How to Find the HS Code for Your Product

Updated 2026-07-17 · Target term: “how to find hs code”

To find your HS code: describe the product by material, function and how it is sold, match that to a 6-digit HS subheading, then extend it to the 10-digit US HTS code and confirm the duty. You can do this by hand with the tariff schedule, or let a classifier suggest a code and show the stacked rate. The fastest route for a common item is a ready-made page such as HS code for a laptop.

Step 1 — describe the product precisely

Classification follows what the thing *is*, not its brand. Write down: the primary material (cotton vs man-made fibre, steel vs plastic), the function, whether it is knitted or woven, powered or not, and whether it ships assembled. These details decide the code — a knitted cotton shirt and a woven cotton shirt sit in different headings.

Step 2 — find the chapter and heading

The schedule is organized into 21 sections and 99 chapters. Narrow to the chapter (first 2 digits), then the heading (4 digits), then the subheading (6 digits). Download a chapter to skim it offline from the HS Code Book PDF page.

Step 3 — apply the General Rules of Interpretation (GRI)

The six GRIs are the tie-breakers. GRI 1 says classify by the heading terms and section/chapter notes. GRI 3 handles goods that could fall in two headings (most specific wins; for sets, the component that gives the essential character). Composite and multi-function goods are where most mistakes happen.

Step 4 — extend to 10 digits and check the duty

The 6-digit HS code does not tell you the US rate on its own — Section 301, 232 and 122 measures attach at the 8- or 10-digit level. Extend to the full HTS number and read the stack. For example 8517.13 smartphones carries MFN plus a Section 301 line plus the Section 122 surcharge in the current dataset.

Step 5 — let a tool cross-check you

Human classification plus a second opinion beats either alone. Describe the item in the classifier and compare its suggested code and confidence with your manual pick. For hundreds of SKUs, the batch classifier does every row and returns codes, confidence and stacked duty with sources.

Worked example: a cotton hoodie

Say you import a cotton pullover hoodie. Material: cotton. Construction: knitted. Function: an upper-body garment, pulled over the head. That lands you in chapter 61 (knitted apparel), heading 6110 (jerseys, pullovers, sweatshirts), subheading 6110.20 (of cotton). Compare that with a knitted T-shirt, which is 6109.10, and a woven cotton shirt, which jumps to 6205.20 in chapter 62. Same fibre, three different codes — driven entirely by construction and garment type. See HS code for a hoodie.

When two codes seem to fit

Composite and multi-purpose goods are the hard cases. A gift set, a tool with interchangeable heads, a device that both charges and stores power — each can point to two headings. GRI 3(a) says the more specific description wins; GRI 3(b) classifies by the component that gives the item its essential character; GRI 3(c) is the last resort, taking the heading that occurs last in numerical order. A power bank is the classic example: it charges (like an adapter, 8504.40) and it stores (like an accumulator, 8507.60), and the essential-character test tips it toward the battery heading.

When to stop guessing and get a ruling

For a high-volume product where a few percentage points decide the business, a self-classification plus a tool is not enough. US importers can request a binding ruling from CBP (the eRulings system), which gives you a code you can rely on and cite. Use OpenTariff to narrow to one or two candidates first, then submit the ruling request with your reasoning — it is faster and cheaper when you have already done the GRI analysis.

Keep a short classification note for every product you import: the material, the function, the heading text you relied on, and the date you decided. Customs classification is a defensible judgement, not a lookup, and the note is your defence if a rate is ever questioned. It also pays forward — the next person to reorder the SKU inherits your reasoning instead of guessing again. When the WCO revises the HS or the USTR moves a list, you can revisit just the notes that touch the changed headings rather than re-classifying the whole catalog from scratch.

A classifier suggests candidates; it does not issue a legal ruling. For binding certainty, request a CBP ruling (eRulings). Rates shown reflect the current OpenTariff dataset.

FAQ

More guides: all guides · find a code by product · batch classify