What is a Harmonized System (HS) code?

A Harmonized System (HS) code is a standardized numerical code used worldwide to classify goods in international trade. It is managed by the World Customs Organization and used by customs authorities in over 200 countries to identify products, calculate duties and taxes, and collect trade statistics.

Are HS Codes used both for import and export?

Yes, HS codes are used for both import and export. The same six-digit HS structure underpins the classification systems countries use when goods enter or leave a country. It appears on customs declarations, commercial invoices, and certificates of origin.

What really sets an HS code apart from an HTS code?

An HS code is a 6-digit global classification system used by over 200 countries. An HTS code is country-specific and adds extra digits to the base HS code to determine duty rates and trade statistics. The first six digits remain consistent worldwide, while additional digits vary by country.

Why are the first 6 digits of an HS Code so important?

The first six digits are standardized by the World Customs Organization and are the same worldwide. They form the universal product classification used in international trade. Additional digits determine country-specific duties, but the first six digits ensure global consistency.

What are the risks of using an incorrect HS code?

Using an incorrect HS code can result in customs delays, shipment inspections, fines, seizure of goods, or repayment of duties. It can also damage business reputation and create compliance or insurance complications.

How often are HS codes updated?

The World Customs Organization updates the HS nomenclature approximately every five years, most recently in 2022. However, individual countries may update their national tariff schedules more frequently.

Are tariff codes and HS codes the same thing?

No. An HS code is the global 6-digit classification system created by the World Customs Organization. A tariff code is a country-specific classification that builds on the HS code and includes additional digits to determine duties and taxes.

รหัส HS & HTS

0308

Aquatic invertebrates, other than crustaceans and molluscs, live, fresh, chilled, frozen, dried, salted or in brine, smoked, whether or not cooked before or during the smoking process, flours, meals, and pellets, fit for human consumption

0401

Milk and cream, not concentrated, not containing added sugar or other sweetening matter

0402

Milk and cream, concentrated or containing added sugar or other sweetening matter

0403

Buttermilk, curdled milk and cream, yoghurt, kephir, fermented or acidified milk or cream, whether or not concentrated, containing added sugar, sweetening matter, flavoured or added fruit or cocoa

0404

Whey and products consisting of natural milk constituents, whether or not containing added sugar or other sweetening matter, not elsewhere specified or included

0405

Butter and other fats and oils derived from milk, dairy spreads

0406

Cheese and curd

0407

Birds' eggs, in shell, fresh, preserved or cooked

0408

Birds' eggs, not in shell, egg yolks, fresh, dried, cooked by steaming or boiling in water, moulded, frozen or otherwise preserved, whether or not containing added sugar or other sweetening matter

0409

Honey, natural

0410

Edible products of animal origin, not elsewhere specified or included

0501

Human hair, unworked, whether or not washed or scoured, waste of human hair

0502

Pigs', hogs' or boars' bristles and hair, and waste thereof

0504

Guts, bladders and stomachs of animals (other than fish), whole and pieces thereof, fresh, chilled, frozen, salted, in brine, dried or smoked

0505

Skins and other parts of birds with feathers, down, feathers, down and parts thereof, not further worked than cleaned, disinfected, treated for preservation, powder, waste and parts of feathers

0506

Bones and horn-cores, unworked, defatted, simply prepared (but not cut to shape), treated with acid or degelatinised, powder and waste of these products

0507

Ivory, tortoise-shell, whalebone and whalebone hair, horns, antlers, hooves, nails, claws and beaks unworked or simply prepared, not cut to shape, waste and powder of these products

0508

Coral and similar materials, unworked or simply prepared, shells of molluscs, crustaceans or echinoderms and cuttle-bone, not cut to shape powder and waste thereof

0510

Ambergris, castoreum, civet and musk, cantharides, bile, dried or not glands, other animal products used in preparation of pharmaceutical products, fresh chilled, frozen or otherwise provisionally preserved

0511

Animal products not elsewhere specified or included, dead animals of chapter 1 or 3, unfit for human consumption

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FAQs on Harmonized System (HS) Code

A Harmonized System (HS) code is a standardized numerical code used worldwide to classify goods in international trade. It is managed by the World Customs Organization and is used by customs authorities in over 200 countries to identify products, calculate duties and taxes, and collect trade statistics.
Yes, HS codes are used for both import and export because they are the common language customs authorities rely on to classify goods in international trade. The same six‑digit HS structure underpins the classification systems that countries use when goods enter (imports) or leave (exports), and it appears on key documents like customs declarations, commercial invoices, and certificates of origin.
The HS code is a 6-digit classification used by over 200 countries to pin-down products. On the other hand, an HTS code is specific to your country - like the US - and throws in 2 to 4 extra digits onto the base HS code to figure out duty rates and trade stats. When you are shipping internationally, the first 6 digits are the same everywhere, but the rest of the code changes depending on where your goods are headed.
The first 6 digits are the standard set by the World Customs Organization (WCO). That means no matter where you are in the world, these 6 digits are just about the only thing you'll see the same everywhere. They amount to a sort of "customs language". Now the full 10-digit code is all about how much duty you pay in a particular country but the 6 digits make sure your cargo isn't caught for basic misclassification at the border.
If you get the code wrong your shipment is more likely to get "flagged" by customs. The upshot is either a delay while they re-check the cargo, or heavy fines for the person importing the goods, seizure of the goods, or needing to pay for the duty all over again after the fact. For a freight forwarder, getting the code wrong can damage your reputation and lead to all sorts of insurance headache.
The WCO usually only updates the HS nomenclature every five years to keep up with the HS/HSN Codes FAQ Content Sample latest and greatest. They last did it in 2022. However countries update their own HTS tariff schedules much more often. They can do it as often as once a year, or even half a year if there are new trade agreements or if a country decides to impose a "Section 301" style tariff.
Not exactly. An HS code is the global base classification (usually 6 digits) created by the World Customs Organization, and it is the same across all participating countries. A tariff code is usually the full national classification used by a specific country to set duties and taxes, and it typically starts with the HS code and then adds extra digits for local detail. So every tariff code is built on an HS code, but it is more specific to one country’s tariff schedule.

รหัส HS & HTS

FAQs on Harmonized System (HS) Code

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