China HS Code Lookup: How to Find the Right HS Code for Your Product (2025)

The wrong HS code on a single shipment cost me $612 in extra duties last year. The code my freight forwarder used put my LED panels into the lighting fixtures bracket (3.9% duty) instead of LED modules (2% duty). The difference compounded over a 1,400-piece order.

If you import from China and don’t understand HS codes, you are paying duty rates someone else picked for you. This guide shows how to look up the correct code yourself, how to read what you find, and when to push back on your freight forwarder.

What an HS code actually is

HS stands for Harmonized System — a global product classification maintained by the World Customs Organization. Almost every country uses it as the base for customs duties, import paperwork, and trade statistics.

The structure works in layers:

Digits	What it covers	Example (cotton t-shirt)
First 2	Chapter (broad category)	61 — knitted apparel
First 4	Heading	6109 — T-shirts and singlets, knitted
First 6	Subheading (international)	6109.10 — of cotton
7–10 digits	Country-specific extension	US: 6109.10.0012 (men’s, knit, cotton, MMF over 10%)

The first 6 digits are identical worldwide. From the 7th digit onward, every country adds its own extensions. The US uses 10-digit HTS codes, the UK uses 10-digit codes, the EU uses 8-digit CN codes plus a 2-digit TARIC suffix, China itself uses 10-digit codes for export.

This matters because your supplier in China is working from the Chinese export HS code. The first 6 digits will match what you need in the US/UK/EU — but the last 4 digits are yours to figure out.

Why getting it right matters

Three reasons, in order of how often they hurt importers:

Duty rate: small product re-classifications can swing duty 0–15%. On a $20k shipment, a 5% misclassification = $1,000 of avoidable cost.
Section 301 tariffs (US buyers): many products from China carry an extra 7.5% or 25% under Section 301. Whether your product is on the list depends on the exact 10-digit code, not the 6-digit one.
Restricted goods: some HS codes trigger FDA, FCC, CPSC, or other agency review. Wrong code = goods held at port until paperwork is filed = demurrage fees.

If you get audited and customs decides you used the wrong code, you owe back-duties + interest + potentially penalties. The statute of limitations is typically 5 years.

Where to look up your HS code (free)

For US buyers — HTS Search

The official tool: https://hts.usitc.gov/

Search by keyword. The site returns matching headings; click in to see the full duty rate, any special tariffs (Section 301, antidumping), and the legal description. The legal description is the only thing that matters in a customs dispute, not what the product “is called” in everyday language.

For UK buyers — UK Trade Tariff

https://www.trade-tariff.service.gov.uk/find_commodity

Same idea, returns the UK 10-digit commodity code, duty rate, VAT rate, and any required licenses or quotas.

For EU buyers — TARIC

https://taric.ec.europa.eu/ — the EU’s combined customs tariff database. Returns CN code + TARIC suffix + duty + VAT + any anti-dumping measures.

For Australia, Canada, others

Most countries publish their tariff schedules online. Search “[country] customs tariff lookup”. Canada uses the Customs Tariff (CBSA), Australia uses the Tariff Concession System, etc. All build on the same 6-digit HS foundation.

Cross-checking — WCO and Findhs.codes

https://www.findhs.codes/ is unofficial but useful for a first-pass lookup across multiple jurisdictions. Always confirm the final code against the official source above before using it on a customs entry.

How to actually search well

Three rules that save hours:

Search by what the product physically is, not what it does. Search “stainless steel water bottle” instead of “reusable drink container.” Customs classifies by material and form, not marketing language.

Read the legal notes for the chapter. Every HS chapter starts with “Notes” that exclude specific items. Example: Chapter 95 covers toys — but Note 1(t) excludes “swimming pools and paddling pools” which actually go in Chapter 39 (plastics). Skip these notes and you classify wrong.

When in doubt, classify by primary function. A USB cable with a built-in voltmeter is still primarily a cable (8544) not a measuring instrument (9030). The General Rules of Interpretation (GRI) say composite goods go by their essential character.

What your Chinese supplier should give you

Every commercial invoice from your supplier needs to list the 6-digit HS code for each product. If your supplier won’t or can’t provide this, that is a red flag — it usually means they ship by air courier under a vague “general merchandise” category and you’ll get hit with duties at the destination, not them.

When I onboard a new supplier, my message includes:

Please confirm the 6-digit HS code for each SKU on your commercial invoice. We need this for customs clearance.

A competent factory or trading company answers within a day. If they ask what HS code is, they have never exported formally and you should expect customs delays.

Examples from my own shipments

Product	What I imported	HS (6-digit)	US HTS (10-digit)	US duty 2025
Silicone phone case	1,200 pcs Shenzhen	3926.90	3926.90.9985	5.3% + 7.5% S301
Cotton t-shirts	800 pcs Guangzhou	6109.10	6109.10.0012	16.5% + 7.5% S301
LED panel light	400 pcs Zhongshan	9405.49	9405.49.0000	3.9% + 25% S301
Stainless tumbler	600 pcs Yiwu	7323.93	7323.93.0080	Free + 25% S301
Bluetooth speaker	300 pcs Shenzhen	8518.22	8518.22.0000	4.9% + 7.5% S301

Note how the S301 tariff (7.5% or 25%) often dwarfs the base duty. This is where misclassification really stings.

Common mistakes that cost money

Trusting the freight forwarder’s first guess. Forwarders pick codes that are “close enough” to clear customs fast. Faster clearance is not the same as lowest legal duty. Ask for the chosen HS code on every quote and verify it against the HTS yourself for the first shipment with each forwarder.

Using the same code your supplier uses for export. Your supplier optimizes for the Chinese export refund (export VAT rebate). That can be a different code than the optimal import code in your country. Confirm both.

Splitting a kit into the wrong parts. A “screwdriver set” (8205.40) is classified differently from “screwdriver” (8205.40) sold separately even if the underlying tool is the same. Sets often have a single code by essential character.

Ignoring antidumping duties. Some products from China have additional antidumping (AD) or countervailing duties (CVD) on top of the regular tariff — sometimes 100%+. Steel wire, solar panels, certain furniture, mattresses, aluminum extrusions. Always check whether your HS code shows an AD/CVD case.

When to pay a customs broker

A licensed customs broker charges $50–150 per entry plus $200–500 for an upfront classification opinion on a new product. Worth it if:

Your shipment is over $5,000 and you’re unsure of classification.
Your product is on the borderline of two codes with very different duty rates.
You import the same product repeatedly — pay once for a Binding Ruling and reuse it forever.

For US buyers, a CBP Binding Ruling is the gold standard: you submit your product description and proposed code, CBP issues a written ruling, and that ruling is binding on every future entry of that product. Free to request via https://erulings.cbp.gov/

Shipping from China to USA cost breakdown — duties are a big piece of landed cost
EXW vs FOB vs DDP — whose responsibility is the customs entry
Communicating with Chinese suppliers — how to ask about HS codes without losing face