Logistics 101
Commodity codes
A commodity code is a sequence of numbers made up of eight or ten digits, and you will need it to import or export your goods around the World. A commodity code determines the following:
- the rate of Customs Duty and import VAT
- taxes
- potential restrictions and prohibitions which may apply to the imported/exported goods
Furthermore, it's very important that you provide the right commodity code to ensure that the correct amount of tax and/or duty is applied to your freight.
The six-digit commodity codes are also called HS codes. These codes are used internationally to monitor trade volumes and to apply international trade regulations to the goods.
The full commodity codes will either be eight or ten-digits: eight-digit commodity codes are used for export declarations, or ten-digit commodity codes which are needed when importing goods from outside of the EU.
Even though most of the countries have agreed on the same classification system, only the first 6 digits are used worldwide and each country has particular product specific decisions. If you rely on the commodity code from an overseas supplier, you'll need to check if this commodity code will apply for the country you are shipping in.
Below, you will find different sources where you can look up your commodity codes, we recommend you cross-reference results from one page to another to ensure you have the correct code.
Frequently Asked Questions
about Commodity Codes
A commodity code is a sequence of numbers made up of eight or ten digits, and you will need them to import or export your goods around the world.
A Commodity Code represents an international description of the product you are importing or exporting.
Depending whether you are exporting or importing your product, the Commodity Code will be eight or ten-digits
No, for imports a ten-digit Commodity code is required, and for exports an eight-digit.
Yes, Commodity Codes can also be referred to as TARIC Codes, HS Codes, Tariff Codes or Tariff Headings.
Yes, Commodity Codes can also be referred to as Taric Codes, HS Codes, Tariff Codes or Tariff Headings.
You can find your Commodity Codes on the HMRC WEBSITE (see above), and above we have also prepared other sources for you, where you can cross-reference results from one page to another to ensure you have the correct code.
Yes, before Brexit Commodity Codes used to be made up of six numbers, now they are eight-digit or ten-digits depending if the goods are being exported or imported.