Classifying a Product
To classify a product, after selecting the Country and Search Language, click on the
Describe Your Product
field and enter a description of the product. The more information is provided, the more quickly the classification will be returned. Follow the instructions described in the table below to get accurate matches.Type of product | Attributes | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
Complete articles (i.e., articles other than parts) |
| Principle article, attribute 1, attribute 2, etc. |
|
Parts | Parts
| Part for whole, attribute 1, attribute 2, etc. |
|
Once this information has been provided, click on the
Classify
button.Alternatively, if you know the section of the Harmonized Schedule the goods are classified under, you can enter a 2, 4 or 6-digit HS number into the
Describe Your Product
field. Chapter and Heading numbers will trigger the appropriate questions, per the tariff. If you enter a 6-digit Subheading number, all fully-qualified numbers matching that number will then appear in a grid, as shown at the end of this section.Tips (Do’s and Don’ts)
Tips | Do’s | Don’ts |
|---|---|---|
Describe only one item at a time | men’s cotton shirt | men’s cotton shirt and pants |
Do not use “And” or “Or” | carded wool | carded or combed wool |
Describing percentages | girls raincoat, 60% nylon, 35% cotton, 5% spandex, woven | girls raincoat, 97 nylon- 3 spandex;woven girls raincoats,or nylon/spandex (97/3) |
Use of negative expressions | boys’ shorts, woven woven fabric, 100% cotton, unbleached | boys’ shorts, not knitted woven fabric, 100% cotton, not bleached |
Not Your Item?
Sometimes the “Smart HS” AI classification engine can interpret a product description incorrectly and, for example, switch what is being classified with a word meant to describe it. For example, entering “shoes leather” in the
Describe Your Product
field will cause Smart HS to prompt classification questions for leather and entering “shoes, leather” will cause Smart HS to prompt classification questions for shoes.The
Not Your Item?
drop-down will appear if the AI engine returns the possibility of more than one item that the description might be classifying. In the example listed above; the screen would display “Leather” as the item being classified, but the user would be able to see “Shoe” in the drop-down list and be able to choose that if it more accurately fits the product. Once the other option is selected, Smart HS will start generating questions that are more appropriate for the product.
Tell Us More About
Sometimes the system will need additional information about a product before an HS Number can be suggested. In these instances, a
Tell Us More
About section will appear on the screen. Click on the drop-down to review the list of available options.
Choose the description that best describes the product.
Additional drop-downs may continue to appear until enough information is provided. Once the system has enough information to classify the product, a suggested Global HS Code will appear on the screen. So, too, will some additional tools that can assist with selecting the correct fully-qualified tariff number.
Assumed Characteristics reflect what the AI-based system has learned over time are the most likely characteristics for your product. Each characteristic will have a drop-down with different options. Further adjustments can be made by reviewing and correcting if a more appropriate characteristic applies to your product in each drop-down.
Known Characteristics
show you what Smart HS knows about your product based the original description of the product and/or the answers to previous questions. Like the “Assumed Characteristics,” these can be changed if they are not correct.
After all characteristics are set and the final classification is returned, scroll down to the
Tariff Schedule
and Binding Rulings
tabs. These tabs are covered in more detail in the sub-sections below.
Tariff Schedule
The
Tariff Schedule
tab shows all chapters, headers, and fully-qualified HS Numbers that may be a potential match for the item being classified. The number’s description, Unit of Measure, Main Duty Rate (as applicable) and a link to the full tariff details are located in the grid.Description includes intermediate levels of tariff schedule, including floating descriptions.
Further information can be found about the tariff details by clicking a
Link to Global Tariffs
link.
Clicking this link will open the
Global Tariffs (Quick Lookup)
screen in another browser tab. Additional information about the HS Number will now be visible. This screen is covered in more detail in the ONESOURCE: Global Trade Content User Guide.
Binding Rulings
The
Binding Rulings
tab will be pre-filtered to show all potential classification rulings that may be applicable for the provided HS Number and country. To view more information about a Binding Ruling, click on a link in the “Reference Code” column.
Clicking this link will open the
Binding Rulings Detail
screen in another browser tab. Additional information about the Binding Ruling will now be visible. This screen is covered in more detail in the ONESOURCE: Global Trade Content User Guide.
To view more information about an HS Number, click on a link in the
HS Number
column.
Clicking this link will open the
Global Tariffs (Quick Lookup)
screen in another browser tab. Additional information about the HS Number will now be visible. This screen is covered in more detail in the ONESOURCE: Global Trade Content User Guide.