0406 90 21 Cheddar

Cheese and curd: › Other cheese: › Other: › Cheddar

Duty rate for goods from outside the EU

A specific or combined rate applies. The rate as published by the Commission:

167.1 EUR DTN

Valid since 1 January 2005

Other measures can apply depending on the country of origin, for example preferences, quotas or anti-dumping duties. Check the TARIC for your case.

Import VAT, standard rate

  • Netherlands: 21%
  • Germany: 19%
  • France: 20%
  • Belgium: 21%

Standard rate. A reduced rate can apply to some goods.

TARIC subdivisions (10 digits)

  • 0406 90 21 20 Whole cheeses (of the conventional flat cylindrical shape of a net weight of not less than 33|kg but not more than 44|kg and cheeses in cubic blocks or in parallelepiped shape, of a net weight of 10|kg or more) of a minimum fat content of 50% by weight, in the dry matter, matured for at least three months (can be declared)
  • 0406 90 21 90 Other (can be declared)

Notes of the nomenclature

Section I: Notes

1. Any reference in this section to a particular genus or species of an animal, except where the context otherwise requires, includes a reference to the young of that genus or species.

2. Except where the context otherwise requires, throughout the nomenclature any reference to ‘dried’ products also covers products which have been dehydrated, evaporated or freeze-dried.

Chapter 04: Notes

1. The expression ‘milk’ means full-cream milk or partially or completely skimmed milk.

2. For the purposes of heading 0403, yogurt may be concentrated or flavoured and may contain added sugar or other sweetening matter, fruit, nuts, cocoa, chocolate, spices, coffee or coffee extracts, plants, parts of plants, cereals or bakers’ wares, provided that any added substance is not used for the purpose of replacing, in whole or in part, any milk constituent, and the product retains the essential character of yogurt.

3. For the purposes of heading 0405:

(a) the term ‘butter’ means natural butter, whey butter or recombined butter (fresh, salted or rancid, including canned butter) derived exclusively from milk, with a milkfat content of 80 % or more but not more than 95 % by weight, a maximum milk solids-not-fat content of 2 % by weight and a maximum water content of 16 % by weight. Butter does not contain added emulsifiers, but may contain sodium chloride, food colours, neutralising salts and cultures of harmless lactic-acid-producing bacteria;

(b) the expression ‘dairy spreads’ means a spreadable emulsion of the water-in-oil type, containing milkfat as the only fat in the product, with a milkfat content of 39 % or more but less than 80 % by weight.

4. Products obtained by the concentration of whey and with the addition of milk or milkfat are to be classified as cheese in heading 0406 provided that they have the three following characteristics:

(a) a milkfat content, by weight of the dry matter, of 5 % or more;

(b) a dry matter content, by weight, of at least 70 % but not exceeding 85 %; and

(c) they are moulded or capable of being moulded.

5. This chapter does not cover:

(b) products obtained from whey, containing by weight more than 95 % lactose, expressed as anhydrous lactose calculated on the dry matter (heading 1702);

(c) products obtained from milk by replacing one or more of its natural constituents (for example, butyric fats) by another substance (for example, oleic fats) (heading 1901 or 2106); or

(d) albumins (including concentrates of two or more whey proteins, containing by weight more than 80 % whey proteins, calculated on the dry matter) (heading 3502) or globulins (heading 3504).

6. For the purposes of heading 0410, the term ‘insects’ means edible non-living insects, whole or in parts, fresh, chilled, frozen, dried, smoked, salted or in brine, as well as flours and meals of insects, fit for human consumption. However, it does not cover edible non-living insects otherwise prepared or preserved (generally Section IV).

Chapter 04: Subheading notes

1. For the purposes of subheading 040410, the expression ‘modified whey’ means products consisting of whey constituents, that is, whey from which all or part of the lactose, proteins or minerals have been removed, whey to which natural whey constituents have been added, and products obtained by mixing natural whey constituents.

2. For the purposes of subheading 040510, the term ‘butter’ does not include dehydrated butter or ghee (subheading 040590).

Chapter 04: Additional notes

1. The duty rate applicable to mixtures falling in headings 0401 to 0406 shall be as follows:

(a) in mixtures where one of the components represents at least 90 % by weight, the rate applicable to that component applies;

(b) in other mixtures, the rate applicable shall be that of the component which results in the highest amount of import duty.

2. For the purposes of subheadings 040811 and 040819, the following applies:

(i) the products retain the character of egg yolks of subheadings 040811 and 040819;

(ii) salt or chemicals are not used at a level higher than is necessary for the purposes of preservation.

3. Dairy produce of Chapter 4 includes dairy permeates, which are milk products characterised by a high content of lactose and obtained by removing milk fats and milk proteins from milk, whey, cream and/or sweet buttermilk, and/or from similar raw material by ultrafiltration or other processing techniques.

4. For the purposes of subheadings 040410 and 040490 the following applies :

Indicative only. The binding ruling comes from customs.

Data as of 6 October 2026. Combined Nomenclature 2026 (Regulation (EU) 2025/1926).

European Commission data, reused under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU.

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