Bath soap HSN code: 8-digit lines under 3401
A plain bath soap bar is 3401 11 90, and a toilet soap bar sold as medicated is 3401 11 10. Sub-heading 3401 11 is soap for toilet use, medicated products included. Laundry, household and industrial bars sit under 3401 19, and liquid or cream skin washes put up for retail sale have their own sub-heading, 3401 30.
| Line | Wording in the master |
|---|---|
| 3401 11 10 | For toilet use: medicated toilet soaps |
| 3401 11 20 | For toilet use: shaving soaps other than shaving cream |
| 3401 11 90 | For toilet use: other |
| 3401 19 11 | Other: industrial soap |
| 3401 19 20 | Other: flakes, chips and powder |
| 3401 19 30 | Other: tablets and cakes |
| 3401 19 41 | Other: household soaps |
| 3401 19 42 | Other: laundry soaps |
| 3401 20 00 | Soap in other forms |
| 3401 30 11 | Liquid or cream skin wash, retail: medicated toilet soaps |
| 3401 30 12 | Liquid or cream skin wash, retail: shaving cream and shaving gel |
| 3401 30 19 | Liquid or cream skin wash, retail: other |
| 3401 30 90 | Liquid or cream skin wash, retail: other |
Source: GST portal HSN master, heading 3401, read 23 Oct 2026; 3401 19 19 and 3401 19 90 ("other") also listed. Last verified: 23 Oct 2026.
You will seldom type all eight digits. Under CBIC Notification 78/2020-Central Tax, an invoice needs 4 digits (3401) when last year’s aggregate turnover was up to ₹5 crore and 6 digits (340111 or 340130) above it, from 1 April 2021; below ₹5 crore the code is optional on B2C invoices.
Liquid soap HSN code: 3401 30, not 3401 20
Liquid soap and hand wash sold in a retail bottle are 3401 30, organic surface-active preparations for washing the skin in liquid or cream form, put up for retail sale. 3401 20 00, "soap in other forms", is where some code sites put them, but the master gives skin washes their own sub-heading. A plain hand wash or body wash is 3401 30 19 or 30 90 (the master words both as "other", so pick one with your CA and keep it); one sold as medicated is 3401 30 11.
The rate split follows the form. Schedule I S.No. 251 puts toilet soap at 5% only when it is in bars, cakes, moulded pieces or shapes, and it carves out industrial soap. Liquid and cream skin washes for retail sale are named in Schedule II S.No. 66, so a hand-wash refill is 18% while the soap bar beside it is 5%.
Brand and claim do not change the line. An antiseptic bar sold as medicated toilet soap, whatever the label, is 3401 11 10: still a toilet soap bar for the 5% entry. Soap is not a cosmetic for HSN purposes even when you sell it beside creams and make-up: chapter 33 Note 1(b) leaves soap of heading 3401 out of that chapter (DGCIS chapter 33).
Soap GST rate and what to enter on a listing
GST on bath soap bars is 5% from 22 September 2025, under Schedule I S.No. 251 of Notification 9/2025-IT(Rate); before that, toilet soap bars were 18% (PIB GST 2.0 list). Liquid soap and hand wash for retail sale are 18% under Schedule II S.No. 66 of the same notification.
- Decide bar or liquid: a bar, cake or moulded piece for toilet use is 3401 11; a retail bottle of liquid or cream skin wash is 3401 30.
- Type 3401 in the listing’s HSN field; on the invoice, write 3401, or 340111 / 340130 if your turnover last year was above ₹5 crore.
- Enter 5% for a toilet soap bar or 18% for liquid soap, and print the same code and rate on the invoice.
Worked case (illustration): a personal-care seller lists a 3-bar bath soap pack and a 250 ml hand wash refill. They are separate products: the pack is 3401 11 90 at 5%, the refill 3401 30 90 at 18%. Laundry bars (3401 19 42) and household soap (3401 19 41) fall outside S.No. 251, and this page does not print their rate: read the 3401 entries in Notification 9/2025-IT(Rate) before you set it.
Checked against the GST portal master
On 23 Oct 2026 we pulled the 20 entries the GST portal master holds for heading 3401 and built the 8-digit table above from that dump. It confirmed two points: 3401 30 is a separate sub-heading for skin washes, and medicated soap has its own line in both the bar and the liquid group.
Related HSN codes for beauty and personal care sellers
Soap usually shares a catalogue with skin care and hair care, which sit in chapter 33. These pages carry those codes.
| Item | Heading | Page |
|---|---|---|
| Cosmetics, skin creams, make-up | 3304 | Cosmetics HSN code |
| Shampoo, hair oil | 3305 | Shampoo HSN code |
| Other seller products | — | HSN codes list by product |
| A product not listed here | — | HSN code finder |
Headings: DGCIS ITC-HS chapter 33, as checked on each linked page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the HSN code and GST rate for soap?
3401; bath soap bars are 5% and liquid soap or hand wash 18%, from 22 September 2025.
What is the bath soap HSN code?
3401 11 90 for a toilet soap bar, or 3401 11 10 if sold as medicated.
What is the liquid soap HSN code?
3401 30: 3401 30 19 or 3401 30 90, and 3401 30 11 for medicated liquid soap.
What is the HSN code for Dettol soap?
A branded antiseptic bath soap bar is a toilet soap under 3401 11 (3401 11 10 if sold as medicated); the brand does not change the code.
What is the GST rate on bath soap?
5%: toilet soap bars other than industrial soap are in Schedule I S.No. 251 of Notification 9/2025-IT(Rate).
Is soap a cosmetic under HSN chapter 33?
No; chapter 33 Note 1(b) excludes soap, which stays in 3401 (chapter 34).
Related
Checked by the StitchMagic team on 23 Oct 2026. StitchMagic is a set of free tools and one AI listing agent (ListMagic) for online sellers in India that helps them list faster on Meesho, Flipkart and Amazon.in and sell more. Found an error? Tell us; we correct with a dated note.