AI HS Code Classifier: HTS, TARIC & UK Tariff Codes

What does AI HS Code Classifier do?

AI HS Code Classifier turns product titles and descriptions into 6-digit Harmonized System (HS) codes in bulk, then maps each code to the US HTS (10-digit), EU TARIC (10-digit) and UK commodity code, with the base duty rate, a confidence score, short reasoning and alternative codes. Low-confidence results are flagged for human review.

The AI never invents national codes: it chooses only from lines returned live by official tariff sources, the USITC Harmonized Tariff Schedule and the UK Trade Tariff (whose Northern Ireland service applies EU TARIC measures). Use it in Apify Console with no code, or as an HS code lookup API from your own scripts.

Why use AI HS Code Classifier?

Classifying a catalogue by hand means reading tariff chapters, notes and subheadings for every SKU, then repeating the lookup for every country you ship to. AI HS Code Classifier does the first pass for you:

• 🧠 AI classification with reasoning: applies the General Interpretative Rules and explains the heading it chose, plus up to 3 alternative HS codes.
• ✅ Checked against official tariffs: the 6-digit code is re-checked against the official subheading texts, and the 10-digit codes come straight from USITC and the UK Trade Tariff.
• 🌍 US, EU and UK in one run: national tariff code, base duty rate (US general/MFN rate, EU and UK third-country duty) and UK VAT.
• 🚩 Review flags: every result has a confidence score; anything below your threshold is marked needsReview with the reason.
• 📦 Batch processing: up to 10,000 products per run, with any extra fields you have (material, brand, intended use).
• 🤖 Apify platform features: run it on a schedule, call it by API, or send the results to Slack, email, Google Sheets, Make or Zapier with integrations.

Who uses it: e-commerce sellers and marketplaces preparing cross-border listings, customs brokers and freight forwarders pre-classifying shipments, sourcing and trade compliance teams estimating landed cost.

What data does AI HS Code Classifier return?

Field	Description
sku, title, inputIndex	Your product identifier, title and position in the input list
hs6	6-digit HS subheading, e.g. 610910
hs6Description	Official heading and subheading text
national[].country	US, EU or UK
national[].code	10-digit national tariff code (US format 6109.10.0012)
national[].generalDutyRate	Base duty rate as published, e.g. 16.5% or 12.00 %
national[].vatRate	UK standard VAT (UK only)
national[].selection	How the line was chosen: only-candidate, ai or ai-assumed; when no line is given: not-determined (pick from otherCandidates), not-found or source-error
national[].otherCandidates	Other national lines under the same HS code
confidence	0 to 1
reasoning	2 to 4 sentences: heading, deciding rule, product facts used
needsReview, reviewReasons	Whether a human should check the result, and why
alternatives	Other plausible HS codes
missingInformation	Facts that would make the classification certain (e.g. fibre content)

The run's SUMMARY record lists counts, skipped input items and any products that could not be classified.

How to classify products with AI HS Code Classifier

1. Click Try for free and open the Input tab.
2. Paste your products as JSON, each with at least a title or description.
3. Choose the destination tariffs (US, EU, UK) and the minimum confidence.
4. Set Maximum products and click Start.
5. When the run finishes, open the Output tab. The National codes and duty view shows one row per product and country; filter on needsReview to see what needs a second look.

How much does it cost to classify HS codes?

AI HS Code Classifier uses pay-per-event pricing: you pay $0.01 per classified product (all destination tariffs included), plus a start fee of $0.00005 per run. There is no charge for compute time.

• 100 products cost $1.00; 1,000 products cost $10.00.
• Products that cannot be classified are not charged.
• Maximum products is a hard cap, and Apify also stops charging when your run reaches the maximum cost you set.
• On the Apify free plan, each run classifies up to 20 products.

How accurate is it?

We tested the classifier on 89 real US Customs (CBP) classification rulings from 2024–2026, comparing its HS code with the one CBP issued:

Measure	Result
Exact 6-digit HS code	70%
Correct code among the answer and its alternatives	85%
Exact HS code when confidence ≥ 0.85	90%

Rulings are requested for products that are hard to classify (craft kits, machine parts, medical devices), so everyday catalogue items usually do better. Treat the output as a well-reasoned first pass and review flagged items.

Input

See the Input tab for every option. Example input:

{
    "products": [
        {
            "sku": "A1",
            "title": "Men's cotton crew-neck T-shirt",
            "description": "100% cotton, knitted jersey, short sleeves",
            "material": "cotton"
        },
        { "sku": "B2", "title": "Wireless Bluetooth earbuds with charging case" }
    ],
    "destinations": ["US", "EU", "UK"],
    "minConfidence": 0.7,
    "reasoningLanguage": "en",
    "maxProducts": 1000
}

• products: any extra text fields (brand, gender, intendedUse, size, voltage) are passed to the AI as product facts.
• minConfidence: results below it get needsReview: true. Raise it to 0.85 if every flagged item will be checked by an expert.
• reasoningLanguage: en or zh (Simplified Chinese).

Output

You can download the dataset in various formats such as JSON, HTML, CSV or Excel. Example result:

{
    "sku": "A1",
    "title": "Men's cotton crew-neck T-shirt",
    "hs6": "610910",
    "hs6Description": "T-shirts, singlets, tank tops and similar garments, knitted or crocheted > Of cotton",
    "chapter": "61",
    "national": [
        {
            "country": "US",
            "code": "6109.10.0012",
            "description": "Of cotton > Men's or boys' > Other T-shirts > Men's",
            "generalDutyRate": "16.5%",
            "dutyRateType": "General (column 1, MFN) rate",
            "vatRate": null,
            "selection": "ai",
            "selectionNote": "The product is a men's cotton T-shirt, and the all-white T-shirt line would require a colour and trim fact that the product does not state, so the general men's T-shirt line applies.",
            "otherCandidates": [
                "6109.10.0004",
                "6109.10.0007",
                "6109.10.0011",
                "6109.10.0014",
                "6109.10.0018",
                "6109.10.0023",
                "6109.10.0027",
                "6109.10.0037",
                "6109.10.0040",
                "6109.10.0045"
            ],
            "source": "USITC HTS REST API (hts.usitc.gov)"
        },
        {
            "country": "EU",
            "code": "6109100010",
            "description": "Of cotton > T-shirts",
            "generalDutyRate": "12.00 %",
            "dutyRateType": "Third country duty (ERGA OMNES)",
            "vatRate": null,
            "selection": "ai",
            "selectionNote": "The product is a cotton T-shirt, which matches the specific EU T-shirts line without needing further assumptions.",
            "otherCandidates": [
                "6109100090"
            ],
            "source": "UK Trade Tariff API, Northern Ireland (XI) tariff applying EU TARIC measures (Open Government Licence v3.0)"
        },
        {
            "country": "UK",
            "code": "6109100010",
            "description": "Of cotton > T-shirts",
            "generalDutyRate": "12.00 %",
            "dutyRateType": "Third country duty",
            "vatRate": "20.00 %",
            "selection": "ai",
            "selectionNote": "The product is a cotton T-shirt, which matches the specific UK T-shirts line without needing further assumptions.",
            "otherCandidates": [
                "6109100090"
            ],
            "source": "UK Trade Tariff API (GOV.UK, Open Government Licence v3.0)"
        }
    ],
    "confidence": 0.95,
    "reasoning": "The product is a men's knitted cotton crew-neck T-shirt with short sleeves, 100% cotton by material. Under heading 6109 (T-shirts, singlets and other vests, knitted or crocheted), the subheading 610910 covers goods of cotton, which matches the stated material exactly. Heading 6105 covers shirts rather than T-shirts, so 610510 is a weaker alternative, and 610990 applies only to non-cotton textiles.",
    "needsReview": false,
    "reviewReasons": [],
    "alternatives": [
        "610510",
        "610990"
    ],
    "missingInformation": [],
    "inputIndex": 0
}

Use AI HS Code Classifier as an API

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/messnomore~hs-code-classifier/run-sync-get-dataset-items" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"products":[{"sku":"A1","title":"Men'\''s cotton crew-neck T-shirt","material":"cotton"}],"destinations":["US","EU","UK"]}'

See the API tab for clients in JavaScript and Python. You can also run it from AI assistants through the Apify MCP server.

Tips for better results

• Give the material and its share ("60% cotton, 40% polyester"), how textiles are made (knitted or woven) and who it is for (men's, women's, children's).
• Say what it does and how it is powered for machines and electronics, and list the contents of sets and kits.
• Look at missingInformation: adding those facts usually lifts the confidence.
• Use the national[].otherCandidates list when the 10-digit line depends on facts you did not supply.

Related guides

• How do you find the HS code for a product, and its US, EU and UK tariff codes?
• 中文指南：商品HS编码怎么查？美国HTS、欧盟TARIC、英国商品编码查询方法

FAQ

How does the classification work?

Each product goes through three steps. First, Claude (Anthropic) proposes an HS code with alternatives, following the General Interpretative Rules and the Section and Chapter notes. Second, the official subheading texts of every heading it considered are fetched, and the AI must pick the final code from that official list. Third, the national 10-digit lines under that code are fetched for each destination; if there is more than one, the AI picks the line that matches the product facts, and if there is only one it is used directly.

Are the duty rates the final duty I will pay?

No. The rate shown is the base rate: the US general (column 1, MFN) rate and the EU and UK third-country duty. It does not include US additional duties under Chapter 99 (such as Section 301, 232 or other tariff actions), anti-dumping or countervailing duties, preferential rates under trade agreements, quotas, excise, or import VAT (except the UK standard VAT rate shown). Check the official tariff or your customs broker before you declare goods.

Is the result legally binding?

No. Only customs authorities issue binding classifications (US CBP rulings, EU Binding Tariff Information, UK Advance Tariff Rulings). This Actor gives a reasoned suggestion for reference; the importer remains responsible for the declared code.

Which tariffs and sources are covered?

US: USITC Harmonized Tariff Schedule (public domain). UK: UK Trade Tariff (UK Global Tariff). EU: the Northern Ireland tariff of the UK Trade Tariff service, which applies EU TARIC measures. UK and EU data: contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

How fresh is the tariff data?

Tariff lines and rates are fetched live from the official services and cached for up to 24 hours.

Why did I get fewer results than I asked for?

Products without a title or description are skipped, products the AI could not classify are not charged, and runs stop at Maximum products, at your maximum cost per run, or at 20 products on the Apify free plan. The SUMMARY record lists each case.

Is my product data stored or shared?

Your product text is sent to the Anthropic API only to classify it, and AI HS Code Classifier doesn't write it to its logs. Like every Apify run, your input and results stay in your own run storage, which you can delete at any time.

I found a wrong code or a missing country. What can I do?

Open the Issues tab and include the product text and the code you expected. Feedback and feature requests are welcome there too.