HTS, HS code, Schedule B — the same thing?
5 min read · updated 2026-11-12
“What is your HS code?” is the most common question in a sourcing email and one of the least precise. There are three systems in play, and they answer three different questions.
| System | Length | Used for | Administered by |
|---|---|---|---|
| HS (Harmonized System) | 6 digits | Global product classification | World Customs Organization |
| HTS (HTSUS) | 8 + 2 digits | US imports — duty and statistics | USITC / CBP |
| Schedule B | 10 digits | US exports — statistics only | US Census Bureau |
HS: the common ancestor
The HS is a six-digit nomenclature maintained by the World Customs Organization. It has no duty rates attached. Its job is to give every country the same vocabulary for the same goods. When a supplier sends “HS 6109.10”, they are telling you the product is cotton T-shirts in a way that any customs authority will recognise.
HTS: HS plus two national digits
The HTSUS takes the six-digit HS and appends two digits that carry the actual US duty rate — the general, special and Column 2 columns you see on this site. Two more digits follow for statistical reporting. So “6109.10” becomes “6109.10.00”, and that line is where 16.5% lives.
This is the number your customs broker files. It is also the number CBP audits against. A six-digit code on an entry is not a shorthand — it is an incomplete entry.
Schedule B: exports, not imports
Schedule B is built on the same HS six digits but diverges at the national level, because export statistics are collected for different reasons than import duty. For many consumer goods the HTS and Schedule B codes coincide at eight digits; for plenty of others they do not.
Which one do you actually need?
- Importing into the US: HTS, eight digits minimum, ten on the entry.
- Exporting from the US: Schedule B, ten digits.
- Asking a supplier what a product is: six-digit HS is enough to start, and you should not rely on their answer for filing.
- Shipping to the EU, UK or elsewhere: that jurisdiction's own tariff code — TARIC in the EU — not HTS.
Why the distinction has money in it
Duty is assessed on the eight-digit line. Two products that share a six-digit subheading can sit on different eight-digit lines with very different rates — the whole point of the tariff-line layer is to make that distinction. Assuming the six-digit rate is “close enough” is how importers end up with a bill for the difference plus interest, years later, after a focused assessment.
On this site, every heading page shows all of its eight-digit lines side by side precisely so that this spread is visible before you commit to a code.