For FedEx international and import shipments
FedEx HS code lookup for the harmonized code on every FedEx commercial invoice line
Every commodity line on a FedEx commercial invoice needs a harmonized code. Describe the product on the right and get the 6-digit HS code, the 10-digit US code and the reasoning, or classify your whole SKU list in one upload.
6-digit HS · 10-digit Schedule B and HTSUS · Bulk CSV for product lists
Customs declaration · AI classifier
FORM TW-01
The short answer
The FedEx harmonized code is the Harmonized System code of the goods on each line of the commercial invoice. Six digits are recognized by every customs authority, a laptop is 847130 and a network switch 851762. US shipments add four digits: Schedule B for exports, HTSUS for imports. FedEx gives you a lookup, but the code, and the duty it decides, stay the shipper's responsibility.
Looking up one item is quick. A business that ships 200 different SKUs abroad, or receives FedEx imports from several suppliers, needs the same code on every invoice every time, whoever prints the label. That is a product list classified once with a written reason per row, which is what the paid plans produce.
Where the harmonized code sits on a FedEx commercial invoice
Each different product is its own commodity line. The description and the code have to describe the same thing, because the destination customs officer reads both. This is one correctly filled line from an industrial parts shipment.
Commercial invoice · commodity line 2 of 6
Export from USDescription
Brass ball valve, 1 inch, threaded
Harmonized code
848180
US 10-digit (HTSUS)
8481.80.1085
Made in
United States
Quantity
40 pcs
Value (USD)
1,880.00
Brass is a copper alloy, so the valve falls under 8481.80.10 (of copper), and the ball type sets the last two digits. A plastic ball valve of the same size would be a different line, which is why the description names the material.
One code per product, not per box
A carton with valves, fittings and gaskets has three lines and three codes. Grouping them as "plumbing parts" under one code is the most common invoice error.
Material is part of the code
A brass valve and a plastic valve land in different lines, and so do a cotton and a polyester shirt. Put the material in the description so the code can be checked against it.
Made in is not shipped from
Country of manufacture decides the duty rate at the other end. A product you import from China and resell from your US warehouse still ships with China as its origin.
Which code FedEx needs depends on the direction
Six digits for the invoice, ten for the US filing behind it
Exporting from the US
The commercial invoice carries the 6-digit HS code the destination needs. When one Schedule B line on the shipment is worth more than $2,500, or the goods need an export license, the Electronic Export Information must be filed with the 10-digit Schedule B or HTSUS number (15 CFR 30.6 and 30.37).
Shipping into the EU
Express carriers file safety and security data for every parcel entering the EU, and that filing needs a 6-digit HS code per item. From July 1, 2026, low-value consignments pay a flat 3 euro duty for each different tariff classification in the parcel, so each code on the invoice now carries a price.
Importing into the US with FedEx
A US entry needs the full 10-digit HTSUS code, and since August 29, 2025 there is no $800 de minimis exemption left, so even small FedEx imports are entered with a code and duty. When FedEx clears the shipment for you, it files from your invoice description; the importer stays responsible for the classification.
FedEx HS code lookup tools compared with a catalog classifier
FedEx's own tools are worth using, and for a few shipments a month they may be all you need. They are built around a single shipment. The question for a business is what happens when the same 300 products go out every week.
| Tool | What you get | Access | Where it wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| FedEx International Shipping Assist Lite | HS code suggestion for an item you describe | No FedEx login needed | A one-off shipment, no cost |
| FedEx International Shipping Assist (full) | HS code tools plus estimated duty and tax rates, which depend on country of manufacture | fedex.com login | Checking the landed cost of a single FedEx shipment |
| FedEx HS code lookup API | Code lookup inside your own shipping integration | By request, only for customers integrated directly with the FedEx API | Large shippers with their own developers |
| Census Schedule B search | 10-digit US export codes by keyword | Public | The official source for Schedule B wording |
| 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 | A whole SKU list classified once, the same code on every invoice, a record of why |
Where FedEx's tools stay ahead: they sit inside the shipping flow and cost nothing, and the full version estimates destination duty and tax for the shipment in front of you. Where they fall short for a business is consistency and volume. Nothing keeps the answer against your SKU, two people can pick two codes for the same product, and none of them records the reason a CBP or foreign customs officer would ask for.
Harmonized codes for what businesses ship with FedEx most
Six-digit starting points, checked against the US Harmonized Tariff Schedule. The exact product still decides, so run anything unusual through the classifier at the top of the page.
847130
Laptops and tablets
Portable computers under 10 kg with a processor, keyboard and display. A desktop tower is 847150 and a monitor sits in 8528.
851762
Routers, switches and modems
Machines that receive, convert and transmit data. Phones are 851713 and 851714, and antennas and parts move to 851771 and 851779.
847330
Computer parts
Parts and accessories for computers, including printed circuit assemblies. Power supplies are usually not here but in 850440.
850440
Power supplies and chargers
Static converters, from laptop adapters to LED drivers. The power output decides the US statistical suffix.
848180
Valves and taps
Taps, cocks and valves not covered by a more specific line. Material, copper or other, splits the US rate after the sixth digit.
392690
Other plastic articles
The catch-all for plastic parts and goods with no more specific heading. Check first, because many plastic items have one.
732690
Other steel articles
Brackets, fittings and fabricated steel goods with no more specific heading. Steel derivatives can also trigger Section 232 on the import side.
420292
Bags with plastic or textile outer surface
Backpacks, duffels, tool and sports bags. The outer surface material decides the heading line, not the lining.
330499
Skincare and beauty preparations
Creams, serums and balms. Lip products are 330410 and eye makeup 330420, so a mixed kit needs care.
What a wrong harmonized code costs a FedEx shipper
On an outbound shipment the cost lands at the destination. The buyer's customs charges duty off the code you declared, so an understated code comes back as a reassessment and an overstated one as a customer who paid too much and ordered less next time. In the EU the code now carries a direct charge, 3 euros per different classification in a low-value parcel from July 1, 2026, under Council Regulation (EU) 2026/382. A B2B customer receiving a parcel held for a description that does not match its code does not care whose fault it was.
On an inbound FedEx import the cost is yours. In 2026 a China-made product can carry a general rate, a Section 301 list rate and the 12.5 percent layer that took effect on July 24, 2026, and the code decides which of those apply. The difference between two neighboring lines is often 20 points of duty on every unit. The import duty calculator shows the stack for a code and origin before you place the order.
When the paid classifier earns its keep
If you ship abroad twice a month, FedEx's lookup is enough and this page is not for you. The plans pay off when three things are true: you have more than a few dozen distinct products, more than one person prepares shipments, and you either export to markets that check codes or import stock into the US. At that point the cost is not the lookup, it is the inconsistency. One month of Growth classifies a 1,000-line product list with a written reason per line, and the codes then travel with each SKU into whatever system prints the invoice.
How to get a FedEx harmonized code for every SKU at once
Step 1
Export your product list
Pull SKUs, descriptions, materials and country of manufacture from your ERP, ecommerce platform or a spreadsheet.
Step 2
Upload the CSV
Each row returns the 6-digit HS code, the 10-digit US code, a confidence level, the reasoning and a runner-up code.
Step 3
Resolve the flagged rows
Most corrections are one fact: the material, whether it is a part or a finished good, or the power output.
Step 4
Load codes into shipping
Add the codes to the product or commodity records your shipping system uses, so every FedEx invoice pulls the same code.
What a harmonized code sheet costs a FedEx shipper
A product is classified once and reused on every invoice, so most businesses need one month of a plan and then only new SKUs. Broker figures use the usual $50 to $200 band for a documented review of one product.
| Business | Lookup by hand per shipment | Broker review per product | TariffWise |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80 SKUs, ships to Canada and Europe weekly | Hours a month, codes vary by who ships | $4,000 to $16,000 | $59, one month of Starter (100 classifications) |
| 900 parts for a distributor exporting and importing | Weeks, no record of why | Not realistic per product | $199, one month of Growth with bulk CSV |
| A 3PL shipping FedEx international for many clients | Not realistic | Priced per client | $499 a month on Business, 10,000 classifications, 20 seats |
Full plan details are on the HS code classification pricing page. Teams that also ship through USPS can reuse the same sheet with the harmonization number lookup for Pirate Ship, developers can pull codes straight into a shipping integration with the HS code API, and for the export side the Schedule B number guide explains when the 10 digits are required.
FedEx HS code questions
How do I find the HS code for FedEx?
Describe the item by what it is, what it is made of and what it is used for, then match it to a 6-digit Harmonized System code. FedEx offers a lookup in International Shipping Assist, and the Census Schedule B search works for US exports. For more than a handful of products, classify the whole product list once and save each code against the SKU.
Does FedEx require an HS code?
FedEx asks for a harmonized code on each commodity line of an international shipment with a commercial invoice, and many destinations now depend on it. EU safety filings for express parcels need a 6-digit HS code per item, and a US export line worth more than $2,500 needs a 10-digit Schedule B or HTS number in the Electronic Export Information.
What is the harmonized code on a FedEx commercial invoice?
It is the Harmonized System code of the goods on that line, the number customs in the destination country uses to decide duty and admissibility. The first six digits are the same worldwide. Longer codes add national detail: 10 digits for Schedule B on US exports and for the HTSUS on US imports.
Is the FedEx harmonized code the same as the Schedule B number?
For a US export they overlap. The Schedule B number is the 10-digit US export code, and its first six digits are the international HS code. You can put the 6-digit HS code on the commercial invoice and use the full Schedule B number, or the 10-digit HTSUS number, in the export filing.
How many digits is the HS code for FedEx?
At least six. The 6-digit HS code is the part every customs authority recognizes. Use 10 digits where a filing asks for them, such as Schedule B or HTSUS on US shipments, and never pad a 4-digit heading with zeros, because trailing zeros can point to a different product.
Who is responsible if the harmonized code on a FedEx shipment is wrong?
The shipper and the importer of record, not FedEx. On an export you certify the commercial invoice, and on a US import the importer must use reasonable care in classifying under 19 USC 1484 even when FedEx acts as the customs broker. A wrong code can mean the wrong duty, a hold, or a penalty later.
Have the harmonized code for every SKU ready before the next FedEx international pickup.
Related: Harmonized System code lookup, HS tariff code for eBay, import compliance software for ecommerce.