What is an HS code?
The 6-digit Harmonized System code shared by most countries' tariff schedules, maintained by the World Customs Organization.
The Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS) gives every traded product a 6-digit code. Countries that use it, including the US, EU, UK, China and Canada, then add their own digits for national rates and statistics.
That is why the first 6 digits of a US HTS code usually match the code your overseas supplier puts on the commercial invoice, while the remaining digits differ by country. The HS is revised about every five years; the HS 2022 edition is the current one at the time of writing.
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Related terms
- HTS codeA 10-digit number from the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) that classifies an imported product and decides its duty rate.
- Country of origin (substantial transformation)The country where goods were wholly made or last substantially transformed into a new article. Origin decides which rates and additional duties apply.