How to find a product's customs code

    1. Describe the product as it is

    Its nature (a T-shirt, a jacket, a bracelet), its material and composition in percentages, how it is made (knitted or woven), its use and its intended users. The trade name is not enough.

    2. Find the chapter

    The material and the nature point to a chapter: 61 for knitted garments, 62 for woven garments, 64 for footwear, 42 for leather goods, 71 for jewellery.

    3. Read the terms and the notes (GIR 1)

    The terms of the headings and the section and chapter notes are authoritative. The explanatory notes (HSEN) help interpret them.

    4. Go down to the subheading (GIR 6)

    At each level, only sibling subheadings are compared. A missing fact (weight, fastening, composition) is not guessed: it is checked.

    5. Go to the final code of the destination country

    The first 6 digits are shared. Beyond that, each country adds its own digits: 8 for the CN, 10 for TARIC, HTS or the United Kingdom.

    Examples from our demonstration cases

    • Crew-neck T-shirt, 100% cotton, knitted: chapter 61, heading 6109, subheading 6109 10. Final code in the United Kingdom: 6109 10 00 10; in the United States: 6109.10.00.12.
    • Women's jacket with no mention of fastening: the gap between 6202 (coats, blousons) and 6204 (jackets) depends on the fastening, according to the explanatory notes. Without this information, the right approach is to ask the question, not to choose.
    • Costume jewellery, 100% brass: brass is a copper alloy, so a base metal (Section XV). The product falls under heading 7117, with no further question about the material.

    With CrossbordIA

    The tool follows this method and cites the texts at each step. When a decisive fact is missing, it asks a closed question instead of guessing. You confirm the code.

    After a final EU code, the classification is confirmed by EU classification regulations when the product matches one exactly; the 723 regulations in force can also be consulted freely in Help (EU classification regulations).

    For the EU, the United Kingdom, the United States, Norway and Canada, the sheet also shows the published rate, its official source and its date, without calculating any amount.

    See also: Glossary, Customs classification API.