HS Codes for Electric Fans, Motors and Parts

Complete electric fans are classified under HS heading 8414, fan motors under heading 8501, and dedicated fan parts under subheading 8414.90. This guide lists the codes for each fan type we export from China, and explains the three rules behind most classification errors: the 125 W line, motors versus parts, and knocked-down shipments.

Quick Answer

The first six digits are the same in every country. Digits seven to ten, and the duty rate, are set by each importing country.

How Fan HS Codes Are Structured

An HS code is read from left to right, and each pair of digits narrows the product.

• Chapter 84 covers machinery and mechanical appliances.
• Heading 8414 covers air pumps, compressors and fans.
• Subheading 8414.51 covers table, floor, wall, window, ceiling and roof fans with a built-in motor of output not exceeding 125 W.
• Subheading 8414.59 covers all other fans.
• Subheading 8414.90 covers parts of the goods in heading 8414.

China adds two more digits for export declarations. A table fan is 8414.5191, a floor fan 8414.5192 and a wall fan 8414.5193. Your country uses its own final digits, so a Chinese 8-digit code cannot be copied onto an import declaration.

Motors sit in a different chapter. Heading 8501 covers electric motors, and it applies even when the motor is built only for a fan.

The 125 W Rule

The 125 W limit in 8414.51 refers to the motor’s output power, not the input power printed on the rating label. Input power is always higher than output power, so a fan rated at 150 W input may still fall under 8414.51.

Most 12″ to 18″ household fans are well below the line. Check 26″ and 30″ industrial fans and drum fans model by model, because these can exceed 125 W output and move to 8414.59.

The fan’s shape does not override the power test. Brazilian customs classified a household table fan with output above 125 W under 8414.59.90, not under the table fan code.

Ask your supplier for the motor’s rated output in watts and keep it in your product file.

HS Codes by Fan Type

The China export code is the 8-digit reference we declare when the fan leaves China. Use the 6-digit code to find the matching line in your own tariff.

The household and industrial labels do not appear in the HS. Two fans of the same mounting type and power range share a code, whatever market they are sold into.

Special Models: Rechargeable, Solar and Mist Fans

A battery, a solar panel or a misting kit does not change the fan’s heading. Each of these models is still a fan with a built-in electric motor, and takes the code of the matching plain fan.

Rechargeable fans

A rechargeable fan is classified by its form: table, floor or “other” under 8414.51. The built-in battery is part of the fan and is not declared separately.

The difference is in shipping, not in the code. Fans with lithium batteries ship as dangerous goods and need a UN38.3 test summary and an MSDS. Spare batteries packed loose are declared on their own line: 8507.60 for lithium-ion and 8507.20 for lead-acid.

Solar fans

A fan packed for retail sale together with its solar panel is a set, and the fan gives the set its character. The whole set is declared under 8414.51.

Panels packed or invoiced separately are declared under 8541.43. LED bulbs supplied loose are declared under 8539.52.

Mist fans

A mist fan that also works with the mist switched off is classified as a fan. US Customs confirmed this in 2024, when it moved a cordless misting fan from 8414.59 to 8414.51 after learning the mist function was optional (ruling N340219).

Industrial mist fans with a pump and a large water tank carry more risk. Some customs offices may look at heading 8424 (spraying appliances) or 8479. Ask your broker for a view before the first shipment.

Evaporative air coolers are a different product. They cool air through a wet pad and are classified under 8479.60, not as fans.

Fan Motors

A fan motor shipped on its own is classified under heading 8501 as an electric motor, never under 8414.90 as a fan part. Section XVI Note 2(a) of the HS says that a part which is itself a good of another heading in Chapters 84 or 85 is classified in that heading.

The 37.5 W line also refers to output power. Many 16″ household fan motors fall under 8501.10, while larger 18″ and industrial fan motors usually fall under 8501.40. The rated output decides, not the fan size.

Fan Parts and Accessories

Subheading 8414.90 covers parts made only for fans. General-purpose components keep their own headings, even inside a fan spare-parts carton.

US Customs applied this split to a small mister fan shipped as components: the screws went to 7318, the motor to 8501.10, the spray bottle to 8424, and only the remaining pieces to fan parts under 8414.90 (ruling NY 813550). It also placed mounting kits for pedestal and wall fans under 8414.90 (ruling N054925).

Free spare parts shipped with an order follow the same rule. List each type on the invoice with its own code and value.

CBU, SKD and CKD Shipments

Under the HS rules, a fan shipped unassembled is still classified as a complete fan when the shipment contains everything needed to build it. This is General Interpretive Rule 2(a): an incomplete or unassembled article takes the code of the finished article if it has its essential character.

The rule is applied strictly. US Customs reclassified an industrial fan assembly from parts to a complete fan even though it arrived without its motor and shaft (ruling HQ 965993).

Some countries run their own SKD or CKD schemes with lower duty for local assembly. These are national programmes with conditions such as registration, local value-add or a separate tariff line. They are not part of the HS itself.

Before ordering knocked-down fans, confirm three points with your customs broker:

1. Whether your country has a CKD or SKD line or scheme for fans.
2. How far the fan must be broken down to qualify.
3. Whether motors, guards and other parts must arrive in separate shipments or on separate invoices.

Country Notes

These notes were checked in October 2026 and are a starting point for your own verification. Duty rates change, and the rate that applies depends on origin, trade agreements and trade remedies.

Common Mistakes

1. Declaring a motor as a fan part. Motors go under 8501, not 8414.90.
2. Using input power for the 125 W test. The limit is output power. Reading the rating label can push a fan into the wrong subheading.
3. Copying the supplier’s 8-digit code. Only the first six digits carry over. The rest must come from your own tariff.
4. Putting all spare parts on one line. Capacitors, cords, switches and screws each have their own heading.
5. Assuming a knocked-down shipment is “parts”. A full set of components is classified as a complete fan unless your country has a specific CKD scheme.
6. Declaring a solar panel or spare battery as part of the fan. They join the fan’s code only when packed with it as one retail set.