How to Manage HS Codes - Docs

Classify products with correct Harmonized System codes using CargoLint's intelligent code selector.

Harmonized System (HS) codes classify products for customs purposes. CargoLint extracts HS codes from documents and helps you verify or adjust classifications, ensuring accurate customs declarations and duty calculations.

Before you start

You have documents with product information ready for review
You understand your products’ categories (for example, “electronics,” “textiles,” “machinery”)
You know your relevant trade regulations or have access to a customs broker
You’re in the review queue with a document open

Steps

1. Understand what HS codes are

HS codes are six-digit international product classifications assigned by the Harmonized System, a standardized format recognized worldwide. HS codes determine tariff rates, import restrictions, and regulatory requirements. For example, cotton t-shirts use code 610510, while polyester t-shirts use 610520-two different classifications based on material.

2. Locate extracted HS codes in the review editor

When you open a document in the Review Queue, extracted HS codes appear in the product section. Each code displays the extracted value and its confidence percentage. If CargoLint found relevant codes, they’re listed; if not, the field is blank for you to add. Flagged HS code issues in the Document Issues panel open the same search directly. Each line’s row there carries a status pill (“6 digits only”, “Tariff line differs”, and so on) - hover any pill for its meaning, or see what each HS code state means below for the full list.

3. Search by commodity description

Click the HS code field to open the Find HS Code search. Describe the commodity in plain trade language - at least 3 characters, then press Enter (for example, “stainless steel hex bolts M8 with nuts”). CargoLint’s AI analyses the description and returns the most relevant HS codes, each with its full description and a confidence score. If the document already carries a code, it’s shown alongside the results so you can check it against the matches.

When your wording differs from the tariff’s own vocabulary, the search may offer a “Did you mean” rephrase - the nomenclature’s term for your trade word. Clicking it re-runs the search with the corrected query.

4. Refine ambiguous classifications

If multiple codes could apply, the search asks guided attribute questions - material, use, form - as one-click choices. Answering narrows the candidates and updates the confidence of each match. When the top match is already strong, the questions stay out of the way; choose Refine with attributes if you want to narrow further anyway. When still uncertain, consult your commodity codes reference or a customs broker-choosing the wrong code can cause compliance issues.

5. Verify and apply the code

Once a match is confident enough, apply it with Use this code. The full code description is shown alongside the code - verify it matches your product before confirming. For binding duty rates, take the confirmed code to your customs broker or the destination authority’s tariff database.

Note: AI-powered search has a daily allowance that depends on your plan; the dialog shows today’s usage. If the allowance is used up or the AI service is briefly unavailable, the search falls back to keyword matching and tells you so in a banner.

6. Update codes across multiple documents

If you correct an HS code for a product type that appears in multiple documents, CargoLint can suggest the same code in future documents. Over time, the system learns your common products and their correct classifications.

7. Document code changes

All changes to HS codes are logged in your audit trail. This creates a compliance record showing who classified each product and when, which is valuable if customs authorities question your declarations.

Tip: Build a library of your company’s products with their correct HS codes. Reference this during review to ensure consistency across shipments.

Tip: HS codes can change annually, and some products face new regulations based on trade agreements. Check your local customs authority’s updates quarterly to stay current.

What each HS code state means

Every line with a declared HS code carries a state, shown as a pill in the Document Issues panel and as the colour of the code in the line-items table. Hovering any pill explains it in place; the table below is the full list.

It helps to know that an HS code has two parts. The first 6 digits are international - every country uses them, and they identify the goods. Anything after the 6th digit is the destination country’s own tariff line, which sets the duty rate. The two are checked separately, so a code can be perfectly good at 6 digits and still have a tariff line worth a second look.

State	What it means	What to do
Missing	No HS code on this line.	Classify it - the row’s Find HS code search starts from the description.
Wrong code	The code exists, but the description points to a different one.	Compare the two; the search suggests the better match.
Low confidence	The code and the description agree only loosely.	Worth a look, especially on goods that classify by material or use.
Code not recognized	The first 6 digits aren’t a subheading in the current HS edition, so no country would recognise this code.	Check for a typo or an older HS edition. When exactly one single-digit change gives a code that matches the description, that code is offered.
Possible misread	Same as above, but the code was also read from the scan with low confidence - the digits may not be what the document says.	Check the code against the original document.
Full code checked	The whole code is a current tariff line in the destination, and the description agrees with it.	Nothing - this is the clean result for a long code.
Tariff line unconfirmed	A real tariff line, but the description didn’t settle which line under the subheading applies.	The row names the one fact that would settle it, if there is one.
Tariff line differs	A real tariff line, but the description reads closer to a different one. Both are shown side by side.	Compare the two schedule paths and pick the one that fits the goods.
Tariff line not found	The first 6 digits are fine, but the digits after them aren’t a currently effective line in the destination schedule.	Often a retired statistical suffix - check the current schedule.
6 digits only	The international part was checked. No tariff-line data is on file for this destination, so the rest wasn’t evaluated.	Nothing - it’s a statement of scope, not a problem.
Resolved	A code you picked during review.	Nothing - your choice stands and isn’t re-scored.

Bills of lading are checked more narrowly than invoices, because a B/L cargo line describes freight rather than the product. Only the two checks that need no description run: the code must be recognised, and a code longer than 6 digits must be a current tariff line. When a B/L and an invoice in the same shipment disagree about a code, that’s reported by the shipment consistency checks instead.

What’s next

Reviewing Documents - Refine extracted data in the review queue
Exporting Data - Download documents with finalized HS codes
Filtering and Search - Find documents by product type or HS code