Hs 6504 00 Hats And Other Headgear Plaited | Import Duty South Africa | JLog

What this HS code covers

HS 6504.00 is the six-digit Harmonised System subheading for Hats and other headgear plaited. It sits inside chapter 65 of the South African tariff book and is the level at which SARS, UN Comtrade and most trade-finance systems describe the goods. The four-digit heading covers a broader group of products; the two trailing digits narrow it down to the specific commodity above, which means consignments classified here share the same duty treatment and the same control profile under South African law.

Classification at the six-digit level matters more than most importers realise. South African Customs (SARS) treats the HS6 as the unit at which duty rates, VAT treatment, and any Prohibited & Restricted controls are anchored. Misclassification one subheading either side can change the duty payable, change whether an ITAC permit is required, and change the SARS release queue the consignment lands in. JLog runs the HS6 classification through its in-house compliance check before quoting, so the figure on the quote is the figure that actually lands.

South African trade in HS 6504.00

South Africa traded USD 6 million of goods classified under HS 6504.00 in the latest UN Comtrade period — USD 2 million exported and USD 4 million imported. That makes South Africa a net importer on this subheading, which shapes everything downstream: This is a low-volume line, so JLog handles it with bespoke routing, consolidation with other consignments and hands-on customs work — there are few brokers competing on lanes this size.

In practical terms, the heavier flow on the import side means JLog already has specialist low-volume routing, consolidation and hands-on customs work. The smaller export side is where bespoke routing tends to matter more — fewer competing brokers, longer lead times on some lanes, and a stronger argument for sea-freight consolidation versus air. The right answer depends on the value density of the consignment and the recipient’s window.

Top export destinations

Partner-level export breakdown is not in the JLog SEO dataset for HS 6504.00 at the time of writing. JLog can pull a per-consignment destination-level quote on request.

SARS permits and controls

No SARS import/export permit or restriction listed for this HS6 as at 2026-05-24. JLog reviews the SARS Prohibited & Restricted Imports/Exports list per consignment, so a fresh check is built into every quote — the position above describes the standing rule, not a consignment-level guarantee.

The SARS Prohibited & Restricted Imports/Exports list is the authoritative reference for control status, and JLog re-checks it per consignment because individual products inside a single HS6 can sometimes carry additional voluntary or sector-specific requirements — labelling rules, sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) checks, dangerous-goods declarations, and country-of-origin documentation among them. Where a control applies, the JLog quote includes the permit-handling fee inline rather than as a surprise downstream cost.

Duty, VAT and the landed-cost calculation

Landed cost on HS 6504.00 consignments is the customs value plus duty plus VAT plus the freight and handling work it takes to get the consignment from the seller’s door to the buyer’s. SARS calculates the customs value off the transaction value (the invoiced amount) with uplifts for freight and insurance under the standard Customs and Excise Act provisions. Duty is anchored to the HS6 line in the South African tariff book; VAT is currently 15% applied to the customs value plus duty. JLog’s quote shows the figure for each layer separately so the importer or exporter can see exactly what’s going where — there is no opaque all-in number, because trade finance teams need the layered breakdown for their own audit.

Logistics considerations under HS 6504.00

JLog handles hats and other headgear plaited consignments under HS 6504.00 the same way it handles everything else — name-on-the-job ownership from the collection address through the SARS clearance and onto the consignee. For inbound consignments, the team builds the duty calculation off the HS6 classification before the goods land, so there is no surprise at the border; for outbound, the destination-side customs work is paired with the freight booking, not handed off to a separate broker.

Without a published partner-level breakdown for this subheading, route planning is driven by the consignee’s address rather than a single dominant lane. JLog builds the route from the destination country and incoterm at quote time, with paired customs work at both ends.

Three operational choices tend to drive cost on this HS6: the incoterm, the mode of transport, and the packing standard. Incoterm decides who is responsible for duty, insurance and clearance at each leg; the choice between sea, air and road shifts both the cost and the transit window meaningfully; and the packing standard determines whether the consignment moves as palletised general cargo, as crated specialty freight, or as climate-aware white-glove. JLog quotes against the actual answer for each, rather than defaulting to the cheapest line.

How JLog handles HS 6504.00 consignments

Every consignment under HS 6504.00 is run by a named JLog person from collection through delivery — not a ticket system, not a sub-contracted broker. The classification is checked at quote time, the SARS Prohibited & Restricted position is re-verified before booking, the freight is moved on JLog’s carrier panel (FedEx, DHL, sea-freight forwarders and Bob Go’s 11-courier domestic network), and the customs work is done in-house. JLog has been operating since 2019, is the official carrier for the Investec Cape Town Art Fair, and ships globally with the same accountability standard regardless of whether the consignment is a single piece of designer furniture or a multi-pallet industrial shipment.

Frequently asked questions

Trade figures sourced from UN Comtrade via jlog-seo-data.comtrade.v_hs_seo_opportunity, queried 2026-05-29. Permit position last verified against the SARS Prohibited & Restricted Imports/Exports list on 2026-05-24.

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