HS Code Category

HS Code Candidates for Hats and Caps

Use this page to prepare candidate HS headings, product facts, material and function variants, invoice descriptions, ecommerce catalog fields, and risk flags before official review.

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Answer summary

Product facts to verify

Main material and fiber or chemical composition
Construction: knitted, woven, molded, assembled
Function and intended use
Whether it includes electronics, battery, magnets, leather, or textile
Country of origin and destination market

Use this tool

HS Code Finder Commercial Invoice CSV Catalog Checker

Source note

Candidates are preparation aids only. Verify final code in USITC HTS, EU TARIC, or the destination tariff database before filing.

Last reviewed

2026-07-22

Candidate headings table

Review candidates

The table below lists candidate HS headings for hats and caps. Each row is a starting point, not a final classification; verify in the destination tariff database before filing.

Code	Heading	Use when
`6505`	Hats and other headgear, knitted or crocheted, or made up from textile fabric	The cap, beanie, visor, or other headgear is knitted/crocheted or made from textile fabric. Review crown coverage, braid, fiber, and national extensions.
`6504`	Hats and other headgear, plaited or made by assembling strips of any material	The article is a straw, braid, or strip-assembled hat rather than ordinary textile-fabric headgear.
`6506`	Other headgear, whether or not lined or trimmed	The article is other headgear such as protective or specialized headgear that does not fit a more specific candidate.
`Chapter 95 review`	Toy, carnival, or costume headwear review	The item is principally a toy/costume article rather than ordinary apparel headgear; verify the complete product facts.
`Material-specific review`	Plastic, rubber, or mixed-material headgear	The item is not textile or braid-based, or has substantial non-textile construction that changes the candidate path.

National extensions after the 6-digit heading vary by destination market. Verify the full national code in USITC HTS, EU TARIC, or UK Trade Tariff before filing.

Decision tree

How to classify hats and caps

Step 1: Identify the article

Cap, beanie, visor, bucket hat, braid hat, helmet, costume headwear, or another form of headgear.

Step 2: Identify construction

Knitted/crocheted, textile fabric, braid/strips, plastic/rubber, or protective shell.

Step 3: Capture visor and crown facts

Record full versus open crown, visor, brim, lining, and trim where relevant.

Step 4: Capture special functions

Safety protection, toy/costume role, battery, electronics, or other active function.

Step 5: Verify current tariff text

Use the official destination schedule and national extension; headings on this page are candidates.

Step 6: Write a complete invoice description

State construction + material + headgear type + relevant visor/crown or safety facts.

Material variants

How material changes the code

Material	Typical heading	Notes
Knitted acrylic, wool, cotton, or synthetic yarn	6505 candidate	Record fiber content and knit construction; a beanie is not the same as a braid or safety helmet.
Woven textile fabric cap or bucket hat	6505 candidate	Record textile material, visor/crown facts, and whether any braid is present.
Straw, paper braid, or assembled strips	6504 candidate	Braid or strip construction is a meaningful split from ordinary fabric headgear.
Plastic or rubber visor/headgear	Material-specific review	Do not use a textile headgear candidate without checking the actual principal construction.
Protective shell with padding or safety function	6506 candidate	Safety/protective function requires product-specific review; certifications are separate from HS treatment.

Function and use-case variants

How function changes the code

Function	Typical heading	Notes
Baseball cap or bucket hat	6505 candidate	Review textile construction, visor, crown, and material facts.
Knit beanie or winter cap	6505 candidate	Record knit/crochet construction and fiber composition.
Sun visor with open crown	6505 candidate	Crown coverage can matter in national extensions; state it clearly.
Straw or braid fashion hat	6504 candidate	Braid/strip construction points to a different candidate family.
Helmet, protective headgear, or powered wearable	6506 or product-specific review	Do not treat safety or electronic products as ordinary fashion headwear.

Risk flags

Source-check required

Flag	Impact on classification	Where to verify
Knit, woven textile, braid, or non-textile construction	Primary candidate-heading split for ordinary headgear.	USITC HTS Chapter 65 headings and notes.
Visor/open crown versus full crown coverage	Can affect the destination national extension within a heading.	USITC HTS heading 6505 entries.
Safety/protective function	Can move the review away from fashion headwear and introduce product-specific requirements.	Destination tariff source and safety authority.
Toy/costume presentation	May need a toy/carnival article review rather than ordinary apparel headwear.	Destination chapter notes and product facts.
Country of origin and textile measures	Origin and entry-date measures can affect final duty treatment.	USITC HTS and destination source.

Risk flags signal the need for official review before the candidate code is used on customs documents.

Invoice description examples

Strong descriptions

Strong invoice descriptions include material, function, product type, and key components (battery, electronics, magnet, leather, textile). Avoid generic words such as gift, sample, accessory, or product. The descriptions below are examples only, not final classifications.

Knitted acrylic beanie hat, adult size, no electronics
Woven cotton baseball cap with textile visor, adult size
Woven polyester sun visor, open crown, adult size
Straw braid fashion hat, adult size, no electronics
Protective plastic safety helmet, non-electronic; certification review separate

Use these descriptions on the commercial invoice line item, with the candidate HS code and country of origin declared per line.

Ecommerce catalog fields

Shopify, WooCommerce, and CSV fields to check

Before labels and invoices are generated, prepare these fields in your ecommerce catalog. The CSV Catalog Checker scans Shopify, WooCommerce, Amazon, or custom CSV exports for missing customs fields locally in your browser.

Field	Why it matters
SKU and product image	Preserves construction, visor, crown, and material facts for repeated review.
Construction	Knitted, crocheted, woven, braid, molded plastic, or protective-shell construction is central.
Primary material and fiber content	Supports textile versus non-textile and national-extension review.
Crown and visor details	Open-crown visor and full-crown headgear may differ in the relevant tariff detail.
Function	Fashion headwear, safety headgear, costume item, or powered wearable are distinct product paths.
Safety/electronics flag	Surfaces product requirements outside basic apparel classification.
Country of origin	Supports duty and origin-based measure review.
Candidate heading and official lookup	Documents the basis without converting the candidate into a final code.

Pair this with the Commercial Invoice Generator, the HS Code Finder, and the CSV Catalog Checker.

Worked example

Worked example: woven cotton baseball cap

Scenario: A merchant imports an adult woven cotton baseball cap with a textile visor and embroidered logo. It has no battery, electronic function, or protective-shell purpose and is made in one origin country.

Record the construction and use: woven cotton textile cap, textile visor, full crown, decorative embroidery, ordinary apparel headwear.
Start with the textile headgear candidate and check whether the official destination schedule distinguishes the visor/crown or fiber details at the national-extension level.
Treat the embroidered logo as a product detail; do not automatically reclassify the entire cap as a patch or embroidery product.
Check the origin and any current entry-date textile/trade measures only after the full national code is verified.
Write “woven cotton baseball cap with textile visor, adult size, embroidered logo” on the invoice.
Store the fiber specification, product image, candidate note, origin, and official lookup with the SKU.

A straw hat, plastic safety helmet, open-crown visor, or costume article has different facts and should receive its own review.

Common mistakes

What to avoid

Using one generic hat candidate for knit beanies, woven caps, straw hats, visors, and safety helmets.
Leaving out whether the article is knitted, woven, braided, plastic, or protective shell construction.
Ignoring open-crown visor versus full-crown headgear facts.
Treating a costume or toy item as ordinary fashion headwear without checking product purpose.
Using a generic invoice line such as “hat” with no material, construction, or function information.

Related Tools

Continue the workflow

Editorial

About this category page

Written by the TariffCatalog Editorial Team. Maintained by Ryan Cole and reviewed for candidate-only customs-data workflow clarity.

This page follows TariffCatalog's methodology for candidate-only classification, estimate-only calculators, and document draft workflows. Candidates are preparation aids, not binding classifications.

Methodology Sources Report an error

Maintainer

Reviewed by Ryan Cole

Ryan Cole maintains TariffCatalog from the perspective of a long-time ecommerce operator with 15+ years of experience in product catalog, international shipping, and pre-shipment data workflows. This page is reviewed for candidate-only HS code preparation, source-check clarity, and estimate-only or candidate-only wording.

TariffCatalog is a preparation aid, not a customs broker, legal, tax, or freight-forwarding service. Verify final classifications, rates, documents, and filing treatment with official sources or qualified professionals.

Last reviewed: July 2026 · Maintainer entity: Ryan Cole · Source policy: verified against official customs and tariff sources

Official Source Note

Check final codes

USITC HTS search for heading 6505

Use current US headgear text and national-extension distinctions.

USITC HTS

Verify the final destination-specific code and duty treatment.

CBP CROSS

Search comparable fact patterns for unusual headgear construction.

FAQ

Common questions

What HS code may apply to a baseball cap?

A baseball cap commonly begins with a textile headgear candidate when its construction is textile, but the full national code depends on material, crown/visor facts, origin, and the destination schedule.

Are knit beanies and woven caps reviewed the same way?

They can share a broad textile headgear family, but knit/crochet versus woven construction and fiber details should be documented and verified in the national extension.

Do straw hats use the same candidate as textile hats?

No. Braid or strip-assembled hats can follow a different candidate heading from ordinary textile-fabric headgear.

Does an open-crown visor need different review?

It can. The official US tariff includes distinctions for headgear that does not cover the crown, so describe the article accurately.

How do I classify a safety helmet?

A safety helmet or protective headgear needs a product-specific review. Do not use the ordinary fashion-hat workflow alone.

Does an embroidered logo change the cap candidate?

A decorative logo may be a supporting fact, but it does not automatically make the cap an embroidery article. The cap construction and function remain central.

What should a hat invoice description include?

Include headgear type, construction, primary material/fiber, visor or open-crown facts where relevant, size, function, and origin.

Are these candidate headings binding?

No. They are candidate headings only. Verify final classification and entry treatment with the official destination source before filing.

Last reviewed: 2026-07-22

Disclaimer

TariffCatalog provides candidate HS code suggestions, estimate-only calculators, and document drafts. Verify final classifications, duty rates, document requirements, and filing obligations with official sources, carriers, brokers, or destination authorities before filing or shipping.

Candidate headings on this page are preparation aids, not binding classifications. Final classification depends on exact product facts and the destination tariff rules in effect on the entry date.