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 v2022 Code: 2528

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 wide range of industrial applications, from glass and ceramic production to agriculture and pharmaceuticals. As a key input for many manufacturing processes, the global trade in natural borates and boric acid plays a significant role in the broader economy.

Production process

Natural borates are typically extracted from mineral deposits or salt lakes through mining or evaporation techniques. The raw material is then processed to remove impurities and concentrate the borate content. This may involve steps such as crushing, screening, flotation, and calcination. Natural boric acid is often obtained as a by-product of other industrial processes or extracted directly from natural brine sources.

Production inputs

The primary inputs for the production of natural borates and boric acid include the raw mineral deposits or brine sources, as well as energy, water, and specialized mining or processing equipment. Depending on the specific application, additional inputs such as chemical reagents or packaging materials may also be required.

Production outputs

The main outputs of HS code 2528 are various forms of natural borates, including ulexite, colemanite, and kernite, as well as natural boric acid. These materials are widely used as inputs for the production of 2833 (Sulphates; alums; peroxosulphates (persulphates)) and 2840 (Borates; peroxoborates (perborates)) under HS codes 2833 and 2840, respectively. They are also consumed by industries producing 6901 (Bricks, blocks, tiles and other ceramic goods of siliceous fossil meals (for example, kieselguhr, tripolite or diatomite) or of similar siliceous earths) and 3105 Mineral or chemical fertilisers containing two or three of the fertilising elements nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium; other fertilisers; goods of this chapter in tablets or similar forms or in packages of a gross weight not exceeding 10 kg.

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/v2022/25'>25: Salt; sulphur; earths, stone; plastering materials, lime and cement</a>"]
A --> B["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2022/2528'>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/v2022/2501'>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/v2022/2502'>2502: Iron pyrites; unroasted</a>"]
A --> E["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2022/2503'>2503: Sulphur of all kinds; other than sublimed, precipitated and colloidal sulphur</a>"]
A --> F["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2022/2504'>2504: Graphite; natural</a>"]
A --> G["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2022/2505'>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/v2022/2506'>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/v2022/2507'>2507: Kaolin and other kaolinic clays; whether or not calcined</a>"]
A --> J["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2022/2508'>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/v2022/2509'>2509: Chalk</a>"]
A --> L["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2022/2510'>2510: Natural calcium phosphates; natural aluminium calcium phosphates and phosphatic chalk</a>"]
A --> M["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2022/2511'>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/v2022/2512'>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/v2022/2513'>2513: Pumice stone; emery; natural corundum, natural garnet and other natural abrasives, whether or not heat treated</a>"]
A --> P["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2022/2514'>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/v2022/2515'>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/v2022/2516'>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/v2022/2517'>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/v2022/2518'>2518: Dolomite, whether or not calcined or sintered, including dolomite roughly trimmed or merely cut, by sawing or otherwise, into blocks or slabs of a rectangular (including square) shape</a>"]
A --> U["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2022/2519'>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/v2022/2520'>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/v2022/2521'>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/v2022/2522'>2522: Quicklime, slaked lime and hydraulic lime; other than calcium oxide and hydroxide of heading no. 2825</a>"]
A --> Y["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2022/2523'>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/v2022/2524'>2524: Asbestos</a>"]
A --> BA["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2022/2525'>2525: Mica, including splittings; mica waste</a>"]
A --> BB["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2022/2526'>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/v2022/2529'>2529: Feldspar; leucite; nepheline and nepheline syenite; fluorspar</a>"]
A --> BD["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2022/2530'>2530: Mineral substances not elsewhere specified or included</a>"]

    B --> BE["<a href='/classifications/hs/v2022/252800'>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 level5 color:#000,fill:#f1c40f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px
    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