# HS code 8523.49: Optical media

> HS code 8523.49 covers optical media, other than those classified in 8523.41. It sits in heading 85.23 (discs, tapes, solid-state non-volatile storage devices, 'smart cards' and other media for the recording of sound or of other phenomena, whether or not recorded, including matrices and masters for the production of discs, but excluding products of Chapter 37) in chapter 85 (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). Other goods of heading 85.23 are classified under 8523.21 (magnetic media, cards incorporating a magnetic stripe), 8523.29 (magnetic media, other), 8523.41 (optical media, unrecorded), 8523.51 (semiconductor media, solid-state non-volatile storage devices) or 3 others.

Source: https://staging.border.bot/hs-codes/852349
Last updated: 13 October 2026

[HS codes](https://staging.border.bot/hs-codes) / [Chapter 85](https://staging.border.bot/hs-codes/85) / [85.23](https://staging.border.bot/hs-codes/8523) / [8523.49](https://staging.border.bot/hs-codes/852349)

## Key facts

- HS code: 8523.49
- Covers: Optical media
- Heading: [85.23: Discs, tapes, solid-state non-volatile storage devices, 'smart cards' and other media for the recording of sound or of other phenomena, whether or not recorded, including matrices and masters for the production of discs, but excluding products of Chapter 37](https://staging.border.bot/hs-codes/8523)
- Chapter: [85: 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](https://staging.border.bot/hs-codes/85)
- Edition: HS2022
- Duty rates: [Set by each country’s tariff](https://staging.border.bot/countries)

## What this code covers

HS code 8523.49 covers optical media, other than those classified in 8523.41.

The legal text of the subheading is “Optical media: Other”, read under “Optical media”, in HS2022.

## What it doesn’t cover

Other goods of heading 85.23 are classified under 8523.21 (magnetic media, cards incorporating a magnetic stripe), 8523.29 (magnetic media, other), 8523.41 (optical media, unrecorded), 8523.51 (semiconductor media, solid-state non-volatile storage devices) or 3 others.

- [8523.21](https://staging.border.bot/hs-codes/852321) Magnetic media: Cards incorporating a magnetic stripe
- [8523.29](https://staging.border.bot/hs-codes/852329) Magnetic media: Other
- [8523.41](https://staging.border.bot/hs-codes/852341) Optical media: Unrecorded
- [8523.51](https://staging.border.bot/hs-codes/852351) Semiconductor media: Solid-state non-volatile storage devices
- [8523.52](https://staging.border.bot/hs-codes/852352) Semiconductor media: “Smart cards”
- [8523.59](https://staging.border.bot/hs-codes/852359) Semiconductor media: Other
- [8523.80](https://staging.border.bot/hs-codes/852380) Other

## How it is structured

8523.49 is a six-digit subheading. Its first two digits, 85, are the chapter; the first four, 8523, are heading 85.23; the last two, 49, identify the subheading within the heading.

Countries add their own digits after these six for their national tariff lines.

- Chapter 85: 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
- Heading 85.23: Discs, tapes, solid-state non-volatile storage devices, 'smart cards' and other media for the recording of sound or of other phenomena, whether or not recorded, including matrices and masters for the production of discs, but excluding products of Chapter 37
- Within the heading: Optical media
- Subheading 8523.49: Other

## In other countries

No national tariff lines under 8523.49 are live on border.bot yet. Tariffs built on the Harmonized System (HS2022) use 8523.49 at six digits and add their own digits after it.

- Previous subheading: [8523.41](https://staging.border.bot/hs-codes/852341) Optical media: Unrecorded
- Next subheading: [8523.51](https://staging.border.bot/hs-codes/852351) Semiconductor media: Solid-state non-volatile storage devices

## Frequently asked questions

### What does HS code 8523.49 cover?

HS code 8523.49 covers optical media, other than those classified in 8523.41.

### Which heading and chapter is HS code 8523.49 in?

HS code 8523.49 is in heading 85.23 (discs, tapes, solid-state non-volatile storage devices, 'smart cards' and other media for the recording of sound or of other phenomena, whether or not recorded, including matrices and masters for the production of discs, but excluding products of Chapter 37) in chapter 85 (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).

### Where are goods of heading 85.23 classified when 8523.49 doesn’t fit?

Other goods of heading 85.23 are classified under 8523.21 (magnetic media, cards incorporating a magnetic stripe), 8523.29 (magnetic media, other), 8523.41 (optical media, unrecorded), 8523.51 (semiconductor media, solid-state non-volatile storage devices) or 3 others.

## Sources and updates

The Harmonized System legal text comes from border.bot release 1 (edition HS 2022), imported from a file, and has been live since 13 October 2026.

This page was last updated on 13 October 2026.

Guidance from published tariff data, not a binding ruling. For a decision customs must follow, apply to the destination’s customs authority for a binding tariff ruling.

Machine-readable: https://staging.border.bot/hs-codes/852349.json