On this page
- Does adding sugar change the HS code for soft dried mango?
- Why do a bulk dried mango carton and a retail pouch sit on different EU lines?
- What must the label say for each recipe?
- Is Brix the right number to specify for soft dried mango?
- How do variety, fibre and colour get into a contract?
- Which recipe suits snacks, bars or bakery?
- What does a price-free specification frame for soft dried mango look like?
- Common questions
- Related insights
Soft dried mango soaked in cane-sugar syrup before drying is prepared fruit under heading 20.08, as UK Advance Tariff Ruling 600005639 decided. Mango dried with nothing added stays under 0804.50. Neither belongs in 0813.40. The sugar choice also sets the ingredient line and the sulphite declaration, and the numbers worth specifying are moisture, water activity and SO₂, not Brix.
Does adding sugar change the HS code for soft dried mango?
Yes. The sugar-syrup step moves soft dried mango from Chapter 8 to Chapter 20. Drying alone does not move it. Several published rulings on mango itself put the boundary in the same place, so the recipe on the offer sheet effectively decides the tariff chapter before any other detail is considered.
Three published customs rulings on mango set the boundary between Chapter 8 and Chapter 20 at the sugar-syrup step. UK Advance Tariff Ruling 600005639 classified diced mango that was blanched, treated with sulphur dioxide, soaked in sugar syrup and then dried, packed in 5 kg bags. It placed the goods under heading 20.08 at 2008 99 48 99. US Customs and Border Protection ruling NY N230016, dated 28 August 2012, placed Thai dried mango of roughly 60% fruit and 40% sugar at HTS 2008.99.4000. In the same ruling, an unsweetened dried apricot stayed in Chapter 8 at 0813.10. UK Advance Tariff Ruling 600012201 kept freeze-dried mango with nothing added in Chapter 8 at 0804 50 00 89, relying on Note 3 to Chapter 8. Sugar-infused soft dried mango is therefore prepared fruit. Plain dried mango remains mango under heading 0804, which covers mangoes fresh or dried.
| Ruling | Goods as described in the ruling | Classification | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK ATaR 600005639 | Diced mango, blanched, SO₂-treated, soaked in sugar syrup, dried, 5 kg bags | 2008 99 48 99 | Infusion moves mango to heading 20.08 |
| US CBP NY N230016 (28/08/2012) | Thai dried mango, about 60% fruit and 40% sugar | HTS 2008.99.4000 | A second authority reaches the same result |
| UK ATaR 600012201 | Freeze-dried mango, nothing added | 0804 50 00 89 | Plain dried mango stays in Chapter 8 |
| UK ATaR 600015921 | Flavoured dried-mango snack | 2008 99 63 90 | Retail-size snack goes to the packings of 1 kg or less line |
| UK ATaR 600013130 (valid to 12/06/2028) | Osmotically infused cranberries, no visible sugar crystals, 1.36 kg | 2008 93 91 80 | Infusion cannot be seen on the piece |
The code printed most often on offer sheets, 0813.40, fits neither recipe. Heading 0813 is the residual heading for dried fruit that has no heading of its own, and mango has one. This company’s own product sheet for soft-dried mango carried 0813.40 until 17 October 2026. A code on a supplier’s sheet is a habit until a ruling backs it. On the Vietnamese side, the national tariff as reproduced by Vietnamese customs-broker guidance gives dried mango its own eight-digit line, 0804.50.22, next to 0804.50.21 for fresh. The printed schedule under Decree 26/2023/ND-CP is the text that settles that line.
The same confusion runs through trade statistics. “Dried mango” tables on data platforms have been found repeating the fresh-mango figures. If the heading cannot separate the goods, the statistic cannot either.
The last cranberry ruling matters for inspection: an infused piece carries no visible sugar, so you cannot judge the recipe by eye. Send back three questions on any offer. What is the full ingredient list? Was the fruit soaked in syrup? What pack size will the declaration be made on?
Why do a bulk dried mango carton and a retail pouch sit on different EU lines?
In the EU Combined Nomenclature, sugar-infused tropical fruit including mango sits at 2008 99 48 in immediate packings over 1 kg, at an MFN rate of 11%. In packings of 1 kg or less it sits at 2008 99 63, at 13%. These rates are taken from a copy of TARIC data refreshed on 8 October 2026. The 10 kg bulk dried mango carton and the retail pouch filled from it are two different tariff lines.
The two UK rulings show the split. Ruling 600005639, on 5 kg bags, landed on the over-1 kg line. Ruling 600015921, on a snack, landed on the 1 kg or less line. For dried mango wholesale into a packer, the declaration follows the carton. For finished private-label pouches, it follows the pouch.
Under EVFTA, the preference on these Chapter 20 lines is reported as zero with EUR.1 or REX proof of origin. Confirm the ten-digit line in TARIC before relying on it. The MFN rate on 0804 50 00, the line for plain dried mango, is not held here. Check it in TARIC with Vietnam as the origin.
The duty is not the only exposure. FTA origin rules are written by chapter and heading, so a wrong heading can void a preference claim on goods that really are Vietnamese. The ingredient line on the pack is what exposes the mismatch at a post-clearance audit. Vietnamese export-procedure guidance reports export duty on mango as zero, so nobody upstream has a duty reason to pick the right heading. The consequence lands on the importer. If you are buying the sugar-infused recipe, the origin of the cane sugar can also matter to the origin claim. Ask your broker to check the EVFTA product-specific rule for the line. The proof-of-origin paperwork itself is covered in the guide to the documents that travel with a Vietnamese frozen fruit export.
Both sides can fix the code before the first lot. A Vietnamese exporter can apply for an advance determination of the tariff code under Article 28 of Vietnam’s Law on Customs. The importer can apply for a binding ruling at its own border. The importer’s ruling is the one that binds where the duty is paid.
What must the label say for each recipe?
The sugar-infused recipe declares sugar in the ingredient list, and its published ingredient line reads “Mango, cane sugar”. The no-added-sugar recipe lists mango only. Sulphite above 10 mg/kg, expressed as SO₂, must be declared under Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex II. In the US, sulphite above 10 ppm is a mandatory declaration under 21 CFR 101.100.
Sulphite use on traded dried mango is documented, not rumoured. The goods in ruling 600005639 were treated with SO₂ before infusion. A Thai sugar-infused passion-fruit product sold in Japan lists sodium metabisulphite. Neither fact describes Vietnamese soft dried mango in general. They show only that the question has to be asked. Permitted sulphite use levels sit in Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008. This article does not state them, so read the consolidated text for your category.
The divergence buyers miss is between the declaration threshold and the claim. A lot can test below 10 mg/kg and avoid the declaration. A “no preservatives” claim also requires that no sulphite was added at any stage. A sheet can pass the first test and still fail the second.
A “no added sugars” nutrition claim in the EU is governed by Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. Its conditions are not set out here. Have your regulatory team check the Annex before the claim goes on a pack.
Is Brix the right number to specify for soft dried mango?
No. Brix is a valid measure of fresh fruit at intake and a weak release measure on a finished soft-dried piece. Moisture and water activity decide whether a carton is still soft and free of mould at month nine. SO₂ decides the label. No published moisture or water-activity value exists for Vietnamese soft dried mango in either recipe.
The two texts disagree in a clear place. Offer sheets typically print “Brix ≥ 70”. This company’s own sheet printed it too, and the October 2026 revision kept the figure as an attribute while no longer presenting it as a buyer standard. Research files on soft-dried products treat moisture and water activity as the control lines. They record no source for a Brix figure on a finished piece. Two 2026 Vietnamese studies on sugar-infused soft-dried passion-fruit rind, not mango, show the spread. Nguyễn Xuân Hồng et al., in the Dong Thap University journal (DOI 10.52714/dthu.ns.2816.1882), dried at 70 °C for 4 h to 16.10% moisture. Bùi Thị Hồng Phương et al. dried at 60 °C for 7–8 h to 10–11.5%. Those are not mango values. They show that published Vietnamese work runs at 60–70 °C and that moisture in comparable products varies widely. Both points put moisture in the contract.
They also explain why “low-temperature dried” was removed from this site’s copy: no source supported it. Treat the phrase as marketing until a plant states its temperature.
There is no Codex, UNECE or EU marketing standard for soft dried mango. So the buyer sets the moisture and water-activity limits, names the test method, and sees the result on every certificate of analysis. The one fixed water-activity line is American. Under 21 CFR Part 114, a food is an acidified food only at equilibrium pH ≤ 4.6 with water activity above 0.85, and pH above 4.6 brings 21 CFR Part 113. Dried mango falls under neither part. It needs the manufacturing facility’s FDA registration, but no FCE and no scheduled-process filing.
VinFruits Global prints the SO₂ result on the certificate of analysis of every soft-dried mango lot instead of a sulphite-free line on the sheet, because the declaration threshold is a number and a buyer can only check a number. The panel to request on any dried line is moisture, water activity, microbiology, residues and SO₂. The guide to reading a fruit certificate of analysis shows how to check each result against its method.
How do variety, fibre and colour get into a contract?
Name the variety, test fibre by tearing a sample, and fix colour with a signed reference photo set plus a retained sample. No standard does any of this for you. CODEX STAN 184-1993 covers fresh mango only, and EU marketing standards apply only to fresh fruit. Every tolerance on a processed mango line is therefore a contract tolerance.
Variety is where substitution risk lives. In Đồng Tháp, the main processing province, Cát Chu is reported at about 60% of the mango area and is described as sweet with fine fibre. Cát Hòa Lộc is the premium choice for soft-drying. Taiwanese and green-skin “elephant” mango cover a reported 20–30% of the area. They are hard-fleshed fruit eaten green and are reported as unsuitable for good soft-dried product. Off-variety fruit shows up as pale, hard or sour slices. At intake, high Brix in the fresh fruit, clear aroma and flesh without fibre are the published selection criteria. That is the right place for a Brix number.
Fibre is the classic mango complaint: threads at the stone end of each slice. No published tolerance exists. Agree one in the contract and check it by tearing a sample against the signed defect photo set.
Colour without sulphite has to be held by variety, ripeness and storage. The published storage condition is ≤ 25 °C and relative humidity below 65%, for 12 months ambient. Warm storage is reported to darken mango and make it tacky. Keep a retained sample at the condition printed on the label so a colour dispute has something to compare against.
Which recipe suits snacks, bars or bakery?
The supplier’s published description maps the sugar-infused piece to retail snacking, coated fruit and bars. It is described as a soft, moist chew, cut in slices for retail and strips for dicing. The no-added-sugar piece is described as firmer and more fibrous. Both are listed for retail and private-label bags, cereal, granola, bars, bakery inclusions and chocolate-coated fruit.
Those descriptions come from the seller. They are not measurements. No bake test, inclusion-stability result or bar-matrix data has been published for either Vietnamese recipe. How a piece behaves in your product depends on the water activity of the piece against the water activity of the matrix around it, plus your bake profile. Run the trial in your own matrix on a retained sample, and record the water activity of both piece and matrix before and after. That result belongs in your specification annex, not in a supplier’s adjective.
What does a price-free specification frame for soft dried mango look like?
Every line needs five cells: parameter, limit with unit and basis, test method, sampling point, and who measures. A line missing any one of them cannot be enforced in a dispute. The frame below contains no price, minimum order or lead time. Every value in it is either a cited legal line or agreed in contract with the method named.
| Parameter | Limit and unit | Test method or instrument | Sampling point and frequency | Who measures |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Variety | Named variety, one stated per lot | Intake record; fresh-fruit Brix at intake | Plant intake, every lot | Partner plant; buyer audit |
| Ingredients | “Mango, cane sugar” or mango only | Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 ingredient list | Per signed specification version | Producer, signed annex |
| Moisture (% w/w) | Agreed in contract | Method named in contract | Finished lot, every lot | Laboratory, on COA |
| Water activity (aw, at stated °C) | Agreed in contract | Method named in contract | Finished lot, every lot | Laboratory, on COA |
| SO₂ (mg/kg) | Result per lot; not above 10 if the label carries no declaration | 1169/2011 Annex II; 21 CFR 101.100 | Finished lot, every lot | Laboratory, on COA |
| Residues (mg/kg) | Fresh MRL × processing factor | Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 Art. 20; SANTE/10704/2021 Rev 1 | Tested ≤ 60 days before shipment | Laboratory, on COA |
| Fibre and colour | Tolerance agreed in contract | Tear test; signed defect photo set | Sample under CXS 233-1969 plan | Third-party PSI |
| Shelf life on arrival (%) | ≥ 75 remaining | Date code against labelled shelf life | Port of arrival | Buyer |
On residues, Article 20 of Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 sets the limit for a processed product as the fresh-fruit MRL multiplied by a processing factor. The implementing guidance is SANTE/10704/2021 Rev 1, applied from 19 March 2025. Drying concentrates residues, so a level that passes on fresh mango can fail on the dried piece.
For acceptance sampling, Codex CXS 233-1969 at AQL 6.5, inspection level I, gives these plans for cartons over 4.5 kg: up to 600 cartons, sample 6 and accept on 1; 601–2,000, sample 13, accept 2; 2,001–7,200, sample 21, accept 3; 7,201–15,000, sample 29, accept 4. For retail units of 1 kg or less, the plans are: up to 4,800 units, sample 6, accept 1; 4,801–24,000, sample 13, accept 2.
Split defects by consequence. Critical defects (metal, glass, hard plastic, a Salmonella positive, an untraceable lot code) are AQL 0 and the lot is rejected. Major defects take AQL 2.5 and minor defects AQL 6.5. One AQL for all three lets a supplier negotiate on items that are not negotiable.
Around the frame, write in these clauses:
– the specification is a signed annex with a version and a date;
– the signed defect photo set is attached to it;
– the buyer may appoint a third-party pre-shipment inspector;
– retained samples are kept to shelf life plus six months, at the condition printed on the label.
Common questions
What HS code is soft dried mango: 0813.40, 0804.50 or 2008.99?
It depends on the recipe. Mango soaked in sugar syrup and then dried is prepared fruit under heading 20.08, as UK ruling 600005639 and US ruling NY N230016 decided. Mango dried with nothing added stays under 0804.50, because heading 0804 covers mangoes fresh or dried. Heading 0813 is for dried fruit without a heading of its own, so 0813.40 fits neither recipe. Confirm with a binding ruling at your own border.
Does a 10 kg carton and a retail pouch of the same dried mango carry the same EU tariff line?
No, if the mango is sugar-infused. In the EU Combined Nomenclature, tropical fruit including mango with added sugar sits at 2008 99 48 in immediate packings over 1 kg, with an MFN rate of 11%, and at 2008 99 63 in packings of 1 kg or less, at 13%. Under EVFTA the preference is reported as zero with proof of origin; confirm the ten-digit line in TARIC.
Should I specify Brix for soft dried mango?
Specify Brix on the fresh fruit at intake, where it measures ripeness and is a legitimate selection criterion. On the finished soft-dried piece it is a weak release measure. Moisture and water activity decide whether the piece stays soft and free of mould, and SO₂ decides the label. No published moisture or water-activity value exists for Vietnamese soft dried mango, so set the limits in the contract and name the method.
What does a no preservatives claim require beyond SO₂ below 10 mg/kg?
It requires that no sulphite was added at any stage. The 10 mg/kg figure, expressed as SO₂, is only the declaration threshold under Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 Annex II, and the US equivalent of 10 ppm sits in 21 CFR 101.100. A lot can test under 10 mg/kg and still have been treated with sulphite, so the claim needs a process declaration as well as a COA result.
Which recipe suits cereal, bars or bakery?
No published data shows how either Vietnamese recipe behaves in a bake, a cereal or a bar. Producers describe the sugar-infused piece as a soft, moist chew suited to retail snacking, coated fruit and bars, and the no-added-sugar piece as firmer and more fibrous. The deciding test is in your own matrix: run a trial on a retained sample and measure the water activity of both the piece and the matrix.
