containers of a net mass content not exceeding 250 g. For the application of this definition no account is to be taken of small quantities of any ingredients which may have been added to the preparation for seasoning, preservation or other purposes. These preparations may contain a small quantity of visible pieces of meat, meat offal or insects. This subheading takes precedence over all other subheadings of heading 16.02.

The fish, crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates specified in the subheadings of heading 16.04 or 16.05 under their common names only, are of the same species as those mentioned in Chapter 3 under the same name.

For the purpose of subheading 1602.49.30 the expression "rib" shall be limited to rib portions having on one side a maximum meat thickness of 5 mm covering the bone while the opposite side of the bone is clearly visible.

This Chapter does not cover the following:

For the purposes of subheading 1701.12, 1701.13 and 1701.14 "raw sugar" means sugar whose content of sucrose by mass, in the dry state, corresponds to a polarimeter reading of less than 99,5°

Subheading 1701.13 covers only cane sugar obtained without centrifugation, whose content of sucrose by mass, in the dry state, corresponds to a polarimeter reading of 69° or more but less than 93°. The product contains only natural anhedral microcrystals, of irregular shape, not visible to the naked eye, which are surrounded by residues of molasses and other constituents of sugar cane.

This Chapter does not cover:

Heading 18.06 includes sugar confectionery containing cocoa and, subject to Note 1 to this Chapter, other food preparations containing cocoa.

This Chapter does not cover the following:

For the purposes of heading 19.01:

Heading 19.04 does not cover preparations containing more than 6% by weight of cocoa calculated on a totally defatted basis or completely coated with chocolate or other food preparations containing cocoa of heading 18.06 (heading 18.06).

For the purposes of heading 19.04, the expression "otherwise prepared" means prepared or processed to an extent beyond that provided for in the headings of or Notes to Chapter 10 or 11.

Traditional African Beer Powder: For the purposes of heading 19.01 "traditional African beer powder" means any dry product, whether or not containing active dried yeast as a processing aid, consisting of milled sorghum or maize malt and one or more of the following ingredients:

This Chapter does not cover the following:

Headings 20.07 and 20.08 do not apply to fruit jellies, fruit pastes, sugar-coated almonds or the like in the form of sugar confectionery (heading 17.04) or chocolate confectionery (heading 18.06).

Headings 20.01, 20.04 and 20.05 cover, as the case may be, only those products of Chapter 7 or of heading 11.05 or 11.06 (other than flour, meal and powder of the products of Chapter 8) which have been prepared or preserved by processes other than those referred to in Note 1(a).

Tomato juice the dry mass content of which is 7 per cent or more is to be classified in heading 20.02.

For the purposes of heading 20.07, the expression "obtained by cooking" means obtained by heat treatment at atmospheric pressure or under reduced pressure to increase the viscosity of a product through reduction of water content or other means.

For the purposes of heading 20.09, the expression "juices, unfermented and not containing added spirit" means juices of an alcoholic strength by volume (see Note 2 to Chapter 22) not exceeding 0,5 per cent volume.

For the purposes of subheading 2005.10, the expression "homogenised vegetables" means preparations of vegetables, finely homogenised, put up for retail sale as food suitable for infants or young children or for dietetic purposes, in containers of a net mass content not exceeding 250 g. For the application of this definition no account is to be taken of small quantities of any ingredients which may have been added to the preparation for seasoning, preservation or other purposes. These preparations may contain a small quantity of visible pieces of vegetables. Subheading 2005.10 takes precedence over all other subheadings of heading 20.05.

For the purposes of subheading 2007.10, the expression "homogenised preparations" means preparations of fruit, finely homogenised, put up for retail sale as food suitable for infants or young children or for dietetic purposes, in containers of a net mass content not exceeding 250 g. For the application of this definition no account is to be taken of small quantities of any ingredients which may have been added to the preparation for seasoning, preservation or other purposes. These preparations may contain a small quantity of visible pieces of fruit. Subheading 2007.10 takes precedence over all other subheadings of heading 20.07.

For the purposes of subheadings 2009.12, 2009.21, 2009.31, 2009.41, 2009.61 and 2009.71, the expression "Brix value" means the direct reading of degrees Brix obtained from a Brix hydrometer or of a refractive index expressed in terms of percentage sucrose content obtained from a refractometer, at a temperature of 20°C or corrected for 20°C if the reading is made at a different temperature.

This Chapter does not cover the following:

Extracts of the substitutes referred to in Note 1 (b) above are to be classified in heading 21.01.

For the purposes of heading 21.04, the expression "homogenised composite food preparations" means preparations consisting of a finely homogenised mixture of two or more basic ingredients such as meat, fish, vegetables, fruit or nuts, put up for retail sale as food suitable for infants or young children or for dietetic purposes, in containers of a net mass content not exceeding 250 g. For the application of this definition, no account is to be taken of small quantities of any ingredients which may be added to the mixture for seasoning, preservation or other purposes. Such preparations may contain a small quantity of visible pieces of ingredients.

For the purposes of tariff subheading 2106.90.13, "preparations for making alcoholic beverages" means preparations put up for retail sale as beer or ginger beer powder, which, when mixed with water and left to ferment will produce an alcoholic beverage with an alcoholic strength by volume exceeding 0,5 per cent vol.

This Chapter does not cover the following:

For the purposes of this Chapter and of Chapters 20 and 21, the "alcoholic strength by volume" shall be determined at a temperature of 20°C.

For the purposes of heading 22.02, the term "non-alcoholic beverages" means beverages of an alcoholic strength by volume not exceeding 0,5 per cent vol. Alcoholic beverages are classified in headings 22.03 to 22.06 or heading 22.08 as appropriate.

For the purposes of subheading 2204.10, the expression "sparkling wine" means wine which, when kept at a temperature of 20°C in closed containers, has an excess pressure of not less than 300 kPa.

Traditional African Beer For the purposes of this Chapter "traditional African beer" means beer made by the fermentation of malt or unmalted grain or meal of sorghum, maize, finger millet or pearl millet of which the fermentation has not been arrested: Provided that-

"Fortified wine" means wine which is the final product of the alcoholic fermentation of the must of fresh grapes, to which a spirit obtained by distilling grape wine or grape marc has been added to such an extent that the alcohol strength by volume thereof is at least 15 per cent vol. but not exceeding 22 per cent vol.

The beverages of subheading 2206.00.05, are beverages which, when kept at a temperature of 20°C in closed containers, have an excess pressure of not less than 300 kPa.

Tariff subheadings 2208.70.21, 2208.70.91, 2208.90.21 and 2208.90.91, shall only apply to liqueurs, cordials and other spirituous beverages containing the following:

For the purposes of heading 22.06 -

For the purposes of tariff subheadings 2208.20.11 and 2208.20.91, "brandy" means pot stilled brandy and vintage brandy as defined in the Liquor Products Act, Act 60 of 1989.

Fermented fruit beverages and mead are limited to beverages that are the end product of fermentation of fruit and honey, whether or not flavoured during or after the fermentation, but not mixed with any other non-alcoholic beverages.

Heading 23.09 includes products of a kind used in animal feeding, not elsewhere specified or included, obtained by processing vegetable or animal materials to such an extent that they have lost the essential characteristics of the original material (excluding vegetable waste, vegetable residues and by-products of such processing).

For the purposes of subheading 2306.41, the expression "low erucic acid rape or colza seeds" means seeds as defined in Subheading Note 1 to Chapter 12.

This Chapter does not cover medicinal cigarettes (Chapter 30).

Any products classifiable in heading 24.04 and any other heading of the Chapter are to be classified in heading 24.04.

For the purposes of heading 24.04, the expression "inhalation without combustion" means inhalation through heated delivery or other means, without combustion.

For the purposes of subheading 2403.11, the expression "water pipe tobacco" means tobacco intended for smoking in a water pipe and which consists of a mixture of tobacco and glycerol whether or not containing aromatic oils and extracts, molasses or sugar, and whether or not flavoured with fruit. However, tobacco-free products intended for smoking in a water pipe are excluded from this subheading.

For the purpose of subheadings 2402.10 and 2402.90 all rolls of tobacco wrapped in paper or in other substances (excluding tobacco) shall be classified as cigarettes.

For the purpose of subheading 2403.10 "cigarette tobacco" means:

For the purpose of subheading 2403.10 "pipe tobacco" means: