Harmonized System Code (HS Code)

An HS code is the product's number in the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System, the "Harmonized System" or HS, an international product nomenclature developed and maintained by the World Customs Organization (WCO). According to the WCO it comprises more than 5,000 commodity groups, each identified by a six-digit code, and more than 200 countries and economies use it as the basis for their customs tariffs and trade statistics. The WCO says over 98% of the merchandise in international trade is classified in HS terms.

How the code works

The six-digit codes are arranged in a legal and logical structure, supported by rules for uniform classification, and the WCO publishes the official interpretation in its Explanatory Notes. The six-digit level, the HS subheading, is the most detailed level shared by every country that uses the system, so the same product should get the same first six digits in Chennai, Ho Chi Minh City and New York. Countries add their own digits after it.

National codes built on the HS

• United States, imports: the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS), a 10-digit number administered by the US International Trade Commission. The full 10-digit HTS number goes on the entry summary and sets the duty rate. Search it in our HTS code finder
• United States, exports: Schedule B, a 10-digit number administered by the Census Bureau and reported in the Automated Export System. Search it in our Schedule B finder
• India: the ITC(HS) classification, used by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade for its import and export policy at the 8-digit level, and the code declared on the bill of entry and shipping bill

The International Trade Administration notes that a product's 10-digit US HTS and Schedule B numbers may differ, but the first six digits, the HS subheading, are the same.

HS code vs HTS code

The HS code is the shared international six-digit core. The HTS code adds four US digits to it for a more detailed classification, and only the HTS carries US duty rates. An Indian exporter's 8-digit ITC(HS) code and the US importer's 10-digit HTS code for the same product should agree in the first six digits; if they do not, one side has probably misclassified the goods.

Editions: HS 2022 and HS 2028

The WCO updates the HS about every five to six years. HS 2022, the seventh edition, has applied since 1 January 2022. HS 2028, the eighth edition, will enter into force on 1 January 2028, and the WCO publishes correlation tables between the two. When a new edition takes effect, national tariffs are renumbered to match, so a code that was right before may change.

Common mistakes

• Putting a six-digit HS code on US entry documents, which need the full 10-digit HTS number
• Copying the supplier's export code without checking it against the US tariff
• A vague invoice description that does not support the code claimed

To estimate the duty on a code, try the tariff simulator. Final classification is the importer's responsibility, usually with a licensed customs broker.