Provided HS code

Zonos Classify's provided HS code functionality, available to all Classify premium users, allows you to include an existing partial (2 or 4 digit) or full (universal or country-specific) HS code in your classification request to guide your result. Depending on your preference and the origin of your provided HS code, Classify can validate the HS code and check its coherency against the item's description details. The result of this validation or coherency check will be reflected in the Classify response.

When providing an HS code to Classify, you can check for validation or verification. If you don't specify your preference with your provided HS code, we will default to validation.

Let's review the differences between validating and verifying provided HS codes.

Validate 

When you choose to validate your provided HS code, Classify will verify its validity against the current tariff schedule of the specified ship-to country in the classification request. For example, if the request is for TW (Taiwan), we will check the 2022 tariff schedule for Taiwan, as it is based on the 2022 version. If the Taiwan HS code provided in the classification request is from the 2017 version and has been modified in the 2022 version, it will be marked as invalid.

If a ship-to country is not provided and you are checking the universal 6-digit code, we will validate it against the latest WCO tariff nomenclature schedule, which is currently the 2022 version as it updates every five years.

If the provided HS code is not found in any WCO version, Classify will ignore it, mark it as invalid, and Classify the item based solely on the product details provided in your request.

Validate existing HS code

To validate your existing HS code against the WCO tariff schedule in Dashboard or via API, follow the steps and mutation below.

Verify 

When verifying the coherency of a provided HS code, Classify goes beyond the validation process described above and assesses whether the code provided matches the description of the item. This ensures that the HS code provided reasonably matches the characteristics of the item, resulting in a seamless customs clearance.

Similar to the validation logic, when verify is requested and the HS code is invalid, the provided code is ignored, and the classification is based on the product details. If the HS code is valid, Classify proceeds to check the coherency and determine whether the provided HS code was coherent, mostly coherent, somewhat coherent, or not coherent.

If Classify deems the provided HS code as “coherent” or “mostly coherent”, it will return the provided HS code as Classify’s response. If Classify determines the provided HS code “somewhat coherent” or “not coherent”, Classify ignores the provided HS code and classifies from scratch. In either case, Classify will return the coherencing status.

Verifying an existing HS code and description

To verify your existing HS code and description in Dashboard or via API, follow the steps and mutation below.

Dashboard

API

1. Click on Products -> Classify.
2. Next to Get results, click the Classify dropdown, and select Verify.
3. Describe your item.
4. Click Get results.

Mapping HS codes 

You can use a provided HS code to map an existing partial (2 or 4 digit) or full (universal or country-specific) HS code to a specific country following the same principles explained above.

By choosing to validate, if the HS code is valid, Classify will use it to map to your destination country. For example, if you have HS code 4901.99.9032 for a book to Australia but want to map it to Japan, Classify will validate it, truncate it to 4901.99, and map it to Japan's tariff code, 4901.99.000. If the code is invalid, the classification relies entirely on product details, not the provided HS code.

Alternatively, by choosing verify, Classify ensures the HS code matches the item description prior to mapping. If the HS code is invalid, the provided code is ignored. However, if the HS code is valid, it will be verified for coherency. If "coherent" or "mostly coherent," Classify will use the provided HS code and map the country-specific tariff digits, mirroring the validate process outlined above. If found "somewhat coherent" or "not coherent," Classify will ignore the provided code and classify from scratch, based on the product details.

You don't need to do anything different to request the mapping functionality, simply provide your existing HS code and supply a ship-to country.