Snacks HSN Code: Complete Guide
Snacks include namkeen, chips, extruded snacks and many ready to eat savoury items that are popular across India. Correct snacks HSN code mapping is important because rates can differ based on ingredients, method of manufacture and branding.
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HSN Code for Healthy Snacks and Traditional Namkeen
Traditional Indian namkeen and savoury mixes often fall under chapter 21 which covers miscellaneous edible preparations. A commonly used heading is 2106 for food preparations not elsewhere specified. Some baked or roasted healthy snacks made from cereals or pulses may also fall under headings in chapter 19 or chapter 20 depending on their composition. Always compare your product recipe with tariff descriptions. Packaged branded snacks are usually taxed at eighteen percent, while certain unbranded or loosely sold items may be eligible for five percent rate where notified.
HSN Code for Packaged Snacks and Ready to Eat Products
Packaged chips, extruded snacks, ready to eat mixtures and similar items are normally supplied under brand names and standard pack sizes. These attract GST at the general processed food rate, which is mostly eighteen percent after recent slab changes.
For products like cereal bars and protein snacks, classification can depend on whether they are more like confectionery or more like cereal based preparations. Document your reasoning when choosing a heading. Online sellers should align their product listings and accounting software so that the snacks HSN code is consistent across platforms.
How HSN Codes Help in Classifying Snack Products?
The snacks HSN code helps tax officers and traders understand what kind of snack is being supplied without reading every ingredient list. When you maintain clear mapping of every stock keeping unit to its HSN and GST rate, preparation of GSTR one and annual returns becomes much easier. If you introduce new health focused snacks or innovative formats, revisit the classification to see whether a different heading or rate applies.
Snacks HSN Code Classification and GST Rates
Here are some commonly used HSN codes and GST rates for this category
Section Classification
| Section No | Section Title | Section Description |
|---|---|---|
| 04 | Guide to HSN Section 04 | PREPARED FOOD STUFFS, BEVERAGES, SPIRITS AND VINEGAR, TOBACCO AND MANUFACTURED TOBACCO SUBSTITUTES |
Chapter Classification
| Chapter No | Chapter Title | Chapter Description |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | Preparations of Meat, Fish or Crustaceans | Preparation of meat, of fish or of crustaceans, molluscs or other aquatic invertebrates |
| 17 | Sugars and Sugar Confectionery | Sugars and sugar confectionery |
| 19 | Preparations of Cereals, Flour, Starch or Milk; Pastry | Preparations of cereals, flour, starch or milk; pastrycooks’ products |
| 20 | Preparations of Vegetables, Fruits, Nuts or Other Parts of Plants | Preparations of vegetables, fruit, nuts or other parts of plants |
| 21 | Miscellaneous Edible Preparations | Miscellaneous edible preparations |
4 Digit HSN Code Classification
| HSN Code | HSN Code Title | GST Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1601 | Sausages & meat products | 5% |
| 1602 | Prepared meat and offal | 5% |
| 1704 | Sugar confectionery | 5% |
| 1904 | Prepared foods: cereals, corn flakes | 5% |
| 1905 | Bread, Pastry & Biscuits | 5% |
| 2005 | Vegetables in Preservation | 5% |
| 2008 | Preserved fruit, nuts & plant parts | 5% |
| 2105 | Ice cream | 5% |
| 2106 | Unspecified food preparations | 5% |
8 Digit HSN Code Classification
| HSN Code | HSN Code Title | GST Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 16010000 | Sausages & similar meat products | 12% |
| 16021000 | Homogenised Preparations | 12% |
| 16022000 | Of Liver Of Any Animal | 12% |
| 16023100 | Of Poultry Of Heading 0105 | Of Turkeys | 12% |
| 16023200 | Of poultry of heading 0105 : Of fowls of the species Gallus domesticus | 12% |
| 16023900 | Of Poultry Of Heading 0105 | Other | 12% |
| 16024100 | Of Swine | Hams And Cuts Thereof | 12% |
| 16024200 | Of Swine | Shoulders And Cuts Thereof | 12% |
| 16024900 | Of Swine | Other, Including Mixtures | 12% |
| 16025000 | Of Bovine Animals | 12% |
| 16029000 | Other preparations of blood of any animal | 12% |
| 17041000 | Chewing Gum | 18% |
| 17049010 | Jelly Confectionary | 18% |
| 17049020 | Boiled sweets (filled/unfilled) | 12% |
| 17049030 | Toffees, caramels, & similar sweets | 18% |
| 17049090 | Other (White Chocolate) | 18% |
| 19041010 | Corn Flakes | 18% |
| 19041020 | Prepared Cereals| Puffed Rice | 5% |
| 19041030 | Bulgur Wheat | 18% |
| 19041090 | Prepared Foods: Swollen or Roasted Cereals | 18% |
| 19042000 | Unroasted/Roasted Cereal Flake Foods | 18% |
| 19042010 | Millet content >= 15% (w/w) | 18% |
| 19042090 | Other Prepared/Preserved Vegetables, Not Frozen | 18% |
| 19043000 | Bulgur wheat | 18% |
| 19049000 | Cereal Preparations and Bakers’ Wares | 18% |
| 19051000 | Crispbread | 18% |
| 19052000 | Gingerbread | 18% |
| 19053100 | Sweet biscuits | 18% |
| 19053211 | Chocolate Coated Communion Wafers | 18% |
| 19053219 | Other Communion Wafers | 18% |
| 19053290 | Waffles and wafers: Other | 18% |
| 19054000 | Rusks/Toasted Bread/Khakhra/Chapati | 5% |
| 19059010 | Other | Pastries And Cakes | 18% |
| 19059020 | Biscuits (Other) | 18% |
| 19059030 | Savoury/salted extruded products | 18% |
| 19059040 | Papad | 0% |
| 19059090 | Bread, Pastry, Biscuits & Bakers’ Wares | 18% |
| 20051000 | Homogenised Vegetables | 12% |
| 20052000 | Potatoes | 12% |
| 20054000 | Peas (Pisum, Sativum) | 12% |
| 20055100 | Shelled Beans | 12% |
| 20055900 | Other Beans | 12% |
| 20056000 | Processed Asparagus | 12% |
| 20057000 | Other Prepared or Preserved Vegetables | 12% |
| 20058000 | Sweet Corn (Zea Mays Var. Saccharata) | 12% |
| 20059000 | Soya Milk Drinks: Non-Alcoholic Beverages | 12% |
| 20059100 | Bamboo shoots | 12% |
| 20059900 | Mixed vegetables, other | 12% |
| 20081100 | Nuts, Ground-nuts & Other Seeds, Mixed or Not: Ground-nuts | 12% |
| 20081910 | Other Prepared/Preserved Nuts | 12% |
| 20081920 | Frozen Octopus | 12% |
| 20081930 | Other Roasted/Fried Vegetable Products | 12% |
| 20081940 | Other Roasted Nuts/Seeds | 12% |
| 20081990 | Other Nut Mixtures | 12% |
| 20082000 | Pineapples | 12% |
| 20083010 | Oranges, Citrus Fruit | 12% |
| 20083090 | Other Citrus Fruits | 12% |
| 20084000 | Prepared or Preserved Pears | 12% |
| 20085000 | Canned Apricots | 12% |
| 20086000 | Cherries (Processed) | 12% |
| 20087000 | Peaches, Including Nectarines | 12% |
| 20088000 | Strawberries | 12% |
| 20089100 | Palm Hearts: Other Vegetable Mixes (Non-Subheading 2008 19) | 12% |
| 20089300 | Cranberries/Lingonberries | 12% |
| 20089700 | Other Mixtures Not of Sub-Heading 2008 19 | 12% |
| 20089911 | Mango Squash | 12% |
| 20089912 | Lemon Squash | 12% |
| 20089913 | Orange Squash | 12% |
| 20089914 | Pineapple Squash | 12% |
| 20089919 | Other Squash | 12% |
| 20089991 | Other Fruit Cocktail | 12% |
| 20089992 | Other Grapes | 12% |
| 20089993 | Other Apples | 12% |
| 20089994 | Other Guava | 12% |
| 20089999 | Other Preserved Fruits | 12% |
| 21050000 | Ice cream and other edible ice | 18% |
| 21061000 | Protein Concentrates & Textured Proteins | 18% |
| 21069011 | Other|Soft Drink Concentrates |Sharbat | 18% |
| 21069019 | Other|Soft Drink Concentrates |Other | 18% |
| 21069020 | Pan Masala | 28% |
| 21069030 | Betel Nut Products (Supari) | 18% |
| 21069040 | Flavored/Colored Sugar Syrups | 18% |
| 21069050 | Compounds for non-alcoholic beverages | 18% |
| 21069060 | Other| Food Flavouring Material | 18% |
| 21069070 | Other| Churna For Pan | 18% |
| 21069080 | Custard Powder | 18% |
| 21069091 | Other| Other | Diabetic Foods | 12% |
| 21069092 | Pasteurized millstone | 18% |
| 21069099 | Textured Vegetable Proteins (Soya Bari) | 12% |
* GST rates may vary based on the latest GST notifications and amendments
Conclusion
Snacks HSN codes usually fall in a small group of food preparation headings but the exact choice depends on ingredients and preparation method.
By mapping each snack correctly and monitoring GST rate changes, snack manufacturers and traders can keep compliance smooth and pricing transparent.
