HS vs HTS vs CN/TARIC: the digits explained

Ask three people for the code of the same cotton T-shirt and you may get three different answers: 6109.10, 6109.10.00.12 and 6109 10 00. They can all be right. The difference is how many digits each country adds to the shared international code, and which document you are filling in.

The shared six digits#

The first six digits come from the Harmonized System (HS), maintained by the World Customs Organization. Chapter (2 digits), heading (4) and subheading (6) mean the same thing in every country that uses the HS. If you only remember one rule, remember this one: the first six digits of a correct code match everywhere.

After six digits, each country or customs union extends the code for its own duty rates, quotas and statistics. Those extra digits are real subdivisions by gender, value, use, material or a specific trade measure, so you can’t simply add zeros.

United States: HTS (10 digits)#

The US uses the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS), published by the US International Trade Commission and applied by US Customs and Border Protection.

• Digits 1–6: the HS subheading.
• Digits 7–8: the tariff rate line, which carries the duty rate.
• Digits 9–10: the statistical suffix, used for trade statistics.

A US code is usually written 6109.10.00.12. Imports are declared at the full 10 digits. Exports use a separate but closely related 10-digit system, Schedule B, maintained by the Census Bureau.

The schedule is revised several times a year, so a code that was right last year can need a second look. The official, searchable version is at hts.usitc.gov (opens in a new tab).

European Union: CN (8 digits) and TARIC (10 digits)#

The EU has two layers:

• The Combined Nomenclature (CN) adds two digits to the HS, giving an 8-digit code such as 6109 10 00. It sets the common customs tariff and is republished every year, applying from 1 January.
• TARIC, the integrated tariff of the EU, adds two more digits to reach 10. Those digits carry EU measures such as tariff suspensions, quotas, anti-dumping duties and import restrictions.

Import declarations into the EU generally use the 10-digit TARIC code, sometimes with additional four-character codes for specific measures. Export declarations use the 8-digit CN code. You can look codes up in the European Commission’s TARIC database (opens in a new tab).

Import VAT is set by each member state, so the same TARIC code can carry the same duty but different VAT across the EU.

United Kingdom: commodity codes (10 digits)#

Since leaving the EU, the UK applies its own tariff, the UK Global Tariff. Commodity codes are 10 digits for imports and 8 digits for exports, and they are published in the UK Trade Tariff (opens in a new tab). Many UK codes still look like their EU equivalents because both grew from the same nomenclature, but the duty rates and measures are the UK’s own. Goods moving into Northern Ireland can follow different arrangements, so check the rules for that route separately.

Canada: classification numbers (10 digits)#

Canada’s Customs Tariff extends the HS to an 8-digit tariff item, which carries the duty rate, plus a 2-digit statistical suffix, giving a 10-digit classification number declared to the Canada Border Services Agency.

Everywhere else#

Most other countries follow the same pattern: six international digits plus national digits of their own, often reaching eight to ten or more. When no national schedule is available to you, use the 6-digit HS code. It is what most carriers ask for on commercial invoices and postal customs forms.

Which code goes where#

Why the same product can differ after six digits#

National subdivisions reflect national policy. The US splits many apparel lines by gender and construction for quota and statistics history; the EU creates TARIC lines to apply measures to specific products and origins; the UK has diverged from the EU since 2021. That is why a product catalogue that stores one “HS code” per product eventually breaks: what you need is the shared six digits plus one full code per destination.

Keeping codes current#

The WCO amends the HS itself periodically. The current edition is HS 2022, the next is planned for 2028, and every edition moves, merges and splits subheadings. National schedules change far more often. Build a habit of re-checking codes when a tariff edition changes and whenever duty on a product looks different from what you expected.

How border.bot handles it#

When you classify a product, choose the destination and border.bot returns the code in that country’s own format: 10-digit US HTS, a UK commodity code, an EU CN or TARIC code, a Canadian classification number, or the 6-digit HS for other destinations. Each result includes the official description at every level, so you can see where the digits came from. New to the topic? Start with What is an HS code, and how do you find yours?