Millions of shipments are sent across the world and they all need to be checked, classified and taxed by customs authorities. Product names may differ from country to country. In order to have clarity in advance what is being shipped there is a system of so-called HS codes.
What Are Harmonized System (HS) Shipping Codes?
The HS code is a worldwide terminology for the classification of items. It helps customs in various countries to make sure that they are talking about the same product and the HS code of a product also determines the import duties. Worldwide it is a six-digit code framework for grouping and categories different merchandise and goods being exported. Some countries even specify further with an eight-digit code.
If you are an exporter of products and you know your HS-codes, then you can easily get more insights on how to grow your international sales. For example by looking at trends in import volumes and price levels per country.
Where to find the HS-code list?
Different countries may have different versions of the HS code list, but at least the first 6 digits are fully harmonised. You can find a good website to lookup the code for your product here.
How many Harmonized System (HS) shipping codes are there?
There are approximately in circulation 5,300 HS codes that identify export goods that are broken down into headings along with subheadings. They are also arranged into 99 different chapters around with being grouped into 21 sections. The shipping code is broken into the following three different parts:
- The first two digits give a rough indication of the product an refer to the various chapters of the list (HS-2).
- The following two digits within the code help to further identity the product category (HS-4).
- The final two digits within the code are extremely specific to the goods that are exported (HS-6).
There are only a couple of countries who do not follow the current version of the 3 for the HS-6 level. They apply the old version of Harmonized System rather than the new updated version.
Harmonized System and Harmonized Tariff Schedule
The Harmonized Systems (HS) is linked with the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) of the various countries where you want to export to, for example the one of the United States. Depending on the HS code that you assign to your goods, you will have to pay import duties. If you do not apply these codes correctly your goods may be seized or you may face penalties. Especially where two or more HS codes may be applied you may want to check first with customs in the target country.
Picking the right HS code is one thing, but you also need to check local regulations for your product, and the best way to get traction in a market. Because there may be more opportunities than the one importer that wants to buy from you…
The full 2-digit HS codes list
| HS Code | 4 digit categories | Product descriptions |
| 1 | 0101 – 0106 | Live animals |
| 2 | 0201 – 0210 | Meat and edible meat offal |
| 3 | 0301 – 0307 | Fish and crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates |
| 4 | 0401 – 0410 | Dairy produce; birds’ eggs; natural honey; edible products of animal origin, not elsewhere specified or included |
| 5 | 0501 – 0511 | Products of animal origin, not elsewhere specified or included |
| 6 | 0601 – 0604 | Live trees and other plants; bulbs, roots and the like; cut flowers and ornamental foliage |
| 7 | 0701 – 0714 | Edible vegetables and certain roots and tubers |
| 8 | 0801 – 0814 | Edible fruit and nuts; peel of citrus fruit or melons |
| 9 | 0901 – 0910 | Coffee, tea, mate and spices |
| 10 | 1001 – 1008 | Cereals |
| 11 | 1101 – 1109 | Products of the milling industry; malt; starches; inulin; wheat gluten |
| 12 | 1201 – 1214 | Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits; miscellaneous grains, seeds and fruit; industrial or medicinal plants ; straw and fodder |
| 13 | 1301 – 1302 | Lac; gums, resins and other vegetable saps and extracts |
| 14 | 1401 – 1404 | Vegetable plaiting materials; vegetable products not elsewhere specified or included |
| 15 | 1501 – 1522 | Animal or vegetable fats and oils and their cleavage products; prepared edible fats; animal or vegetable waxes |
| 16 | 1601 – 1605 | Preparations of meat, of fish or of crustaceans, molluscs or other aquatic invertebrates |
| 17 | 1701 – 1704 | Sugars and sugar confectionery |
| 18 | 1801 – 1806 | Cocoa and cocoa preparations |
| 19 | 1901 – 1905 | Preparations of cereals, flour, starch or milk; pastrycooks’ products |
| 20 | 2001 – 2009 | Preparations of vegetables, fruit, nuts or other parts of plants |
| 21 | 2101 – 2106 | Miscellaneous edible preparations |
| 22 | 2201 – 2209 | Beverages, spirits and vinegar |
| 23 | 2301 – 2309 | Residues and waste from the food industries; prepared animal fodder |
| 24 | 2401 – 2403 | Tobacco and manufactured tobacco substitutes |
| 25 | 2501 – 2530 | Salt; sulphur; earths and stone; plastering materials, lime and cement |
| 26 | 2601 – 2621 | Ores, slag and ash |
| 27 | 2701 – 2715 | Mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their distillation; bituminous substances; mineral waxes |
| 28 | 2801 – 2853 | Inorganic chemicals; organic or inorganic compounds of precious metals, of rare-earth metals, of radioactive elements or of isotopes |
| 29 | 2901 – 2942 | Organic chemicals |
| 30 | 3001 – 3006 | Pharmaceutical products |
| 31 | 3101 – 3105 | Fertilisers |
| 32 | 3201 – 3215 | Tanning or dyeing extracts; tannins and their derivatives; dyes, pigments and other colouring matter; paints and varnishes; putty and other mastics; inks |
| 33 | 3301 – 3307 | Essential oils and resinoids; perfumery, cosmetic or toilet preparations |
| 34 | 3401 – 3407 | Soap, organic surface-active agents, washing preparations, lubricating preparations, artificial waxes, prepared waxes, polishing or scouring preparations, candles and similar articles, modelling pastes, “dental waxes” and dental preparations with a basis of plaster |
| 35 | 3501 – 3507 | Albuminoidal substances; modified starches; glues; enzymes |
| 36 | 3601 – 3606 | Explosives; pyrotechnic products; matches; pyrophoric alloys; certain combustible preparations |
| 37 | 3701 – 3707 | Photographic or cinematographic goods |
| 38 | 3801 – 3825 | Miscellaneous chemical products |
| 39 | 3901 – 3926 | Plastics and articles thereof |
| 40 | 4001 – 4017 | Rubber and articles thereof |
| 41 | 4101 – 4115 | Raw hides and skins (other than furskins) and leather |
| 42 | 4201 – 4206 | Articles of leather; saddlery and harness; travel goods, handbags and similar containers; articles of animal gut (other than silk-worm gut) |
| 43 | 4301 – 4304 | Furskins and artificial fur; manufactures thereof |
| 44 | 4401 – 4421 | Wood and articles of wood; wood charcoal |
| 45 | 4501 – 4504 | Cork and articles of cork |
| 46 | 4601 – 4602 | Manufactures of straw, of esparto or of other plaiting materials; basketware and wickerwork |
| 47 | 4701 – 4707 | Pulp of wood or of other fibrous cellulosic material; waste and scrap of paper or paperboard |
| 48 | 4801 – 4823 | Paper and paperboard; articles of paper pulp, of paper or of paperboard |
| 49 | 4901 – 4911 | Printed books, newspapers, pictures and other products of the printing industry; manuscripts, typescripts and plans |
| 50 | 5001 – 5007 | Silk |
| 51 | 5101 – 5113 | Wool, fine or coarse animal hair; horsehair yarn and woven fabric |
| 52 | 5201 – 5212 | Cotton |
| 53 | 5301 – 5311 | Other vegetable textile fibres; paper yarn and woven fabrics of paper yarn |
| 54 | 5401 – 5408 | Sewing thread of man-made filaments, whether or not put up for retail sale |
| 55 | 5501 – 5516 | Man-made staple fibres |
| 56 | 5601 – 5609 | Wadding, felt and nonwovens; special yarns; twine, cordage, ropes and cables and articles thereof |
| 57 | 5701 – 5705 | Carpets and other textile floor coverings |
| 58 | 5801 – 5811 | Special woven fabrics; tufted textile fabrics; lace; tapestries; trimmings; embroidery |
| 59 | 5901 – 5911 | Impregnated, coated, covered or laminated textile fabrics; textile articles of a kind suitable for industrial use |
| 60 | 6001 – 6006 | Knitted or crocheted fabrics |
| 61 | 6101 – 6117 | Articles of apparel and clothing accessories, knitted or crocheted |
| 62 | 6201 – 6217 | Articles of apparel and clothing accessories, not knitted or crocheted |
| 63 | 6301 – 6310 | Other made up textile articles; sets; worn clothing and worn textile articles; rags |
| 64 | 6401 – 6406 | Footwear, gaiters and the like; parts of such articles |
| 65 | 6501 – 6507 | Headgear and parts thereof |
| 66 | 6601 – 6603 | Umbrellas, sun umbrellas, walking-sticks, seat-sticks, whips, riding-crops and parts thereof |
| 67 | 6701 – 6704 | Prepared feathers and down and articles made of feathers or of down; artificial flowers; articles of human hair |
| 68 | 6801 – 6815 | Articles of stone, plaster, cement, asbestos, mica or similar materials |
| 69 | 6901 – 6914 | Ceramic products |
| 70 | 7001 – 7020 | Glass and glassware |
| 71 | 7101 – 7118 | Natural or cultured pearls, precious or semi-precious stones, precious metals, metals clad with precious metal, and articles thereof; imitation jewellery; coin |
| 72 | 7201 – 7229 | Iron and steel |
| 73 | 7301 – 7326 | Articles of iron or steel |
| 74 | 7401 – 7419 | Copper and articles thereof |
| 75 | 7501 – 7508 | Nickel and articles thereof |
| 76 | 7601 – 7616 | Aluminium and articles thereof |
| 78 | 7801 – 7806 | Lead and articles thereof |
| 79 | 7901 – 7907 | Zinc and articles thereof |
| 80 | 8001 – 8007 | Tin and articles thereof |
| 81 | 8101 – 8113 | Other base metals; cermets; articles thereof |
| 82 | 8201 – 8215 | Tools, implements, cutlery, spoons and forks, of base metal; parts thereof of base metal |
| 83 | 8301 – 8311 | Miscellaneous articles of base metal |
| 84 | 8401 – 8487 | Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances; parts thereof |
| 85 | 8501 – 8548 | Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof; sound recorders and reproducers, television image and sound recorders and reproducers, and parts and accessories of such articles |
| 86 | 8601 – 8609 | Railway or tramway locomotives, rolling-stock and parts thereof; railway or tramway track fixtures and fittings and parts thereof; mechanical (including electro-mechanical) traffic signalling equipment of all kinds |
| 87 | 8701 – 8716 | Vehicles other than railway or tramway rolling-stock, and parts and accessories thereof |
| 88 | 8801 – 8805 | Aircraft, spacecraft, and parts thereof |
| 89 | 8901 – 8908 | Ships, boats and floating structures |
| 90 | 9001 – 9033 | Optical, photographic, cinematographic, measuring, checking, precision, medical or surgical instruments and apparatus; parts and accessories thereof |
| 91 | 9101 – 9114 | Clocks and watches and parts thereof |
| 92 | 9201 – 9209 | Musical instruments; parts and accessories of such articles |
| 93 | 9301 – 9307 | Arms and ammunition; parts and accessories thereof |
| 94 | 9401 – 9406 | Furniture; bedding, mattresses, mattress supports, cushions and similar stuffed furnishings; lamps and lighting fittings, not elsewhere specified or included; illuminated signs, illuminated name-plates and the like; prefabricated buildings |
| 95 | 9501 – 9508 | Toys, games and sports requisites; parts and accessories thereof |
| 96 | 9601 – 9618 | Miscellaneous manufactured articles |
| 97 | 9701 – 9706 | Works of art, collectors’ pieces, and antiques |
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