HS codes
What an HS code is, and how an Indian tariff item is built
Independent site, not a government service. General information, not customs advice.
An HS code classifies goods so that every customs office reads them alike. In India, it runs to eight digits. Search one below and follow the structure on this page.
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12,522 lines searchable
Rate shown: the tariff rate before exemptions, from the CBIC compilation with Finance Act changes laid over it. Open a line for IGST and exemption entries. General information, not a classification ruling.
HS stands for the Harmonized System, a goods nomenclature maintained through the World Customs Organization, used in customs tariffs around the world. Its first six digits are shared internationally, and each country adds its own detail. India uses eight digits in the First Schedule to the Customs Tariff Act, 1975. Take smartphones at 8517 13 00: chapter 85 covers electrical machinery, heading 8517 covers telephone sets and other apparatus, subheading 8517 13 is smartphones, and the last two digits are the Indian tariff item. In the data file we read, there are 97 chapters with lines and 1,226 headings. The tariff rate attaches to the eight-digit line. Classification itself rests on the wording of headings, the notes of sections and chapters and the General Rules for the Interpretation of the Schedule, not on the trade name of the goods.
Tariff and rules read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
The four levels in one example
| Level | Digits | Example | Set by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chapter | 2 | 85 | Harmonized System |
| Heading | 4 | 8517 | Harmonized System |
| Subheading | 6 | 8517 13 | Harmonized System |
| Tariff item | 8 | 8517 13 00 | India |
How to classify, step by step
- Identify the section and chapter that seem to fit, using the list of chapters.
- Read the section and chapter notes first. They often exclude goods that the heading name seems to include.
- Pick the heading whose words describe the goods. For sets and mixtures, the General Rules for Interpretation tell you how to decide.
- Go down to the subheading and tariff item, comparing only like with like at each level.
- Check the notification entries and the IGST entries that mention that code.
What a code does not tell you
A code gives a tariff rate. It doesn't say whether the goods need a licence, a test or a label, or whether an anti-dumping duty applies on their country of origin. Those come from other instruments: see other duties on imports and the comparison of ITC-HS and HSN.
The tariff text was read from CBIC chapter files on 2 November 2026, and the Customs Act from the portal copy of 2022, which predates later amendments.