Router HSN Code

Understand the Router HSN Code: Connecting the Dots

In today’s interconnected world, routers are essential devices that enable our digital lives, whether at home or in the office. For businesses dealing with these critical networking components, understanding the correct HSN (Harmonized System of Nomenclature) code is vital for smooth GST (Goods and Services Tax) compliance. The HSN system provides a globally recognized classification for traded products, ensuring consistency in taxation and customs.

The provided data, while limited, gives us clues regarding the HSN classification of routers. It highlights that routers fall under a category that deals with the transmission and reception of data.

Decoding the Router’s HSN Classification

Routers are primarily classified under Chapter 85 of the HSN, which broadly covers “Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof; sound recorders and reproducers, television image and sound recorders and reproducers and parts and accessories of such articles.” This chapter is the appropriate home for electronic communication devices.

Specifically, routers are found under HSN Heading 8517: “Telephone sets, including telephones for cellular networks or for other wireless networks; other apparatus for the transmission or reception of voice, images or other data, including apparatus for communication in a wired or wireless network (such as a local or wide area network), other than transmission or reception apparatus of heading 8443, 8525, 8527 or 8528; parts thereof.”

Within this broad heading, the more specific HSN code for routers is:

• 85176930 (18% GST): This code specifically designates “Routers” under the sub-heading “Other: Machines for the reception, conversion and transmission or regeneration of voice, images or other data, including switching and routing apparatus.”

It’s important to note that the provided data also lists other HSN codes that are not relevant to network routers, such as those related to “Lac; gums, resins and other vegetable saps and extracts” (Chapter 13), “Vegetable plaiting materials” (Chapter 14), and “Animal or vegetable fats and oils” (Chapter 15). These are entirely unrelated categories and should not be confused with the classification of electronic routers.

Therefore, for anyone importing, exporting, or selling network routers in India, HSN code 85176930 is the primary classification to consider, with a corresponding GST rate of 18%.