HARMONIZED   SYSTEM

Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System

The Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (Harmonized System) is an international commodity classification developed by the World Customs Organization (WCO) in 1988 "to control or to monitor international trade in certain commodities".

This System is used by more than 170 countries and economies as a basis for their Customs tariffs and for the collection of international trade statistics. Over 98 % of the merchandise in international trade is classified in terms of the HS.

The Harmonized System has an hierarchical structure:

1. Section - 2 digits
2. Chapter - 2 digits
3. Heading - 4 digits
4. Subheading - 6 digits

Each separate product is assigned a particular classification code made up of a series of digits.

Note. Individual countries have extended the commodity classification to 8 digits for export purposes, and to 10 digits for customs purposes.