HS code vs HTS code vs Schedule B: which number to use and when

Sellers see three names for what looks like the same number. Shopify asks for an "HS code". Your customs broker asks for the "HTS". The export form in your shipping software asks for "Schedule B". They are related, but they are not interchangeable everywhere, and using the wrong one can mean a wrong duty rate, a held parcel or a rejected export filing.

The short version

HS code: the 6-digit base

The Harmonized System is an international nomenclature run by the World Customs Organization. More than 200 countries and economies use it as the base of their tariffs and trade statistics. It has 21 sections, 97 chapters, about 1,200 headings and roughly 5,600 subheadings.

The digits work in pairs. Take 6109.10, cotton T-shirts:

• 61 is the chapter: knitted or crocheted apparel.
• 6109 is the heading: T-shirts, singlets, tank tops and similar garments, knitted or crocheted.
• 6109.10 is the subheading: of cotton.

Six digits are the same in every HS country, and the General Rules of Interpretation and the chapter notes are shared too. That is why a factory in Vietnam and a broker in Los Angeles can agree on the first six digits. It is also why six digits are never enough to clear goods anywhere: no country charges duty on the HS code alone.

HTS code: the U.S. import number

The Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) adds four digits to the HS code. Digits 7 and 8 form the tariff line, which is the legal level where the duty rate is set. Digits 9 and 10 are the statistical suffix, used to collect trade data. You must report all 10 on a U.S. entry.

The statistical suffix often splits by gender, age, fiber or size. The rate is the same across the suffixes under one 8-digit line, but reporting the wrong suffix is still a classification error.

The rate is only the start. On a U.S. entry, the HTS code also decides which extra tariffs apply, such as the Section 301 forced labor duty of 10% or 12.5% by origin in force since July 24, 2026, Section 232 duties on metals, and China list duties. It also decides which partner agencies, such as FDA, CPSC or FCC, need data at entry. The 6-digit HS code cannot tell you any of that.

Schedule B: the U.S. export number

Schedule B is the Census Bureau's 10-digit classification for goods exported from the U.S. The first six digits match the HS code. Digits 7 to 10 are Census's own and often differ from the HTS suffix, because export statistics track different things than import statistics.

You need it for Electronic Export Information (EEI), filed in the Automated Export System through ACE. Under 15 CFR 30.37(a), EEI is generally not required when the value per Schedule B or HTS number, from one exporter to one consignee on one conveyance, is $2,500 or less. Licensed goods, some destinations and some commodities need EEI at any value. A $6,000 pallet with $4,000 of one product and $2,000 of another needs EEI only for the $4,000 line.

Here is the detail many exporters miss: under 15 CFR 30.6(a)(12), you may report the 10-digit HTS import number instead of the Schedule B number, except where the HTSUS headnotes say otherwise. If your catalog is already classified in HTS for imports, you often do not need a second set of codes for exports.

Shipping abroad: use the destination's code

When you sell from the U.S. to a buyer in another country, the duty is set by the importing country's tariff, not by the HTS. Every HS country extends the 6 digits its own way:

The same T-shirt shows why this matters. It is 6109.10.00.12 at 16.5% into the U.S. Into the EU it is CN 6109 10 00, with a third-country duty of 12%. Same six digits, different rate, different last digits. On a DDP order you need the destination code to quote the landed cost. On a DAP order, a correct 6-digit HS code on the commercial invoice or CN22/CN23 lets the destination customs finish the job.

Which number goes where

Mistakes that cost money

1. Copying the supplier's code. A Chinese export code has 10 digits too, but the last four are Chinese, not U.S. They often look right and are wrong. Classify for the U.S. yourself.
2. Stopping at six digits. A 6-digit code on a U.S. entry is incomplete. In 6109.10 the difference between a men's and a girls' line is only the suffix, but other subheadings split into lines with very different rates at the 8-digit level.
3. Using an old code. The HTSUS is revised several times a year. Codes are added, split and deleted. A code that existed in 2024 may not be valid today.
4. Mixing up import and export lists. Schedule B numbers are not valid on U.S. import entries. HTS numbers are allowed on most export filings, but not the other way around.
5. Assuming same digits means same rate. The 6 digits are shared. Duty rates, extra tariffs and partner agency rules are national.

HTSBase's classifier returns the full 10-digit HTS code with the notes it relied on, and you can browse the schedule by chapter. For exports, the same 10 digits are accepted on most EEI filings. For the full process of picking a code, see our step-by-step classification guide.