How do you find the HTS code of your product?

Describe your product by what it is, what it is made of and what it does, search the US tariff schedule at hts.usitc.gov, read the heading and its notes, then check CBP rulings on similar goods. The code sets your base duty and the Section 301 duties. Rabbit buys on 1688 and, when it doesn’t know the code, counts the costliest one of the product’s family.

By Hussayn Delli, founder of Rabbit · Updated November 9, 2026.

What is an HTS code?

It is your product’s line in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, published by the US International Trade Commission. Its 8-digit line carries the duty; 2 more digits are for statistics. A toy, for example, is 9503.00.00; its statistical lines split it by age, such as 9503.00.00.11 for under 3 years and 9503.00.00.13 for 3 to 12 years.

How do you find the HTS code of your product?

1. Describe the product. What it is, what it is made of, what it does, who it is for. A 1688 listing title is not enough: check the materials and the function on the product itself, or on your sample.
2. Search the schedule. Type a few plain words, or a code you already have, at hts.usitc.gov. Start from the chapter that fits, not from the first result.
3. Read the heading and its notes. The legal rule is that the words of the headings and of the section and chapter notes decide, not the titles. When two headings fit, the most specific description wins.
4. Go down to the 8-digit line. Pick the subheading that matches your product at each level, then read its “General” column: that is the base duty.
5. Check CBP rulings. Search CROSS, CBP’s database of published rulings, with your product’s words. A ruling on a similar product shows how CBP classified it, and why.
6. When in doubt, ask CBP. An importer can request a binding ruling online. CBP says it generally answers within 30 calendar days, for goods you haven’t shipped yet. You then give the ruling number with your entry.

The code is your responsibility, not the supplier’s: the duties are a debt of the importer. A code from a supplier or a listing is a lead to check, not an answer.

Why does the HTS code set your duties?

• The base duty is written on the code’s line, in the “General” column. Many products have none, others a lot.
• The older Section 301 duties on Chinese goods apply by code: a code is on one of the lists, or on none.
• The additional Section 301 duty applies to every product of China since July 24, 2026, whatever its code, on top of the base duty.

So two products that look alike can pay different duties because they sit on different codes. What each shipment also pays, whatever the code: the end of de minimis.

A different code, on a real example

Rabbit groups the codes it prices into families. One of them is “phone, laptop or USB flash drive”. Here are the duties on a piece worth $10.00 at customs (the goods alone, without shipping), for each code of that family, from Rabbit’s table checked on October 31, 2026:

None of these three has a base duty. The USB flash drive pays more because its code is on an older Section 301 list; the others pay only the additional duty on Chinese goods. The CBP fee of the shipment comes on top.

What does Rabbit do when it doesn’t know your product’s code?

• It counts the costliest code of the family. If Rabbit only knows your product is in the family above, it counts the USB flash drive, 8523.51.00: $2.00 on a $10.00 piece, even if your product turns out to be a smartphone at $1.25. When it doesn’t know the family either, it counts the costliest family it prices. Within the family it counted, your real duties can only be the same or lower.
• It doesn’t price some products at all. A textile shoe is one: within its heading, the duty changes with the price per pair and the sole. Without them, any amount would be made up, so Rabbit leaves the duties as an open question.
• It dates its table. When the table is more than 30 days old, Rabbit stops using it and says the duties are calculated at the warehouse.
• It says what it doesn’t count: antidumping and countervailing duties, Section 232 duties, and the fees of a carrier or a customs broker.

How the duties fit in your estimated profit: how to calculate your profit on a product from China.

For your exact situation: your accountant or a customs broker.