How we verify codes and rates
Every number on this site comes from an official source and is checked automatically before the site is rebuilt. This page explains the sources, the checks and the limits.
Sources
- US codes and duty rates: the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, published by the U.S. International Trade Commission (hts.usitc.gov). Current edition: Revision 21 (2026), in effect from 10/09/2026. We check for a new revision every day; in 2026 USITC has published a new revision about twice a month.
- UK duty rates: the UK Trade Tariff (trade-tariff.service.gov.uk), third-country duty for all origins.
- EU duty rates: the EU common customs tariff as applied in Northern Ireland, published in the same UK Trade Tariff service. We plan to switch to the European Commission's own TARIC data.
- Customs rulings: the U.S. Customs and Border Protection rulings database (rulings.cbp.gov).
Checks that run before every build
- A downloaded US schedule is rejected if it has fewer than 30,000 lines or an unusual number of six-digit subheadings.
- Every code used in a guide must exist in the current schedule.
- Duty rates are read from the data at build time. Nobody types a rate by hand.
- Every ruling we cite must list the code it backs, must not be revoked or modified, and every quoted sentence must appear word for word in the ruling.
- UK and EU rates older than one day stop the build.
If any check fails, the site keeps the last good version until the problem is fixed.
What we do not cover
- Total US duty. Extra duties under Chapter 99 (for example Section 301 duties on goods from China) depend on origin and change often. We show the base rate and say when extra duties may apply.
- Binding decisions. Only customs can classify your goods. For certainty, ask CBP or HMRC for a binding ruling.
- Every product. Guides cover common products first and grow every week.
Use the same data in your own tools
The current US schedule we build from is also available as an offline Python package: hts-lookup on PyPI (pip install hts-lookup) looks up, validates and searches HTS codes, with the description, path and general duty rate of every line. The HS Code Lookup extension for Chrome and Microsoft Edge bundles the same data and downloads each new revision from this site.
Corrections
No corrections so far. Every correction will be listed here with its date.
If you find a wrong code, rate or quote, email hi@hs-code.net with the page and what you found. A ruling number or a link to the official tariff helps us check it quickly.
Last data check: 2026-10-27.