HS Code vs HTS Code: What's the Difference and Why It Matters

The Short Answer

An HS code (Harmonized System code) is a 6-digit international product classification code used by 200+ countries. It's maintained by the World Customs Organization (WCO) and is the same everywhere in the world.

An HTS code (Harmonized Tariff Schedule code) is the US version — a 10-digit code that starts with the same 6-digit HS code and adds 4 more US-specific digits. Those last 4 digits determine your actual US duty rate, Section 301 tariff exposure, and eligibility for trade program benefits.

Your supplier in China will give you a 6-digit HS code. That code is a starting point, not a filing-ready classification. You need to extend it to 10 digits before importing into the US.

Side-by-Side Comparison

The Anatomy of an HTS Code

Using 8471.30.0100 (portable automatic data processing machines — laptops) as an example:

Why Supplier-Provided HS Codes Are Often Wrong

When you ask a Chinese supplier for the HS code on their product, they're giving you the code they use for Chinese export purposes — which is based on the Chinese tariff schedule, not the US HTS. While the first 6 digits are harmonized internationally (and should match), suppliers sometimes:

• Provide a Chinese 8-digit code that doesn't directly map to a US 10-digit code
• Give you the code for the most common version of the product, not your specific variant
• Use a code that minimizes their Chinese export duties, which may not be correct for US import purposes
• Provide an outdated code that changed in the last HTS revision

This is why US importers should never simply forward the supplier's HS code to their customs broker and call it done. The correct US HTS code must be determined independently.

How the Extra 4 Digits Change Everything

Duty rate precision

At the 6-digit HS level, you might know your product is in “Other articles of plastics” at 3926.90. But the US HTS breaks 3926.90 into multiple subheadings with different duty rates. Some are 3.4%, some are 5.3%, some are free. The 6-digit HS code alone cannot tell you which rate applies.

Section 301 and IEEPA tariff targeting

Section 301 tariffs — the additional 7.5%–25% (and now higher under IEEPA) levied on Chinese-origin goods — are targeted at specific 8-digit HTS subheadings, not at 6-digit HS headings. A product might be on the Section 301 list at 3926.90.9990 but not at 3926.90.2000. You cannot know your Section 301 exposure without the full 10-digit US code.

Trade program eligibility

Duty-free programs like GSP (Generalized System of Preferences), USMCA, and others operate at the 8- or 10-digit HTS level. A product may be eligible for duty-free treatment under one code but not a closely related one.

How to Convert an HS Code to a US HTS Code

The process:

• Step 1: Take your supplier's 6-digit HS code
• Step 2: Go to hts.usitc.gov and search for that 6-digit heading
• Step 3: Drill into the subheadings to find the one that most specifically describes your product, applying the General Rules of Interpretation
• Step 4: Read the 8-digit and 10-digit breakouts — confirm your product falls under the correct statistical suffix
• Step 5: Note the Column 1 General rate (your MFN duty) and any Chapter 99 footnote references (which indicate Section 301 or other special tariffs)

Our free HTS lookup tool lets you search by product description and returns the correct 10-digit HTS code, the base duty rate, Section 301 status, and total effective rate.

Other Countries Have Their Own Extensions

Every country that uses the HS system adds its own country-specific digits beyond the 6-digit international standard:

If you're importing into the EU, your supplier's HS code is still a starting point — you need to find the EU 10-digit CN code separately, just as you need the US 10-digit HTS code for US imports.

For a deeper dive into how US HTS classification works — including the General Rules of Interpretation that govern which subheading applies — read our HTS classification guide. Or run a free classification lookup on your product now at lgistics.ai/lookup.