The Harmonized Tariff Number is an identification code used for international trade. It allows for efficient identification of goods for legal and financial regulations. The number can be traced via the Harmonized System, which provides naming and numbering conventions for items shipped worldwide. There are 21 sections in the Harmonized System, with subsections identifying products by specific grades. The number helps speed up the process of customs and tax purposes, but does not affect individual countries’ regulations and laws regarding import and export of goods.
Goods that are exported or imported internationally usually travel with an identification code called a harmonized tariff number. This number is “harmonised” as it is recognized by countries around the world who have agreed on how to classify the types of products in a shipment. Assigning a number to the goods allows for more efficient identification for the legal and financial regulations relating to the goods by country of origin or destination. This number can be traced via the Harmonized System, or HS, which provides naming and numbering conventions for the array of items shipped worldwide.
National government organizations of the more than 200 countries using the Harmonized System can issue numbering guidelines based on the World Customs Organization (WCO) Master List. Typically, you can locate a harmonized tariff number by logging into the WCO system or by searching the US International Trade Commission (USITC) Harmonized Tariff Table. Individuals and businesses can locate the necessary import and export classifications through the WCO or USITC websites, or they can use software applications or tariff services that assign the necessary numbers for shipment.
There are 21 sections in the Harmonized System which include categories such as food, works of art, plant products and live animals. Within these sections are subsections, with a harmonized tariff number identifying products by specific grades. Items that fall under the base metals section, for example, can be further classified based on steel, tin, copper, or other properties. Textiles are given different numbers depending on whether they are silk, cotton, wool, or other fibers, and wood products can be identified as pulp, paper, or a printed product.
Products supplied from one country to another generally require identification for customs and tax purposes. Shipping and export declaration documentation is often required for the transport and distribution of goods, and a harmonized tariff number helps speed up the process by providing classification without having to review the contents of the shipment itself. A commercial invoice may also include these classification numbers.
While the Harmonized Tariff Number creates a system for world classification, it does not affect individual countries’ regulations and laws regarding the import and export of goods. Within each of the subsections of the Harmonized System, detailed information outlines what is and is not included in the category. Each exporter may need to familiarize himself with the more detailed aspects of the numbering system as well as with the import rules of the country of destination. Assigning the appropriate Harmonized Tariff Number is one step in the often complex international shipping process.
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