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Export human hair and wigs

Temple and collected hair, mostly sold processed to wig makers in China and Vietnam; raw hair has a price floor.

Free, with conditionsHS 0501
HS code
0501
Raw human hair, unworked or washed, and hair waste (0501); human hair dressed, thinned, bleached or otherwise worked for wig-making (6703); and wigs, extensions and hair pieces (6704).
Export policy
Free, with conditions
Raw human hair (0501) is Prohibited, but exports are Free when the FOB value is US$ 65 per kg or more (DGFT Notification 59/2024-25, 10 Feb 2025). Worked hair (6703) and wigs (6704) are free. Confirm the current entry on the DGFT ITC(HS) search.
Registrations
3
IEC, GST and those below
India’s exports, 2025-26
US$ 943 mn
to 65 countries

What is exported

India is a major source of human hair: long "remy" hair offered at temples and shorter combed hair collected from households. Most is sorted and processed into bundles for wig and extension factories. In 2025-26 India exported about US$ 652 million of processed hair under HS 6703 (China, then Vietnam, Myanmar, Indonesia and the USA) and about US$ 287 million of raw hair under HS 0501, almost all to Myanmar. Finished wigs (HS 6704) were only about US$ 4 million.

Varieties, grades and forms

  • Remy (temple) hairLong hair cut in one direction with cuticles aligned; the most valuable grade.
  • Non-remy (combed) hairCollected from households, sorted and de-tangled; sold by length.
  • Machine-weft and bulk bundlesProcessed hair for extension and wig factories (HS 6703).
  • Wigs, toppers and extensionsFinished products for salons and consumers (HS 6704) — a small but higher-margin line.

Where it is grown or made

  • Andhra PradeshTirupati (temple hair) and Eluru (sorting and processing)
  • Tamil NaduChennai and temple towns — processing and export
  • West BengalKolkata and Howrah — collection and processing
  • Telangana and KarnatakaHyderabad and Bengaluru — collection centres and exporters

Export packing

  • Bundles tied, labelled by length and grade, packed in polybags and sealed cartons.
  • Most processed hair moves by air; keep the packing list itemised by length and weight.

Who buys abroad

  • Wig and extension factories (China, Vietnam, Myanmar)
  • Hair-extension brands and salon distributors
  • Online sellers of wigs and extensions
  • Medical-wig suppliers

The quality buyers ask for

Type
Remy (cuticles aligned) or non-remy; single-drawn or double-drawn
Length
Sold in inches, commonly from 8 to 30 inches and above
Colour and texture
Natural black or dark brown; straight, wavy or curly
Short-hair content
Percentage of shorter hairs in a bundle, as agreed
Processing
Virgin (no chemical treatment) or processed (coloured, steamed or permed) — must be declared truthfully

Certificates

  • Price-floor compliance (raw hair)RequiredRaw hair under 0501 may be exported only at FOB US$ 65 per kg or more.
  • Disinfection or fumigation certificateOften askedAsked by many buyers and some importing countries.
  • Source documentsOften askedTemple auction invoices or dealer bills showing lawful purchase.
  • RCMC (PLEXCONCIL)RequiredNeeded to claim export benefits.

Shipping, storage and shelf life

Container load

Processed hair is light and valuable, so it mostly goes by air in cartons; raw bulk hair to neighbouring countries may go by sea or road.

How it travels

Air from Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata or Bengaluru.

Storage

Clean, dry storage away from pests; keep bundles sealed.

What goes on the pack and carton

  • Bundle label: length, weight, type (remy or non-remy), colour and texture.
  • Retail packs: "100% human hair", treatment status, care instructions and country of origin.
  • Invoice and shipping bill must show the correct HS code (0501, 6703 or 6704) and the true FOB value.
Where to get it tested

Hair grading is done by trained sorters, not labs. For disinfection or microbiological tests, search the NABL directory; PLEXCONCIL can guide members on export rules for hair.

Benefits of exporting this product

Where to register

  • PLEXCONCILHuman hair and products made from it are listed under PLEXCONCIL in Appendix 2T; take your RCMC there.plexconcil.org ↗

Quality and checks

  • Price floor on raw hair: customs checks that the declared FOB value is at least US$ 65 per kg; undervalued shipments are stopped.
  • Many buyers and some importing countries ask for a disinfection or fumigation certificate for hair.
  • Grade proof: length, remy (cuticles aligned) or non-remy, colour, and percentage of short hair in each bundle.
  • Proof of lawful sourcing (temple auction invoices or dealer bills) — buyers and investigators increasingly ask for it.
How to start small

Do not start with raw hair: the price floor and smuggling checks make it hard. Instead, buy sorted hair from established processors in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu or West Bengal, sell machine-wefted or bulk bundles to wig and extension makers, and build towards your own extensions for salons and online sellers.

Where new exporters go wrong

  • Declaring raw hair as worked hair to avoid the price floor — misclassification is an offence under the Customs Act.
  • Mixing non-remy or short hair into remy bundles — buyers test samples and cancel the relationship.
  • Chemical-processed hair sold as "virgin" hair — leads to claims and bad reviews in consumer markets.

Documents this product needs

Schemes that apply

Sources (5)
  1. Department of Commerce, Export Import Data Bank — India's exports of HS 0501, 6703 and 6704 by country, 2025-26
  2. PLEXCONCIL circular of 18 Feb 2025 on DGFT Notification 59/2024-25 (10 Feb 2025): raw human hair moved to Prohibited, Free at FOB US$ 65/kg or above
  3. DGFT — Appendix 2T: Export Promotion Councils and the products under each
  4. DGFT — ITC(HS) export policy search (Schedule 2)
  5. PLEXCONCIL (Plastics Export Promotion Council) — official site

Trade data

Indian human hair and wigs exports in numbers

From the Department of Commerce’s TradeStat, country by country. US$, Indian financial years (April–March).

Exports in 2025-26
US$ 943 mn
+19.7% a year on average, 2020-21 to 2025-26
Change from 2024-25
↑ +19.1%
US$ 792 mn → US$ 943 mn
Buyer countries
65
Average export price
US$ 95.38
per kg · 9,885 tonnes shipped · US$ 88.11 the year before
China: US$ 494 mnMyanmar: US$ 293 mnVietnam: US$ 74.5 mnBangladesh: US$ 13.7 mnUnited States of America: US$ 11 mnIndonesia: US$ 11 mnHong Kong: US$ 4.5 mnUnited Arab Emirates: US$ 4.3 mnSingapore: US$ 3.1 mnTürkiye: US$ 2.6 mnSpain: US$ 1.4 mnUnited Kingdom: US$ 1.2 mnFrance: US$ 1 mnItaly: US$ 960kRussia: US$ 770kBhutan: US$ 740kIsrael: US$ 690kGermany: US$ 670kNetherlands: US$ 670kSwitzerland: US$ 550kChina: US$ 494 mnChinaMyanmar: US$ 293 mnMyanmarVietnam: US$ 74.5 mnVietnamBangladesh: US$ 13.7 mnBangladeshUnited States of America: US$ 11 mnUnited States of AmericaIndonesia: US$ 11 mnIndonesiaHong Kong: US$ 4.5 mnUnited Arab Emirates: US$ 4.3 mnSingapore: US$ 3.1 mnTürkiye: US$ 2.6 mnSpain: US$ 1.4 mnUnited Kingdom: US$ 1.2 mnFrance: US$ 1 mnItaly: US$ 960kRussia: US$ 770kBhutan: US$ 740kIsrael: US$ 690kGermany: US$ 670kNetherlands: US$ 670kSwitzerland: US$ 550kIndia
Where Indian human hair and wigs goes — among our 80 countries, 2025-26
2020-21: US$ 384 mn3842020-212021-22: US$ 770 mn7702021-222022-23: US$ 684 mn6842022-232023-24: US$ 765 mn7652023-242024-25: US$ 792 mn7922024-252025-26: US$ 943 mn9432025-26
India’s human hair and wigs exports, year by year · US$ million

The price cycle

India’s average export price per kg each year (total value ÷ total quantity). Highest in 2021-22, lowest in 2020-21 — a 78% swing between them. Keep this swing in mind when you quote.

2020-21: US$ 58.81 per kg58.812021-22: US$ 104.95 per kg104.952022-23: US$ 84.18 per kg2024-25: US$ 88.11 per kg2025-26: US$ 95.38 per kg95.382020-212021-222022-232023-242024-252025-26
Average export price of Indian human hair and wigs · US$ per kg · dotted = year in between not available

What next: a projection from the trend

The past trend carried forward — not a forecast by any authority. Sudden changes in policy, prices or demand are not in it.

2020-21: US$ 384 mn2020-212021-22: US$ 770 mn2021-222022-23: US$ 684 mn2022-232023-24: US$ 765 mn2023-242024-25: US$ 792 mn2024-252025-26: US$ 943 mn2025-262026-27: US$ 1.12 bn (US$ 842 mn – US$ 1.48 bn)1.1k2026-272027-28: US$ 1.28 bn (US$ 932 mn – US$ 1.74 bn)1.3k2027-28
India’s human hair and wigs exports and projection · hollow bars = projection, line = likely range
By 2027-28: US$ 1.28 bn

Likely range US$ 932 mn to US$ 1.74 bn.

Trend
+14.3% a year
Fit (R²)
0.65
Based on
6 years of official figures

Method: a straight line through the logarithm of yearly exports (log-linear regression); range = ±1 standard error.

Biggest buyer countries

By value in 2025-26. Change is against 2024-25.

Name2025-26Change
1ChinaUS$ 494 mn+5.3%
2MyanmarUS$ 293 mn+47%
3VietnamUS$ 74.5 mn+53.2%
4BangladeshUS$ 13.7 mn+164.7%
5United States of AmericaUS$ 11 mn-44.6%
6IndonesiaUS$ 11 mn+111.6%
7ParaguayUS$ 8 mn+5.4%
8TunisiaUS$ 7.1 mn+20.4%
9Hong KongUS$ 4.5 mn-0.9%
10United Arab EmiratesUS$ 4.3 mn+55.2%
11SingaporeUS$ 3.1 mn-22.6%
12AngolaUS$ 2.6 mn+4.4%

Where demand is rising and falling

Only countries that buy at least US$ 1 million or 1% of India’s exports of this product. Change from 2024-25 to 2025-26.

High demand

  1. BangladeshUS$ 5.2 mn → US$ 13.7 mn+164.7%
  2. IndonesiaUS$ 5.2 mn → US$ 11 mn+111.6%
  3. VietnamUS$ 48.6 mn → US$ 74.5 mn+53.2%
  4. MyanmarUS$ 199 mn → US$ 293 mn+47%

Low demand

  1. United States of AmericaUS$ 19.8 mn → US$ 11 mn-44.6%

Which forms sell, and at what price

India’s exports by 8-digit tariff line, 2025-26. Average price = total value ÷ total quantity (TradeStat): the average of every shipment on that line, not the price of any one deal.

Tariff lineValue 2025-26ChangeQuantityAverage price
Human hair dressed or otherwise worked6703 00 10 · Human hair, dressed, thinned, bleached or otherwise worked, wool or other animal hair or other textile…US$ 652 mn+10.6%4,691 tonnesUS$ 138.93 per kgwas US$ 123.94
Human hair,unworked; whethr or not washd or scoured0501 00 10 · Animal products, hair, human, unworked, whether or not washed or scoured, and waste of human hairUS$ 287 mn+45%4,332 tonnesUS$ 66.26 per kgwas US$ 58.26
Others-of-false,eybros eylashs etc. of syn txtl mtrl6704 19 90 · False beards, eyebrows and eyelashes, switches and the like, of synthetic textile materialsUS$ 2.7 mn+13.6%826 tonnesUS$ 3.25 per kgwas US$ 3.39
Wigs, false beards, eyebrows and eyelashes, switches and the like and other articles, of human hair — wigs6704 20 10US$ 730k+1.4%1.9 tonnesUS$ 377.85 per kgwas US$ 68.34
Others-of-wigs nets eyebrows etc. of human hair6704 20 90 · Wigs, false beards, eyebrows and eyelashes, switches and the like and other articles, of human hairUS$ 630k+250%8.1 tonnesUS$ 78.18 per kgwas US$ 31.38
Wigs, nets, eyebrow etc. of other materials6704 90 00 · Wigs, false beards, eyebrows and eyelashes, switches and the like and other articles, of animal hair or of…US$ 70k-81.1%24 tonnesUS$ 2.91 per kgwas US$ 3.47
Wool/other anml hair drssd/othrws wrkd6703 00 20 · Human hair, dressed, thinned, bleached or otherwise worked, wool or other animal hair or other textile…US$ 40k-20%2.4 tonnesUS$ 16.98 per kgwas US$ 301.20
Complete wigs of synthetic txtl matrls6704 11 00 · Wigs, complete, of synthetic textile materialsUS$ 10k—0.1 tonnesUS$ 74.07 per kg
Animal products, hair, human, unworked, whether or not washed or scoured, and waste of human hair — waste of human hair0501 00 20US$ 0-100%——

The world market

Each country’s own recorded exports and imports in UN Comtrade, 2023 (the latest year nearly every country has reported).

World imports
US$ 4.26 bn
2023
India among exporters
#2
of 126 countries
India’s share of world exports
9.7%
US$ 747 mn
Left for others to win
US$ 6.93 bn
exported by other countries

Top exporters — your competitors

  1. 1ChinaUS$ 5.62 bn 73.2%
  2. 2IndiaUS$ 747 mn 9.7%
  3. 3IndonesiaUS$ 330 mn 4.3%
  4. 4USAUS$ 98.8 mn 1.3%
  5. 5GermanyUS$ 95.2 mn 1.2%
  6. 6Viet NamUS$ 71.1 mn 0.9%
  7. 7SenegalUS$ 67.8 mn 0.9%
  8. 8MyanmarUS$ 59.3 mn 0.8%
  9. 9AustriaUS$ 49.4 mn 0.6%
  10. 10TogoUS$ 45.4 mn 0.6%

Biggest buyers in the world

  1. 1USAUS$ 1.47 bn 34.6%
  2. 2ChinaUS$ 1.3 bn 30.5%
  3. 3United KingdomUS$ 168 mn 3.9%
  4. 4JapanUS$ 136 mn 3.2%
  5. 5GermanyUS$ 128 mn 3%
  6. 6FranceUS$ 65.5 mn 1.5%
  7. 7ItalyUS$ 64.9 mn 1.5%
  8. 8Rep. of KoreaUS$ 63.2 mn 1.5%
  9. 9CanadaUS$ 56.2 mn 1.3%
  10. 10South AfricaUS$ 54.4 mn 1.3%

Opportunity: what these countries buy from the world, and from India

Each country’s own recorded imports in UN Comtrade, latest year it has reported. The long light part of each bar is demand other countries are filling today.

United States of AmericaUS$ 1.44 bnIndia 1.2% · gap US$ 1.42 bn
ChinaUS$ 1.41 bnIndia 34.9% · gap US$ 917 mn
United KingdomUS$ 168 mnIndia 0.7% · gap US$ 167 mn
GermanyUS$ 130 mnIndia 0.8% · gap US$ 129 mn
JapanUS$ 129 mnIndia 0% · gap US$ 129 mn
FranceUS$ 61.2 mnIndia 1.2% · gap US$ 60.5 mn
South AfricaUS$ 57.6 mnIndia 0% · gap US$ 57.6 mn
CanadaUS$ 56.2 mnIndia 0.1% · gap US$ 56.2 mn
South KoreaUS$ 55.2 mnIndia 0% · gap US$ 55.2 mn
ItalyUS$ 62.9 mnIndia 22.8% · gap US$ 48.5 mn

TradeStat’s 2023-24 quantities are double-counted, so that year is left out of the price. Sources: TradeStat — Export Import Data Bank, Department of Commerce · UN Comtrade database (United Nations Statistics Division) · Figures taken 29 October 2026.

Step by step

How to export human hair and wigs

India is one of the world's largest sources of human hair, alongside China (which processes most of the world's hair into wigs and extensions), Vietnam, Myanmar and Indonesia. Indian temple hair is valued because it is long, untreated and cut with cuticles aligned. Demand comes from the global wig and extension industry, serving fashion, medical (hair loss) and religious markets, especially in Africa and among African-American consumers. The Government has tightened export rules on raw hair to stop smuggling and undervaluation. Openings are in processed and sorted hair, machine wefts and finished extensions, which keep more value in India.

  1. 01Source lawfully

    Buy from temple auctions or established dealers with bills.

  2. 02Sort and process

    Wash, de-tangle, sort by length and grade; make wefts or bundles.

  3. 03Register

    IEC, GST LUT and RCMC with PLEXCONCIL.

  4. 04Classify correctly

    Raw hair under 0501 (price floor applies), worked hair under 6703, wigs under 6704.

  5. 05Sample and agree

    Send samples; agree grade, short-hair limits and claims procedure.

  6. 06Ship and get paid

    Ship by air with disinfection papers if required; take advance or LC.

Meet buyers

Trade fairs

Questions

Questions about exporting human hair and wigs

Can I export raw human hair?
Only if the FOB value is US$ 65 per kg or more (DGFT Notification 59/2024-25). Below that, raw hair export is prohibited.
Which council handles human hair?
PLEXCONCIL — Appendix 2T lists human hair and its products under it.
What is remy hair?
Hair kept in the same direction from root to tip with cuticles intact, so it tangles less. Temple hair is usually remy.
What benefits apply?
RoDTEP of 0.9% on worked hair (6703) and wigs (6704) and 0.5% on raw hair; drawback of 0.15% on raw and worked hair.
Why does most hair go to China?
China has the largest wig and extension factories. Indian exporters can earn more by doing more processing in India.
Sources (6)
  1. PLEXCONCIL circular of 18 Feb 2025 on DGFT Notification 59/2024-25 (10 Feb 2025): raw human hair moved to Prohibited, Free at FOB US$ 65/kg or above
  2. PLEXCONCIL (Plastics Export Promotion Council) — official site
  3. DGFT — ITC(HS) export policy search (Schedule 2)
  4. NABL — search for accredited testing laboratories
  5. DGFT — Appendix 4R, RoDTEP schedule for DTA exports w.e.f. 10.10.2024 (Notification 32/2024-25); rates continued to 31.12.2026 by Notification 41/2026-27
  6. Gazette of India — Notification 77/2023-Customs (N.T.) dated 20.10.2023: All Industry Rates of duty drawback

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