HTS/HS Tariff Classification & Duty Rate Lookup
Classify a plain-English product description into a likely HTS code, duty rate, and Section 301 exposure.
The problem
Every import shipment needs an HTS (Harmonized Tariff Schedule) code before it can clear customs, but most tools assume you already know the code and just want its rate. The real first step — turning "what is this product" into the right code — is usually done by hand, by someone who has memorized enough of the schedule to guess well, or by paying a customs broker for a classification on every new SKU.
Who it's for
Importers, freight forwarders, customs brokers' internal tools, and ecommerce sellers shipping internationally who need a fast first-pass classification before committing to a final code.
Use cases
- First-pass classification of a new product before requesting a formal customs ruling
- Estimating landed cost (duty rate + surcharges) during sourcing or pricing decisions
- Flagging Section 301 / anti-dumping exposure by product family and country of origin
- Classifying a catalog of SKUs in bulk ahead of an import compliance review
What it does
Send a plain-English product description — optionally with a country of origin — and get back the most likely HTS code, a confidence score, the published general (Column 1/MFN) duty rate, advisory flags for known Section 301 / anti-dumping / Section 122 surcharge exposure by product family and origin, and alternate candidate codes when the match is ambiguous. Reference data comes from the U.S. International Trade Commission's official HTS data, bundled and versioned rather than scraped live per request.
Key features
- Plain-English input — no need to already know a starting HTS chapter
- Confidence score plus alternate candidate codes when a description is ambiguous
- Section 301 / anti-dumping / Section 122 advisory flags by product family and origin country
- Duty rate returned as both a parsed percentage (when flat ad valorem) and the verbatim published rate text
Pricing
A free tier covers light testing. Paid tiers scale by monthly request volume, with overage priced per additional classification beyond your plan's included volume.
Current coverage — read before integrating. This release covers common consumer and
industrial product categories (electronics, apparel, footwear, furniture, toys, fasteners,
metals, tires, batteries, and similar), not the full ~13,000-line U.S. tariff schedule. A
description far outside those categories may return a low-confidence match or no match at
all — check confidence and alternate_codes on every response. Section 301/anti-dumping/
Section 122 flags are advisory heuristics based on documented product/origin exposure, not
a live feed from USTR, Commerce, or CBP.
This API is advisory only and is not a binding U.S. Customs classification. HTS classification is fact-specific and can turn on details — material composition, function, packaging, declared value — that a short description doesn’t capture. Consult a licensed customs broker, or request a binding ruling from U.S. Customs and Border Protection under 19 CFR Part 177, before relying on this for an actual import entry.
Want to try a single classification before integrating? Use the free HTS Classifier tool — same real classification logic, one product description at a time, no signup. It’s rate-limited and meant for quick checks, not bulk or production use; the API above covers that.