HS import duty tariff codes

[gingataff]

There are quite a few threads with people asking how much it costs to import such and such. As I understand it there are standard "HS" tariff codes that are used by customs officials to determine the level of duty to be paid.

If anyone knows what these are perhaps we could compile a list of HS codes for studio gear and musical instruments?

[yotonic]

Good idea. I stopped buying gear from Canada and Europe. Too many bad experiences with extra unseen costs from paypal to Customs.

[adrianww]

There's a copy of the US Customs Tariff on the US Customs website. Then it's just a matter of digging through all the details to find the numbers. It's a pretty long document and there are all kinds of notes and provisions that have to be taken into account.

I've just taken a quick look and, for most Gearslutz purposes, the likely areas of interest will be:

Section XVI, Chapter 85
Section XVIII, Chapter 92

Also, it turns out it's the US International Trade Commission that manages and hosts the copy of the tariff, but there are links to it from the US Customs website. Just Google US Customs tariff.

[gingataff]

Originally Posted by adrianww

T
I've just taken a quick look and, for most Gearslutz purposes, the likely areas of interest will be:

Section XVI, Chapter 85
Section XVIII, Chapter 92.

Thanks for checking into that.
I had a look at the Japanese equivalent and the section and chapter numbers are the same so this would appear to be an international standard.

[adrianww]

Yes, sorry I forgot to mention that. Tariff codes are an international standard - up to a point.

A full tariff code has ten digits, something like 9911001120 (sometimes written as 99.11.00.11.20 or as 991100.11.20 or any number of other variations!) The first six digits are an international agreed standard, with the first two giving you the tariff chapter number and the next four pointing to the relevant sub-section and sub-sub-section of the chapter (the whole system is hierarchical). The last four digits of a full tariff code are country specific and the local Customs authorities can break things down further and number them however they see fit. It's still hierarchical though - if your local Customs department decide to create an xx.yy code under the section aa.bb.cc then the products that are classified under that xx.yy still have to be aa.bb.cc type products. If you take a look through a tariff chapter sometime, you can see how it works fairly quickly so long as you know that.