Expeditors International

HS or HTS codes are a global standard used to describe the type of goods being shipped (Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System).The World Customs Organization (WCO) manages the Harmonized Tariff Description and Coding System (HTS). Over 170 countries participate in the WCO's HTS system. The first six digits of the HTS code marking of all articles in international trade are the same for all countries using the HTS. The last two or four digits are country-specific. In many countries these last four digits represent the tariff rate and suffix for the statistical reports of the trade balance of imported goods.