Tools › Guides › Classification

How to find the right HS / HSN code for your export

Last reviewed 2026-10 · 5 sections

Every customs clearance, duty calculation and free-trade-agreement claim starts with a classification. The code you choose decides the duty rate, whether a licence or standard applies, and whether a preferential rate is available. Getting it wrong is one of the most common and most expensive errors an exporter makes.

What the digits actually mean

The Harmonized System (HS) is maintained by the World Customs Organization. Its levels are nested — you can only classify correctly if you keep the level you are working at straight:

  • 2 digits — chapter. Broad families of goods (e.g. 09 = coffee, tea, spices). Chapters are organisational; they are seldom what a duty line uses.
  • 4 digits — heading. The first genuinely descriptive level.
  • 6 digits — subheading. The level that is standardised worldwide. The same 6-digit code means the same goods in every HS country.
  • 8, 10 or more digits — national lines. Countries split 6-digit codes 'below the line' for their own tariff. Duty rates live at this level.

The practical consequence: a 6-digit code is a good global identifier, but the duty rate is set at the national line, so a 6-digit code alone cannot tell you what you will pay at a destination.

A repeatable method

Classify the goods as they are presented, not by the industry they serve or the brand on the box:

  • 1. Describe the goods factually. What it is made of, its function, whether it is a finished article, a part, or a set. Composition beats marketing.
  • 2. Read the chapter notes first. Section and chapter notes can include or exclude goods outright. Exclusions are where most hobbyist classifications fail.
  • 3. Work through the General Interpretative Rules (GIRs). GIR 1 uses the heading text and notes; later rules cover mixtures, sets, parts and the 'essential character' of an article.
  • 4. Pick the most specific level you can support. Prefer a heading that names the goods over a residual 'other' basket — but only when the description genuinely fits.
  • 5. Sanity-check against real trade. Look up what importers actually declare for similar goods, using the trade-data tools below.

Mistakes that cost money

  • Classifying by use instead of composition. A plastic moulding used in a car is usually classified as a plastic article, not as a car part, unless a heading says otherwise.
  • Ignoring exclusion notes. Chapters frequently carve goods out; the argument “it fits the description” is not enough when a note excludes it.
  • Assuming a low-level code is 'safe'. A 4-digit code may straddle products with different destination duty rates. Under-claiming depth invites a valuation or classification query.
  • Reusing a competitor's code without checking. A code on an invoice is not evidence that it is correct for your goods.

Why depth matters for preference claims

Free-trade-agreement and GSP-style preferences are usually tied to the specific subheading and to rules of origin about where the input materials came from. A classification that is 'close enough' for a commercial invoice can invalidate an origin claim entirely. If you are claiming preference, the code and the origin evidence have to agree.

The limits of any tool — including this one

Only a customs authority can give a classification that is binding on it, and many issue advance rulings for exactly this reason. Treat search tools and guides as a way to narrow the candidates and ask a better question — then confirm the final code with your customs broker, consultant or the destination authority before you rely on it.

Use the tools

Sources & further reading

World Customs Organization — HS nomenclature Indian Customs Tariff (CBIC)

These guides summarise public material from the bodies named above. They are general information, not advice on a specific shipment, and they are not a substitute for a ruling from your customs authority or a qualified customs broker / consultant.

More guides