HS Code vs HTS Code vs HTSUS: What Is Actually Different
Short answer
An HS code is the six-digit international commodity classification. National tariff systems extend it. The United States publishes the HTSUS: eight digits identify the tariff provision and ten include the statistical suffix. Schedule B is the US export classification, also using ten digits. National suffixes are not automatically interchangeable across countries or import and export systems.
How do HS and HTSUS digits break down?
| Digits | What they are | Who sets them |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Chapter | World Customs Organization |
| 3–4 | Heading | World Customs Organization |
| 5–6 | Subheading | World Customs Organization |
| 7–8 | National tariff rate line | USITC, for the United States |
| 9–10 | Statistical suffix | USITC, for the United States |
For example, HS 6205.20 identifies men's or boys' cotton shirts, not knitted or crocheted. The six-digit prefix is international within the corresponding HS edition; any US digits beyond it are national subdivisions. Check the current HTSUS and the goods' specifications before assigning a complete code.
Why does the distinction matter in practice?
Because a supplier's HS code is not a US classification. A supplier providing 6205.20 has provided only a six-digit code, not a complete US reporting number, and it still needs to be checked against the goods. Digits seven and eight identify the US tariff provision; digits nine and ten are the statistical suffix. Copying a supplier code without verification can create a reasonable-care problem.
A US suffix must not be treated as the destination country's import classification. For US export reporting, Census permits many HTS numbers in place of Schedule B numbers, subject to its rules and exclusions. That permission does not make a US tariff suffix a foreign tariff classification.
What about Schedule B?
Schedule B is the US export classification, administered by the Census Bureau. It also uses ten digits and shares the first six with HS for chapters 1–97. The national classifications are not universally interchangeable: a product may have different HTSUS and Schedule B numbers. Many HTS numbers are permitted for US export reporting, but Schedule B numbers may not be reported on import entries.
Where do classification errors come from?
The common sources are a code copied from a prior entry for a similar but not identical product, a code taken from the supplier's invoice without verification, a code that was correct when first assigned but has since changed in an HTS revision, and a product that has changed specification while its classification has not.
These are common transcription and staleness risks. They do not prove that the original classification was correct; classification also requires understanding the goods and applicable tariff rules.
For the document workflow described here, see How Jannat AI reads HS and HTS codes from documents.
Which primary sources support this article?
- USITC — tariff classification FAQs
- USITC — current Harmonized Tariff Schedule
- US Census Bureau — 2026 Schedule B introduction
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Check current requirements with your customs broker or qualified counsel for your shipment.