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Guide

HS code: what it is and how to find the right one

Updated on 31 August 2026

An HS code is the six-digit product code of the Harmonized System, maintained by the World Customs Organization and used by more than 200 countries. Those six digits are identical everywhere, which is why a supplier in Shenzhen and an importer in Hamburg can talk about the same product code.

Six digits are not a customs tariff number, though. They are the shared opening of one. An EU import declaration needs eight, ten, or eleven digits depending on the direction, and those further digits are where the duty rate and the trade measures actually live.

How an HS code is structured

The six digits are read in three pairs, each narrowing the classification:

  • Digits 1 and 2: the chapter, one of 97 broad product groups. Chapter 82 covers tools, chapter 85 electrical machinery.
  • Digits 3 and 4: the heading within that chapter. Heading 8207 covers interchangeable tools for hand tools or machine tools.
  • Digits 5 and 6: the subheading. Subheading 820750 covers tools for drilling.
  • Everything beyond digit 6 is regional or national and is not comparable across customs territories.

How to find the HS code for a product

The method is the same one that governs any classification. Keyword search is where you start looking, never where you finish:

  • Write down the objective characteristics first: material, function, construction, and intended use. Classification turns on what the goods are, not on what they are called in your catalog.
  • Read the wording of the candidate headings and the section and chapter notes. These are legally binding and routinely exclude goods that a keyword search would have matched.
  • Apply the General Rules of Interpretation 1 to 6 in order. Rule 1 settles most cases on heading text and notes alone.
  • Check the HS explanatory notes for borderline cases. They interpret the legal texts and carry weight in an audit, but they cannot override a heading.
  • Validate against binding tariff information issued for comparable goods, which shows which characteristics a customs authority actually relied on.

Where six digits stop being enough

The HS code is a common language, not a complete answer. Three things it cannot tell you:

  • The duty rate. Rates are set per customs territory on the longer regional code, not on the HS subheading.
  • The trade measures. Anti-dumping duties, quotas, suspensions, and licensing requirements attach to the ten-digit TARIC code in the EU.
  • Your liability. Taking a supplier's HS code and padding it out to eleven digits is one of the most common findings in a customs audit: the first six may well be right, and the rest still wrong.

HS 2022 and HS 2028: the code that moves under you

The Harmonized System is revised roughly every five years, and the Combined Nomenclature is amended every 1 January on top of that. A code that was correct when a part was first classified can silently become invalid, or stay valid while its scope changes underneath it.

For a handful of products that is a manageable annual task. For a catalog of tens of thousands of parts it needs monitoring: a list of which codes expired, which were succeeded, and which items now sit on a code whose text no longer describes them.

Frequently asked questions

How many digits does an HS code have?

Six. Those six digits are harmonized worldwide. The EU Combined Nomenclature adds digits 7 and 8, TARIC adds 9 and 10, and Germany adds an eleventh digit for import declarations.

Is an HS code the same as a customs tariff number?

No. The HS code is the first six digits of a customs tariff number. A German import declaration requires the full eleven-digit commodity code, and an export declaration eight digits.

Can I use my supplier's HS code?

Only as a starting point. The first six digits are internationally harmonized, so a supplier's HS code is often correct at that level, but the declarant carries the liability for the full code and for whether the classification actually fits the goods.

Where can I look up an HS code?

In the EU, TARIC and the national tariff carry the full code with its measures. Zolltarif-Finder publishes a page for every code with the classification path, the duty rate, and the binding tariff rulings issued for it.

Do HS codes change?

Yes. The World Customs Organization revises the Harmonized System roughly every five years, and the EU amends the Combined Nomenclature annually. Master data should be checked against the current tariff at least once a year.

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