The US schedule, searched by meaning
Harmonized Tariff Schedule lookup that reads the schedule for you
The Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States runs to 99 chapters of legal language. This lookup lets you skip the reading: describe the product in plain English, pick the lane and value, and the AI reads the schedule for you, returning the code, the duty, the tax and the landed cost with its reasoning.
It is the real engine, not a scripted mockup. It classifies anything you type, and the sample chips are hand-checked so you can compare the AI against a known-good answer. Results are guidance, not a binding customs ruling.
No card required · 10-digit HTSUS · Bulk CSV on Growth
Customs declaration · AI classifier
FORM TW-01
The short answer
A harmonized tariff schedule lookup turns a product into its 10-digit HTSUS number, and that number sets the duty on every US entry. The USITC search finds a code if you already know the schedule's vocabulary. For a catalog, the faster route is to describe each item and check the reasoning, which is what the classifier above does in a few seconds per product.
Good products to test it with
The everyday SKU
"Ceramic coffee mug, 350 ml" or "cotton baseball cap". Watch the rationale name the material and construction that place the code.
The tricky pair
Try "single-wall stainless steel water bottle", then add "vacuum insulated". The code should flip headings, and the runner-ups tell you why.
The regulated one
"Lithium-ion power bank" or "roasted coffee beans". Look for the compliance flags: dangerous-goods testing, FDA prior notice.
Curious how the classification logic works? Read tariff code lookup in three steps, or see how the schedule itself is built just below.
What a schedule line looks like
CHAPTER 61
- 6109
- T-shirts, singlets and similar garments, knitted or crocheted
- 6109.10
- Of cotton
- 16.5%
- 6109.90
- Of other textile materials
- 32%
Two lines apart, nearly double the duty. The schedule is full of splits like this: the fiber, the construction or the function moves a product between lines, and the rate moves with it.
What the Harmonized Tariff Schedule is
The HTS is the United States' national extension of the global Harmonized System. The first six digits of any line are the international Harmonized System code, identical in every member country; the US appends four more digits that carry its own duty rates and statistical detail. The result is the 10-digit number a customs entry is filed under, published and revised by the US International Trade Commission several times a year as rates and rules change.
How a 10-digit HTS number breaks down
Digits one and two name the chapter, the broad family: knitted apparel in 61, electrical machinery in 85, coffee and spices in 09. Digits three and four form the heading, digits five and six the international subheading, and the last four digits are the US rate and statistical lines. Reading it right to left, every extra pair of digits narrows the product and sharpens the duty. The HTS code lookup page walks the US-specific half of this in more detail.
Why reading it by hand goes wrong
The schedule is arranged by legal logic, not by shop-floor names. A power bank files under electric accumulators, not chargers. A vacuum-insulated bottle leaves stainless-steel housewares entirely and lands with vacuum flasks. The General Rules of Interpretation decide ties, section and chapter notes override headline text, and a word-matching search box finds a plausible wrong answer with total confidence. Classifying against the schedule properly is a skill, which is why brokers charge for it per line. The traps differ by category, so the HS code lookup by product pages walk through them one product family at a time, and the extra China layers that sit on top of the schedule rate are listed on the Section 301 tariff list by product.
What the AI does with the schedule
The classifier at the top of this page takes a plain-English product description, applies the same chapter-heading-subheading logic, and returns the most likely code with the official heading text, a written rationale, the two nearest runner-up codes with the factor that would flip them, and the estimated duty on your shipment value (the full stack with MPF and HMF is on the import duty calculator). Every result is an AI best-effort estimate for guidance, not a binding ruling; for a contested case, a broker or a binding ruling from customs remains the right tool.
Harmonized tariff schedule lookup for a whole catalog
One lookup is a few minutes on the USITC site. Forty new SKUs before a container books is a day of reading chapter notes, and a broker bills each documented review separately. This is what the same work costs by route, using the usual $50 to $200 broker band and our monthly prices.
| Catalog | Manual USITC lookup | Broker review per product | TariffWise |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 new SKUs for one launch | A working day or more of staff time | $2,000 to $8,000 | $59, one month of Starter (100 classifications) |
| 600 SKUs, first full audit | Weeks, and nobody re-checks it | $30,000 or more | $199, one month of Growth with bulk CSV |
| A 3PL classifying 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, and the decision record each code keeps for an audit is on the customs compliance software page. Teams feeding codes into an ERP use the HS code API.
Harmonized tariff schedule lookup questions
How do I look up a harmonized tariff schedule code?
Describe the product by material, function and construction, find the chapter and heading that fit, then read down to the 10-digit statistical line and its rate columns. On the USITC search you do that by keyword and by reading notes. Here you type the description and the AI returns the 10-digit code, the heading text and the reasoning.
How do I find the HTS code for my product?
Start from what the product is made of and what it does, not what you call it in your catalog. A heading is chosen by the General Rules of Interpretation and the chapter notes, then the subheading splits by material, size or use. Paste the description above to get a first answer with runner-up codes, then confirm the distinguishing fact.
Is the harmonized tariff schedule the same as an HS code?
No. The HS code is the 6-digit international part every customs office shares. The Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States adds four more digits, eight for the tariff line and ten for the statistical suffix, and that 10-digit number is what your entry summary and your duty rate depend on.
How much does a harmonized tariff schedule lookup cost for a business?
Looking up one code on the USITC site costs nothing but time. The expense is doing it for a catalog: a broker charges $50 to $200 for a documented review of one product. TariffWise plans start at $59 a month for 100 classifications, and Growth covers 1,000 a month with bulk CSV, about 20 cents each.
Who publishes the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, and how often does it change?
The US International Trade Commission publishes the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States and revises it several times a year, on top of presidential proclamations that add or lift extra duty layers. A code that was right last year can carry a different rate today, so re-check the rate on the date of entry.
How accurate is an AI harmonized tariff schedule lookup?
It is accurate enough to replace the first pass, not the importer's legal responsibility. Every result shows the reasoning and the nearest alternative codes, so a reviewer checks one distinguishing fact instead of re-reading a chapter. For a high-value or disputed item, request a binding ruling from CBP and keep it with your records.
Classify the next shipment's SKUs before the broker asks for them.