Natural borates and concentrates thereof (whether or not calcined), but not including borates separated from natural brine; natural boric acid containing not more than 85 % of H3BO3 calculated on the dry weight

HS v2017 Code: 2528

Chapter	Heading	Sub-heading
25	28	n/a

Code	2528
Version	HS v2017
Hierarchy Level	4
Datasource	WCO
Chapter	25

Ancestor Codes: Salt; sulphur; earths, stone; plastering materials, lime and cement

This Code: Natural borates and concentrates thereof (whether or not calcined), but not including borates separated from natural brine; natural boric acid containing not more than 85 % of H3BO3 calculated on the dry weight

Child Codes: Natural borates and concentrates thereof (whether or not calcined), but not including borates separated from natural brine; natural boric acid containing not more than 85 % of H3BO3 calculated on the dry weight

Sibling Codes (Nearest 5): Asbestos; Mica, including splittings; mica waste; Natural steatite; whether or not roughly trimmed or merely cut, by sawing or otherwise, into blocks or slabs of a rectangular (including square) shape; talc; Feldspar; leucite; nepheline and nepheline syenite; fluorspar; Mineral substances not elsewhere specified or included

About natural borates and concentrates thereof (whether or not calcined), but not including borates separated from natural brine; natural boric acid containing not more than 85 % of h3bo3 calculated on the dry weight

HS code 2528 covers natural borates and concentrates thereof, as well as natural boric acid containing not more than 85% of H3BO3. These materials are essential for a variety of industries, including glass manufacturing, ceramics, and agriculture. The global natural borate market is expected to grow steadily in the coming years, driven by increasing demand from emerging economies and the need for sustainable, eco-friendly alternatives to synthetic chemicals.

Production process

Natural borates are primarily extracted from mineral deposits found in the earth's crust. The most common production method involves mining the raw ore, which is then crushed, screened, and processed to remove impurities. In some cases, the ore may be calcined (heated) to improve its chemical properties. Natural boric acid is typically obtained by evaporating brine solutions that contain dissolved boric acid.

Production inputs

The main inputs required for the production of natural borates and boric acid include the raw mineral deposits, mining and processing equipment, and energy sources for extraction and refining. Additionally, water is often used in the production process, particularly for the extraction and purification of boric acid from natural brines.

Production outputs

The primary outputs of HS code 2528 are various forms of natural borates, such as ulexite, colemanite, and kernite, as well as natural boric acid. These materials are used as inputs in the production of 2839 Silicates; commercial alkali metal silicates, 2840 (Borates; peroxoborates (perborates)), and 3105 Mineral or chemical fertilizers, nitrogenous, phosphatic or potassic; other fertilizers; goods of this chapter in tablets or similar forms or in packages of a gross weight not exceeding 10 kg, among other products.

Family tree for natural borates and concentrates thereof (whether or not calcined), but not including borates separated from natural brine; natural boric acid containing not more than 85 % of h3bo3 calculated on the dry weight

    graph LR
    A["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2017/25'>25: Salt; sulphur; earths, stone; plastering materials, lime and cement</a>"]
A --> B["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2017/2528'>2528: Natural borates and concentrates thereof (whether or not calcined), but not including borates separated from natural brine; natural boric acid containing not more than 85 % of H3BO3 calculated on the dry weight</a>"]

    A --> C["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2017/2501'>2501: Salt (including table salt and denatured salt); pure sodium chloride whether or not in aqueous solution; sea water</a>"]
A --> D["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2017/2502'>2502: Iron pyrites; unroasted</a>"]
A --> E["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2017/2503'>2503: Sulphur of all kinds; other than sublimed, precipitated and colloidal sulphur</a>"]
A --> F["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2017/2504'>2504: Graphite; natural</a>"]
A --> G["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2017/2505'>2505: Sands of all kinds; natural, whether or not coloured, other than metal-bearing sands of chapter 26</a>"]
A --> H["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2017/2506'>2506: Quartz; (other than natural sands), quartzite, whether or not roughly trimmed or merely cut, by sawing or otherwise, into blocks or slabs of a rectangular (including square) shape</a>"]
A --> I["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2017/2507'>2507: Kaolin and other kaolinic clays; whether or not calcined</a>"]
A --> J["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2017/2508'>2508: Clays; (not including expanded clays of heading no. 6806), andalusite kyanite and sillimanite, whether or not calcined; mullite; chamotte or dinas earth</a>"]
A --> K["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2017/2509'>2509: Chalk</a>"]
A --> L["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2017/2510'>2510: Natural calcium phosphates; natural aluminium calcium phosphates and phosphatic chalk</a>"]
A --> M["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2017/2511'>2511: Natural barium sulphate (barytes); natural barium carbonate, (witherite) whether or not calcined, other than barium oxide of heading no. 2816</a>"]
A --> N["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2017/2512'>2512: Siliceous fossil meals (e.g. kieselguhr, tripolite and diatomite) and similar siliceous earths; whether or not calcined, of an apparent specific gravity of 1 or less</a>"]
A --> O["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2017/2513'>2513: Pumice stone; emery; natural corundum, natural garnet and other natural abrasives, whether or not heat treated</a>"]
A --> P["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2017/2514'>2514: Slate, whether or not roughly trimmed or merely cut, by sawing or otherwise, into blocks or slabs of a rectangular (including square) shape</a>"]
A --> Q["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2017/2515'>2515: Marble, travertine, ecaussine and other calcareous stone; of an apparent specific gravity of less than 2.5, alabaster, whether cut by sawing etc, into blocks, slabs of a rectangular (square) shape</a>"]
A --> R["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2017/2516'>2516: Granite, porphyry, basalt, sandstone, other monumental and building stone, whether or not roughly trimmed, cut, by sawing etc, into blocks or slabs of a rectangular (including square) shape</a>"]
A --> S["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2017/2517'>2517: Pebbles, gravel, crushed stone for concrete aggregates for road or railway ballast, shingle or flint; macadam of slag, dross etc tarred granules, chippings, powder of stones of heading no. 2515 and 2516</a>"]
A --> T["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2017/2518'>2518: Dolomite, whether or not calcined or sintered; including dolomite roughly trimmed, or merely cut by sawing or otherwise into blocks or slabs of rectangular (including square) shape; dolomite ramming mix</a>"]
A --> U["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2017/2519'>2519: Natural magnesium carbonate (magnesite); fused magnesia; dead-burned (sintered) magnesia, whether or not containing small quantities of other oxides added before sintering; magnesium oxide, pure or not</a>"]
A --> V["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2017/2520'>2520: Gypsum; anhydrite; plasters (consisting of calcined gypsum or calcium sulphate), coloured or not, with or without small quantities of accelerators or retarders</a>"]
A --> W["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2017/2521'>2521: Limestone flux; limestone and other calcareous stone, of a kind used for the manufacture of lime or cement</a>"]
A --> X["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2017/2522'>2522: Quicklime, slaked lime and hydraulic lime; other than calcium oxide and hydroxide of heading no. 2825</a>"]
A --> Y["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2017/2523'>2523: Portland cement, aluminous cement (ciment fondu), slag cement, supersulphate cement and similar hydraulic cements, whether or not coloured or in the form of clinkers</a>"]
A --> Z["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2017/2524'>2524: Asbestos</a>"]
A --> BA["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2017/2525'>2525: Mica, including splittings; mica waste</a>"]
A --> BB["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2017/2526'>2526: Natural steatite; whether or not roughly trimmed or merely cut, by sawing or otherwise, into blocks or slabs of a rectangular (including square) shape; talc</a>"]
A --> BC["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2017/2529'>2529: Feldspar; leucite; nepheline and nepheline syenite; fluorspar</a>"]
A --> BD["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2017/2530'>2530: Mineral substances not elsewhere specified or included</a>"]

    B --> BE["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2017/252800'>252800: Natural borates and concentrates thereof (whether or not calcined), but not including borates separated from natural brine; natural boric acid containing not more than 85 % of H3BO3 calculated on the dry weight</a>"]


    %% Color coordination by level

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    classDef level6 color:#000,fill:#f1c40f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px
    classDef highlight color:#000,fill:#fff,stroke:#000,stroke-width:5px



  %% Apply classes
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class B level4
class C level4
class D level4
class E level4
class F level4
class G level4
class H level4
class I level4
class J level4
class K level4
class L level4
class M level4
class N level4
class O level4
class P level4
class Q level4
class R level4
class S level4
class T level4
class U level4
class V level4
class W level4
class X level4
class Y level4
class Z level4
class BA level4
class BB level4
class BC level4
class BD level4
class BE level6

  class B highlight

  %% class A level1
  %% class B,C level2
  %% class D,E,F,G,H,I level2
  %% class J,K,L,M,N,O,P level3
  %% class B highlight