For businesses shipping with DHL Express
DHL HS code lookup and DHL commodity code for every product you ship
Every line on a DHL commercial invoice needs a commodity code that the destination's customs will accept. Describe a product on the right to get its 6-digit harmonized code, the 10-digit US code and the reason it fits, or upload your whole product list at once.
DHL harmonized code · Schedule B and HTSUS · Bulk CSV for MyDHL+ product lists
Customs declaration · AI classifier
FORM TW-01
The short answer
A DHL HS code is the Harmonized System code of the goods on each invoice line. DHL calls it the commodity code, but the number is the same one every carrier and customs office uses: a single-wall stainless steel water bottle is 732393 whether it flies with DHL or anyone else. US filings add four digits, Schedule B on exports and HTSUS on imports.
DHL gives you lookups. What it cannot give you is consistency: the same product typed by three people at three packing stations ends up under three codes, and the one that fails the destination's check is the parcel that sits in customs. A product list classified once, with a written reason behind each code, ends that.
Invoice line 3 of 5 · express export
Before and afterAs typed at the bench
- Description
- Bottle
- Commodity code
- 7323
- Check result
- Code could not be found
From the classified list
- Description
- Water bottle, single-wall stainless steel, 750 ml
- HS code (6)
- 732393
- Why this code
- Household article of stainless steel. A vacuum-insulated bottle is 961700 instead.
Four digits only name the heading. Customs needs at least six, and a vague description like "bottle" is the other half of why the line gets held.
DHL HS code lookup options and where each one stops
DHL gives shippers three ways to land on a code. All three answer the shipment in front of you. None of them keeps a decision record for your catalog.
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MyGTS, DHL Global Trade Services
A free DHL Express portal for registered users with customs data for more than 220 countries and territories. You set the export and import country, choose to find your product's tariff codes, and search by description or by the first six digits. It returns country-specific codes up to ten digits and flags prohibited items. It is one product per search.
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Code lookup and check inside MyDHL+
When you add an item to a shipment, MyDHL+ lets you search for a commodity code by describing the item, what it is made of and what it is used for, and check a code you already have. If the check fails you can keep your own code anyway, which is exactly how a bad code reaches customs.
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DHL as your customs broker on imports
When DHL clears an inbound express shipment, it files the entry from the description and value on your supplier's invoice. The importer of record still owns the classification, so a thin description becomes DHL's best guess and your liability.
If you ship through an integration instead of the website, the same gap shows up in a different place. The commodity code travels in a field on each line item, and if your store or ERP sends it empty or short, the label request fails or the shipment goes out with whatever default someone set months ago.
Which DHL harmonized code you need depends on direction
Six digits on the invoice and ten behind every US filing
Exporting from the US
The commercial invoice carries the 6-digit HS code the destination reads. When one Schedule B line is worth more than $2,500, or the goods need a license, the Electronic Export Information is filed with the 10-digit Schedule B or HTSUS number.
Shipping into the EU
Express carriers file safety and security data for each parcel entering the EU, and that filing needs a 6-digit HS code per item. Since July 1, 2026 low-value parcels also pay a flat 3 euro duty for each different tariff classification inside, so every distinct code now has a price.
Importing into the US with DHL
A US entry needs the full 10-digit HTSUS code, and the $800 de minimis exemption is suspended, so even small express imports are entered with a code and duty. That code decides whether Section 301, Section 232 or the 2026 layer that started on July 24 applies.
DHL commodity code tools compared with a catalog classifier
For a handful of shipments a month, DHL's own tools are enough. The comparison changes once the same few hundred products go out every week.
| Tool | What you get | Access | Where it wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| DHL MyGTS | Country-specific tariff codes, duty and prohibited-item data for 220+ countries, one search at a time | Free, DHL Express login | Checking the rules of a new destination |
| MyDHL+ code lookup and check | Search by description, material and use, plus a validity check on a code you enter | Inside the shipment form | Catching a mistyped code before the label prints |
| Census Schedule B search | 10-digit US export codes by keyword | Public | The official Schedule B wording |
| Licensed customs broker | A documented review of one product | Usually $50 to $200 per product | Contested products and filing the entry |
| TariffWise | 6-digit HS, 10-digit Schedule B and HTSUS, the reasoning, a runner-up code and 2026 US import duty by origin | From $59 a month, bulk CSV on Growth | The whole SKU list classified once, ready to paste into product records |
Where DHL stays ahead: MyGTS is free, it covers destination rules and restrictions we do not, and the MyDHL+ check sits right in the shipping flow. Where it falls short for a business is the first decision. A search box hands back candidates, and someone at the bench still picks one. That pick is repeated on every later invoice, and nobody can say afterwards why it was chosen. We built the classifier for that first decision: a code, the reason, the runner-up and the facts it depended on, saved once per product.
Commodity codes for products businesses ship by DHL Express
Six-digit starting points from the Harmonized Tariff Schedule. The exact product still decides, so run anything unusual through the classifier at the top of the page.
330499
Skin care and beauty preparations
Creams, serums and masks. Sunscreen with a drug claim and lip products have their own lines.
711719
Fashion jewelry of base metal
Plated or plain base-metal jewelry. Silver and gold pieces move to 7113.
847130
Laptops and portable computers
Portable machines up to 10 kg with a keyboard and display. Tablets usually land here too.
851830
Headphones and earphones
Wired or wireless, with or without a microphone. A headset that only transmits audio can differ.
900410
Sunglasses
Sunglasses with tinted lenses. Prescription frames and clear-lens glasses are other lines.
611030
Sweaters and hoodies of man-made fibers, knitted
Synthetic knit pullovers and cardigans. Cotton moves to 611020 and wool to 611011.
691110
Porcelain tableware and kitchenware
Plates, cups and serving pieces in porcelain or china. Stoneware and earthenware sit in 6912.
732393
Stainless steel household articles
Single-wall bottles, pans and kitchen tools. Vacuum-insulated bottles are 961700 and aluminum versions 7615.
950691
Exercise and fitness equipment
Treadmills, exercise bikes, rowers, weights and yoga mats. Clothing and shoes for the gym are not here.
What a wrong DHL commodity code costs
On an export, a code that fails the destination's check usually means a held parcel and a customer email asking where their order is. A code that passes but is wrong is worse, because the buyer pays duty off it and the reassessment, if it comes, arrives months later on their side.
On an import, the cost is yours and it is set by the code. An exercise bike under 9506.91 from Taiwan pays 10 percent in total in 2026, because Taiwan's new layer tops the 4.6 percent general rate up to 10 percent. The same bike from China pays 24.6 percent: the general rate, 7.5 percent under Section 301 List 4A, and 12.5 percent since July 24, 2026. If the bike was declared as a part of something else, every one of those numbers moves.
When paying for a classifier makes sense
If you send a few DHL parcels a month, MyGTS is enough and you can stop reading here. A plan pays off when you have more than a few dozen distinct products, more than one person creates shipments, or you import as well as export and the 10-digit code drives the duty you pay. The HS code API covers teams that want codes filled in automatically when a new product is created.
How to get a DHL HS code for every product at once
Step 1
Export your product list
SKU, description, material and country of manufacture, from your store, ERP or the spreadsheet behind your saved DHL products.
Step 2
Upload the CSV
Each row returns a 6-digit HS code, the 10-digit US code, a confidence level, the reasoning and a runner-up.
Step 3
Settle the flagged rows
Most need one missing fact: the material, whether it is a part or a finished good, or what it is used for.
Step 4
Save codes on product records
Load the codes into MyDHL+ saved products or your integration, so each invoice carries the same checked code.
What a commodity code sheet costs a DHL shipper
A product is classified once and reused on every invoice, so most businesses need one month of a plan and after that only new SKUs. Broker figures use the usual $50 to $200 band for a documented review of one product.
| Business | Lookup per shipment | Broker review per product | TariffWise |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80 SKUs shipped to the UK, EU and Australia every week | Hours a month, codes depend on who packs | $4,000 to $16,000 | $59, one month of Starter (100 classifications) |
| 900 products for a brand that imports from Asia and exports worldwide | Weeks, no record of why | Not realistic per product | $199, one month of Growth with bulk CSV |
| A fulfillment center running DHL Express for many clients | Not realistic | Priced per client | $499 a month on Business, 10,000 classifications, 20 seats |
Plan details are on the HS code classification pricing page. The same code sheet works on every carrier, so teams that also ship with FedEx or UPS can use the FedEx HS code lookup and the UPS tariff code lookup notes for where each carrier stores it.
DHL HS code questions
How do I find the HS code for DHL?
Describe the product by what it is, what it is made of and what it is used for, then match that to a 6-digit Harmonized System code. DHL offers MyGTS and a code lookup inside MyDHL+. For a business shipping the same products every week, classify the full product list once and save each code against its SKU.
Does DHL require an HS code?
DHL asks for a commodity code on every line of the commercial invoice, preferably the full tariff classification code, because customs in the destination country clears the goods from it. Some filings make it mandatory: EU safety and security data needs a 6-digit HS code per item, and a US export line over $2,500 needs a 10-digit code.
What is a DHL commodity code?
A DHL commodity code is the Harmonized System code of the goods on an invoice line. DHL does not run its own numbering. The first six digits are the same in every country, and the US adds four more digits: Schedule B for exports and HTSUS for imports.
Is DHL MyGTS free?
Yes. DHL Express offers MyGTS free of charge to registered users, and it covers customs data for more than 220 countries and territories. You sign in, set the export and import countries, and search by product description or the first six digits of a code. It works one product at a time.
What does "commodity code could not be found" mean on DHL?
It means the code typed into the shipment did not match a valid code in the destination's tariff, often because it was too short, mistyped, or taken from another country's schedule. MyDHL+ lets you look the code up again or keep your own, but a code that fails the check is a common reason for a customs hold.
Who is liable if the HS code on a DHL shipment is wrong?
The shipper and the importer of record, not DHL. You certify the commercial invoice on an export. On a US import the importer must use reasonable care in classification under 19 USC 1484 even when DHL clears the goods as broker, so a wrong code means wrong duty, a hold or a penalty later.
Put a checked commodity code on every product before your next DHL Express pickup.
Related: HTS code lookup, HS code lookup by product, Schedule B number.