How to Find Your HTS Code

To find your HTS code, describe the product by what it is, what it's made of, and what it does, then work from the section and chapter level down to the 10-digit line in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, applying the General Rules of Interpretation (GRIs) in order. Check CBP's past rulings on similar products, and request a binding ruling if the duty at stake is material. The importer of record, not the supplier or the broker, is legally responsible for getting it right.

Classification matters more in 2026 than it used to, because the new tariff layers are keyed to HTS numbers. Once you have a candidate code, check its additional-tariff layer in the HTS-8 tariff lookup.

How an HTS code is built

Take cotton T-shirts, 6109.10.00.04:

The US schedule has 99 chapters. Chapter 77 is reserved, chapter 98 covers special provisions such as returned US goods, and chapter 99 holds the temporary and additional duties: Section 232, Section 301, and the rest. Your product's own code always comes from chapters 1–97. A chapter 99 number is reported alongside it when an extra duty applies.

The rate columns on each 8-digit line:

• General: the normal-trade-relations (MFN) rate for most countries.
• Special: reduced or free rates under trade agreements and programs, with letter codes such as "S" for USMCA.
• Column 2: much higher statutory rates for Cuba, North Korea, Russia, and Belarus. For 6109.10.00 it is 90%.

Step-by-step: classifying a product

Step 1: write a neutral product description

Leave out marketing names. Record:

• Material composition by weight, such as 60% cotton and 40% polyester
• Function: what the product does and its principal use
• Construction: knitted or woven, cast or forged, assembled or unassembled
• Condition as imported: complete or incomplete, a set, packed for retail sale
• Specifications that headings often turn on: capacity, voltage, dimensions, power source

Step 2: find the likely sections and chapters

Browse the section titles on hts.usitc.gov, or search by keyword and note which chapters come up. Then read the section and chapter notes before the headings. Notes have legal force and often exclude products you'd expect to find there. For example, chapter 61 covers only knitted or crocheted apparel. Woven garments go to chapter 62.

Step 3: apply the General Rules of Interpretation in order

The GRIs at the front of the schedule decide every classification. Apply them in sequence and stop at the first one that settles the question.

1. GRI 1: classify by the terms of the headings and the section and chapter notes. Most products are settled here.
2. GRI 2(a): an incomplete or unassembled article is classified as the finished article if it already has the finished article's essential character. A bicycle shipped in a box, unassembled, is still a bicycle.
3. GRI 2(b): a reference to a material includes mixtures and goods made of it, which leads to GRI 3 when more than one heading could apply.
4. GRI 3(a): the most specific description wins over a general one.
5. GRI 3(b): mixtures, composite goods, and sets put up for retail sale are classified by the component that gives them their essential character.
6. GRI 3(c): if nothing else decides, use the heading that comes last in numerical order.
7. GRI 4: goods that fit no heading go where the most similar goods are classified.
8. GRI 5: fitted cases and normal packing are generally classified with the goods.
9. GRI 6: apply the same logic at the subheading level, comparing only subheadings at the same level.

The US schedule adds Additional US Rules of Interpretation. The most important says that headings defined by use, "of a kind used in," are judged by the principal use of that class of goods in the United States.

Step 4: narrow to the 8- and 10-digit lines

Within the heading, read every subheading at the same indentation level before choosing. Many lines turn on a single measurable fact, such as capacity, fiber content, or value per unit.

Step 5: check CBP rulings

Search the Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS) for your product type. Rulings issued to other importers aren't binding on your entries, but they show how CBP reasons about similar goods and which headings it rejected.

Step 6: confirm when the stakes are high

For high-volume or high-duty products, request a binding ruling under 19 CFR Part 177. Include a full description, composition, use, photos, and samples if possible. A ruling binds CBP for that product and protects later entries. A licensed customs broker can also prepare a classification opinion.

Worked examples: why the right code changes the bill

1. An insulated stainless-steel water bottle. Two headings look plausible: 7323.93.00, stainless-steel household articles (2% General), and 9617.00.10, vacuum flasks of 1 liter or less (7.2% General). A double-wall, vacuum-insulated bottle is described specifically by heading 9617, so under GRI 3(a) the specific vacuum-vessel heading wins.

The choice matters beyond the General rate. In the site's June 2026 data, 7323.93.00 shows a 25% additional layer as a steel derivative, while 9617.00.10 shows 10%. On a $20,000 shipment:

• Under 7323.93.00: $20,000 × (2% + 25%) = $5,400
• Under 9617.00.10: $20,000 × (7.2% + 10%) = $3,440

The wrong code would overpay $1,960. Picking the lower-duty code without a sound basis is the opposite risk: underpaid duty plus penalties.

2. A 60/40 cotton-polyester T-shirt. Chapter 61's subheadings split by fiber. Under the textile notes, the fiber that predominates by weight decides, so cotton at 60% points to 6109.10.00 at 16.5%. Had the shirt been 60% polyester, it would fall under 6109.90.10, man-made fibers, at 32%. One lab test of fiber content can double the General duty.

3. A gift set of shampoo and a terry hand towel. Under GRI 3(b), a set put up for retail sale is classified by the item that gives it its essential character. If the shampoo carries the value and purpose of the set, the whole set goes to 3305.10.00 (shampoos, free). If the towel dominates, it goes to 6302.60.00 (terry toilet linen, 9.1%). Document your essential-character reasoning, including relative value, bulk, and role, in your classification file.

Why classification matters more under the 2025–2026 tariffs

Each new tariff action defines its scope by HTS number:

• Section 232 metals. Proclamation 11021 lists covered steel, aluminum, and copper articles and derivatives in annexes by HTS code, at 50%, 25%, or 15%.
• Section 301 forced-labor duties. The July 2026 notice exempts thousands of HTS lines, some only for specific uses such as civil aircraft or pharmaceuticals.
• Wood products. Upholstered wooden furniture, cabinets, and vanities are covered by HTS number at 25%, rising to 30% and 50% on January 1, 2027.

A product that moves from one heading to another can move in or out of a 50% tariff. Write the HTS number, the GRI reasoning, and the date next to every cost sheet.

Common classification mistakes

Reasonable care and your liability

US law requires importers to use reasonable care in classifying and valuing goods. If CBP finds an error, it reclassifies and bills the difference with interest. Where the error was negligent, penalties under 19 U.S.C. 1592 can reach the lesser of the goods' domestic value or two times the lost duty, and four times for gross negligence. Filing a prior disclosure before CBP opens an investigation sharply reduces those penalties. Keep your classification file, with descriptions, specs, rulings consulted, and broker advice, for five years from the date of entry.

Next steps

Once you have a code:

1. Look up its additional-tariff layer in the HTS-8 tariff lookup and add the General rate.
2. Build the full cost in the importer landed cost calculator.
3. Read how US import tariffs work to see which Chapter 99 duties stack on your line.

If you only know the product family so far, the category tariff calculator gives a trade-weighted starting rate for 22 product groups.