HSN Code
HSN Code 3004 — Medicaments (Packaged Medicines)
HSN heading 3004 covers packaged, retail-ready medicines — but not bulk pharmaceutical ingredients or medical devices, which fall under different headings.
3004 is specifically for medicines in their final, retail-ready form — measured doses (tablets, capsules) or packaging meant for retail sale (bottles, strips, boxes) — as opposed to bulk pharmaceutical chemicals that haven't yet been formulated and packaged into a usable dose.
The 8-digit lines within 3004 generally split by therapeutic category and sometimes by whether a medicine is a branded/patented formulation, a generic, or falls under specific government health-scheme categories — these distinctions matter for GST treatment far more than for goods HSN codes generally.
Ayurvedic, homeopathic, and other traditional-system medicines have their own classification path within Chapter 30 depending on formulation, and can carry different GST treatment from allopathic medicines even when they look similarly "packaged and dosed." Confirm the exact line for your specific product on the GST portal rather than assuming all packaged medicines share one code or rate.
What's included
- Tablets, capsules, and other measured-dose medicines
- Syrups, ointments, and other retail-packaged medicines
- Vaccines and other packaged pharmaceutical preparations
Commonly confused — classified elsewhere
- Bulk active pharmaceutical ingredients (unformulated) — Chapter 29
- Medical, surgical, and diagnostic instruments/equipment — 90 (e.g. 9018)
- Diagnostic reagents and test kits — 3822
Confirm the exact digit-level code and GST rate
- Go to the GST portal's HSN/SAC search page and pick the "HSN Code" tab.
- Search using "3004" or the description above.
- Match your exact product or service to its precise 6–8 digit line.
- Check the GST rate shown there — it's tied to the exact line, not the 4-digit heading, and can change.
Frequently asked questions
Do branded and generic medicines use different HSN codes?
The 4-digit heading (3004) is the same, but branded/patented and generic formulations, and different therapeutic categories, can sit on different 8-digit lines and can carry different GST treatment. Confirm the specific line for your product on the GST portal.
Are Ayurvedic or herbal medicines also 3004?
It depends on the formulation — some Ayurvedic and traditional-medicine products fall within Chapter 30 alongside allopathic medicines, others are classified differently. This can also affect the applicable GST treatment, so confirm the specific product's classification rather than assuming.
Does 3004 cover medical equipment like thermometers or syringes?
No — medical, surgical, and diagnostic instruments and equipment are classified separately, mainly under Chapter 90 (e.g. 9018), not under 3004, which is specifically for the medicines themselves.