Glossary term
Harmonised System
The WCO’s international goods nomenclature, providing the first six digits of every country’s tariff code.
The Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System, maintained by the World Customs Organization and used by almost every trading country.
It is structured in three levels: 21 sections, 97 chapters, and within them headings and subheadings. The first six digits are common internationally; countries extend the code to eight, ten or twelve digits for their own duty rates and controls, which is why a code that works in one country may not exist in another.
Classification is governed by the General Interpretative Rules and by the legally binding section and chapter notes, not by the heading text alone. The system is revised roughly every five years; HS 2022 is the current edition. Browse the chapters in our HS chapter index.