Chocolate Bars: export from Canada to Southeast Asia
The first conversation about exporting chocolate bars into Southeast Asia is heat, not flavour. A bar formulated for a Canadian ambient chain blooms in tropical conditions, and bloom is a shelf-presence problem that surfaces at the retailer, not at the port.
The three workable answers are heat-stable formulation, a temperature-controlled chain to shelf, or restricting distribution to air-conditioned modern trade. Each carries a cost; choosing none of them is the expensive path.
Beyond that, specify cocoa content and origin claims, bar format and weight against destination price points, and validated shelf life under destination conditions.
Canadian chocolate competes on provenance and quality rather than price, so the positioning has to support a premium. Nut allergen handling and declaration requirements differ by destination and should be settled before artwork.
Chocolate classification turns on cocoa content and on whether the product is filled, so a filled bar and a plain one may not share a line. Send the formulation with the destination for an accurate position.
Canadian export requirements
- HS classification
- 1806.32 (Chocolate and other food preparations containing cocoa, in blocks, slabs or bars weighing 2 kg or less) not filled (filled bars fall in 1806.31)
- CFIA certificates
- Available on request: send your specification and destination and we'll confirm within five working days.
Six-market position
| Market | MFN duty | Preferential | Registration category |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vietnam | On request | On request | On request |
| Thailand | On request | On request | On request |
| Philippines | On request | On request | On request |
| Indonesia | On request | On request | On request |
| Malaysia | On request | On request | On request |
| Singapore | On request | On request | 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, British Columbia, Alberta
- Seasonality
- Year-round production
- Pack formats
- Retail cases, Display-ready cases
- Container configuration
- On request
- Indicative MOQ
- On request
Common questions
- What is the HS code for chocolate bars?
- 1806.32 (Chocolate and other food preparations containing cocoa, in blocks, slabs or bars weighing 2 kg or less) not filled (filled bars fall in 1806.31). This was read from Canada Border Services Agency on 2026-09-18. The first six digits are the same in every country that uses the Harmonised System; digits beyond that are set by the destination.
Sources
- Customs Tariff (T2026), Chapter 18 · Canada Border Services Agency, retrieved September 18, 2026
Last reviewed: September 1, 2026