subject: The HS Tariff Classification System [print this page] The existence of HS codes has shaped and modernized the business of importing and exporting with a classification system that is universally used and accepted for approximately 98 percent of all world trade. HS tariff classification, officially defined by the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System, is the international standard for reporting goods to customs and government agencies. Importers and exporters must perform a Harmonized code search every time they need to define and classify a shipment in order to legitimately get it across customs. This numeric language is used by more than 180 countries across the world, providing a universal system for transmitting data on trade. HS codes were created and are administered by the World Customs Organization, or WCO, which is an international institution based in Brussels, Belgium. Their HS tariff classification system applies to every commodity that enters or crosses an international border. All of these commodities have to be declared to customs with a specific Harmonized System code. The codes consist of six universal numbers and an additional two, four or six digit number based on the needs of the individual country. Each number can be used to calculate and assess duties and taxes, determine import and export admissibility, conduct risk assessment and targeting and many other informative purposes. It is important to know how to perform a Harmonized code search or have the right tools to do it automatically in order to be successful in importing or exporting. Governments use HS codes to assess customs duties, enforce domestic regulations, perform risk assessment and collect trade statistics, while companies use them to determine landed costs of imported goods and materials, identify international selling/sourcing opportunities and improve procurement and compliance all along the supply chain. No one in the importing and exporting world can get by without using this system, whether they are directly responsible for looking up the codes and defining the goods and materials in the first place or simply reliant on them.
