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BBoreal Trade

Lactose: export from Canada to Southeast Asia

Lactose is sold by grade and by particle size, and the grade determines which regulatory and quality regime applies. Food-grade and pharmaceutical-grade lactose are not interchangeable, and pharmaceutical grade carries documentation and facility expectations that food grade does not.

Within each grade, mesh size is the working specification. It governs flow, compressibility and dissolution, so a tabletting application and an infant formula application want different material from the same nominal product.

Canadian lactose is a co-product of cheese and whey processing, so availability tracks that sector. Buyers should expect supply to be contracted, not spot.

State the grade, the mesh and the application when you enquire. If the destination use is pharmaceutical, say so at the outset: it changes the supplier shortlist, not just the price.

Two further points catch buyers new to the ingredient. Lactose is hygroscopic, so storage and transit humidity matter more than for most dry powders, and a specification that is met at load can drift in a hot, humid destination warehouse. And monohydrate and anhydrous forms behave differently in a formulation: if your process assumes one, saying so prevents a substitution that technically meets the grade and fails in the plant.

Canadian export requirements

HS classification
1702.11: Lactose and lactose syrup containing by weight 99% or more lactose, expressed as anhydrous lactose (below the 99% purity threshold the line is 1702.19)
CFIA certificates
Health certificate for the export of dairy products and dairy based products for human consumption (CFIA/ACIA 5813)

Six-market position

MarketMFN dutyPreferentialRegistration category
VietnamFreeFree (CPTPP)On request
ThailandFreeNone: no agreement in forceOn request
Philippines1%None: no agreement in forceOn request
Indonesia5%None: CEPA signed, not in forceOn request
MalaysiaFreeFree (CPTPP)On request
SingaporeFreeFree (CPTPP)On request

MFN duty is the destination's applied general rate for this tariff line. Preferential is the rate under an agreement in force between Canada and that market.

Both are customs duty only: destination excise, value-added tax and local levies are additional and are not shown here.

Available on request: send your specification and destination and we'll confirm within five working days.

Commercial terms

Producing provinces
Ontario, Quebec
Seasonality
Year-round production as a whey co-product
Pack formats
25 kg bags, 1 MT totes
Container configuration
On request
Indicative MOQ
On request

Common questions

What is the HS code for lactose?
1702.11: Lactose and lactose syrup containing by weight 99% or more lactose, expressed as anhydrous lactose (below the 99% purity threshold the line is 1702.19). This was read from Canada Border Services Agency on 2026-09-01. The first six digits are the same in every country that uses the Harmonised System; digits beyond that are set by the destination.
What is the import duty on Canadian lactose in Vietnam?
The most-favoured-nation rate Vietnam applies is Free. Preferential treatment: Free (CPTPP). This was read from Government of Canada, BDC and EDC on 2026-09-01. Duty is one line of a landed cost, and registration and certification usually cost more than it does.
What is the import duty on Canadian lactose in Thailand?
The most-favoured-nation rate Thailand applies is Free. Preferential treatment: None: no agreement in force. Duty is one line of a landed cost, and registration and certification usually cost more than it does.
What is the import duty on Canadian lactose in the Philippines?
The most-favoured-nation rate the Philippines applies is 1%. Preferential treatment: None: no agreement in force. Duty is one line of a landed cost, and registration and certification usually cost more than it does.
What is the import duty on Canadian lactose in Indonesia?
The most-favoured-nation rate Indonesia applies is 5%. Preferential treatment: None: CEPA signed, not in force. Duty is one line of a landed cost, and registration and certification usually cost more than it does.
What is the import duty on Canadian lactose in Malaysia?
The most-favoured-nation rate Malaysia applies is Free. Preferential treatment: Free (CPTPP). Duty is one line of a landed cost, and registration and certification usually cost more than it does.
What is the import duty on Canadian lactose in Singapore?
The most-favoured-nation rate Singapore applies is Free. Preferential treatment: Free (CPTPP). Duty is one line of a landed cost, and registration and certification usually cost more than it does.

Sources

Last reviewed: September 1, 2026