Chapter 34 · Section VI: Chemicals & pharmaceuticals
Soap, Detergents & Candles — Bahamas import duty
Chapter 34 covers soap, detergents & candles. The most common rate is 45% import duty (21 of 43 tariff lines), with rates ranging from 0% to 60%. 15 lines are duty-free. It includes soap & body wash, organic surface-active agents and candles, tapers and the like. Duty is not the whole bill: The Bahamas adds a 1% customs processing fee (minimum $10, maximum $750) and 10% VAT on the landed cost.
15 of 43lines duty-free
45%most common rate
0%–60%rate range
Calculate landed cost at 45% duty → Search the full schedule →
Duty rates for every soap, detergents & candles tariff line
Grouped by 4-digit heading — follow a heading for its own page. Descriptions are the sub-heading detail; the heading text is the row above.
| HS code | Description | Import duty |
|---|---|---|
| 3401 · Soap & Body Wash — 16 lines, mostly duty-free | ||
3401.1110 |
Soap and organic surface-active products and preparations, in the form of bars, cakes, moulded pieces or shapes, and paper, wadding, felt and nonwovens, impregnated, coated or covered with soap or detergent — For toilet use (including medicated products) — Abrasive soaps | Free |
3401.1120 |
Soap and organic surface-active products and preparations, in the form of bars, cakes, moulded pieces or shapes, and paper, wadding, felt and nonwovens, impregnated, coated or covered with soap or detergent — For toilet use (including medicated products) — Floating and deodorant soap | Free |
3401.1130 |
Soap and organic surface-active products and preparations, in the form of bars, cakes, moulded pieces or shapes, and paper, wadding, felt and nonwovens, impregnated, coated or covered with soap or detergent — For toilet use (including medicated products) — Disinfectant soaps | Free |
3401.1140 |
Soap and organic surface-active products and preparations, in the form of bars, cakes, moulded pieces or shapes, and paper, wadding, felt and nonwovens, impregnated, coated or covered with soap or detergent — For toilet use (including medicated products) — Medicated soaps | Free |
3401.1150 |
Soap and organic surface-active products and preparations, in the form of bars, cakes, moulded pieces or shapes, and paper, wadding, felt and nonwovens, impregnated, coated or covered with soap or detergent — For toilet use (including medicated products) — Shaving soaps | Free |
3401.1190 |
Soap and organic surface-active products and preparations, in the form of bars, cakes, moulded pieces or shapes, and paper, wadding, felt and nonwovens, impregnated, coated or covered with soap or detergent — For toilet use (including medicated products) — Other | Free |
3401.1910 |
Soap and organic surface-active products and preparations, in the form of bars, cakes, moulded pieces or shapes, and paper, wadding, felt and nonwovens, impregnated, coated or covered with soap or detergent — Other — Household soaps | 5% |
3401.1920 |
Soap and organic surface-active products and preparations, in the form of bars, cakes, moulded pieces or shapes, and paper, wadding, felt and nonwovens, impregnated, coated or covered with soap or detergent — Other — Industrial soaps | 45% |
3401.1930 |
Soap and organic surface-active products and preparations, in the form of bars, cakes, moulded pieces or shapes, and paper, wadding, felt and nonwovens, impregnated, coated or covered with soap or detergent — Other — Baby wipes | Free |
3401.1990 |
Soap and organic surface-active products and preparations, in the form of bars, cakes, moulded pieces or shapes, and paper, wadding, felt and nonwovens, impregnated, coated or covered with soap or detergent — Other — Other | 45% |
3401.2010 |
Soap in other forms — Liquid soaps | Free |
3401.2020 |
Soap in other forms — Soap flakes and powders | Free |
3401.2030 |
Soap in other forms — Soft soap | Free |
3401.2090 |
Soap in other forms — Other | Free |
3401.3010 |
Organic surface-active products and preparations for washing the skin, in the form of liquid or cream and put up for retail sale, whether or not containing soap — Hand Sanitizer containing soap | Free |
3401.3090 |
Organic surface-active products and preparations for washing the skin, in the form of liquid or cream and put up for retail sale, whether or not containing soap — Other | 5% |
| 3402 · Organic surface-active agents — 14 lines, 0%–60% duty | ||
3402.3100 |
Anionic organic surface-active agents, whether or not put up for retail sale — Linear alkylbenzene sulphonic acids and their salts | 45% |
3402.3900 |
Anionic organic surface-active agents, whether or not put up for retail sale — Other | 45% |
3402.4100 |
Other organic surface- active agents, whether or not put up for retail sale — Cationic | 45% |
3402.4200 |
Other organic surface- active agents, whether or not put up for retail sale — Non-ionic | 45% |
3402.4900 |
Other organic surface- active agents, whether or not put up for retail sale — Other | 45% |
3402.5010 |
Preparations put up for retail sale — Laundry detergent (liquid) | Free |
3402.5020 |
Preparations put up for retail sale — Dishwashing liquid | Free |
3402.5030 |
Preparations put up for retail sale — Other liquid detergent | 40% |
3402.5040 |
Preparations put up for retail sale — Laundry detergent in powder form | Free |
3402.5050 |
Preparations put up for retail sale — Other detergent in powder form | 5% |
3402.5060 |
Preparations put up for retail sale — Liquid bleaches | 60% |
3402.5070 |
Preparations put up for retail sale — Other bleaches | 45% |
3402.5090 |
Preparations put up for retail sale — Other | 35% |
3402.9000 |
Other | 35% |
| 3403 · Lubricating preparations and preparations of a kind used for — 4 lines, a flat 45% duty | ||
3403.1100 |
Containing petroleum oils or oils obtained from bituminous minerals — Preparations for the treatment of textile materials, leather, furskins or other materials | 45% |
3403.1900 |
Containing petroleum oils or oils obtained from bituminous minerals — Other | 45% |
3403.9100 |
Other — Preparations for the treatment of textile materials, leather, furskins or other materials | 45% |
3403.9900 |
Other — Other | 45% |
| 3404 · Artificial waxes and prepared waxes — 2 lines, a flat 45% duty | ||
3404.2000 |
Of poly(oxyethylene) (polyethylene glycol) | 45% |
3404.9000 |
Other | 45% |
| 3405 · Polishes and creams, for footwear, furniture, floors — 5 lines, a flat 45% duty | ||
3405.1000 |
Polishes, creams and similar preparations for footwear or leather | 45% |
3405.2000 |
Polishes, creams and similar preparations for the maintenance of wooden furniture, floors or other woodwork | 45% |
3405.3000 |
Polishes and similar preparations for coachwork, other than metal polishes | 45% |
3405.4000 |
Scouring pastes and powders and other scouring preparations | 45% |
3405.9000 |
Other | 45% |
| 3406 · Candles, tapers and the like — 1 line, a flat 45% duty | ||
3406.0000 |
Candles, tapers and the like | 45% |
| 3407 · Modelling pastes — 1 line, a flat 45% duty | ||
3407.0000 |
Modelling pastes, including those put up for children’s amusement; preparations known as “dental wax” or as “dental impression compounds”, put up in sets, in packings for retail sale or in plates, horseshoe shapes, sticks or similar forms; other preparations for use in dentistry, with a basis of plaster (of calcined gypsum or calcium sulphate) | 45% |
Schedule version 2026-2027 · 43 lines shown. Lines tagged verified have been individually checked against the current schedule; the rest are as published in the 2023 Tariff Act. Rates are import duty only — final classification and charges are determined by Bahamas Customs.