How to find the right HS code for your product

What an HS code is

The Harmonized System (HS) is a shared product list used by customs in over 200 countries. The first 6 digits are the same everywhere; each country adds its own digits after that (Egypt, the EU, the UK and the US all use 10).

The code decides your duty rate, which licences apply and sometimes whether you can import at all — so a wrong code can cost far more than the shipment itself.

Classify in four steps

1. Describe the product precisely: what it is made of, how it is made and what it is used for.

2. Find the chapter (first 2 digits) and heading (4 digits) that names the product or its main material.

3. Narrow to the 6-digit subheading using the details — for example leather outer surface vs plastic.

4. Add the destination country's national digits from its official tariff. Never invent digits.

Common mistakes

Using the supplier's code without checking it against the destination tariff.

Classifying sets or kits by the cheapest item instead of the item that gives the set its essential character.

Copying a code from a different country — the 6 digits match, the rest often don't.