You’re ready to import or export a product but you realize you have more questions than answers. For example, you may be trying to identify the correct Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) code for your product or trying to determine the tariff that is associated with importing your product. There are a variety of resources you could tap into to find the answers but you may wish to first consult the updated “Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Tariff Classification, the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, Importing, and Exporting.” 

Each weekday, as many as 20,000 people around the world access information from the HTS for imported goods, including classifications, tariff rates, and much more. The FAQs, developed by the staff of the USITC’s Office of Tariff Affairs and Trade Agreements, cover a broad range of topics of interest to stakeholders along the global value chain and are intended to be a helpful resource. The FAQs, which also include references to other U.S. government sources of information about imports and exports and trade data, should set you on the right track for importing and exporting the products that are most important to you.

Questions? Comments? Please contact HTS Help. 

 

About the USITC: The mission of the USITC is to investigate and make determinations in proceedings involving imports claimed to injure a domestic industry or violate U.S. intellectual property rights; provide independent analysis and information on tariffs, trade, and competitiveness; and maintain the U.S. tariff schedule. 

About the HTS: All goods imported into the United States are subject to the provisions of the HTS, the authoritative compilation of the tariff and statistical provisions applicable to goods in trade. The HTS was enacted by Congress and made effective on January 1, 1989, replacing the former Tariff Schedules of the United States. The USITC maintains and publishes the HTS (in print and on-line) as directed by Congress in the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988. Customs and Border Protection of the Department of Homeland Security is responsible for interpreting and enforcing the HTS.