How an HS code is built
| Digits | Level | Example: hex bolts of steel |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Chapter | 73: Articles of iron or steel |
| 4 | Heading | 7318: Screws, bolts, nuts, washers and similar articles |
| 6 | Subheading (international) | 7318.15: Other screws and bolts |
| 8 | India's ITC-HS tariff line | 7318.15.00: other screws and bolts, threaded |
How to find the right code in four steps
- Describe what the product is, not what you call it. Search the material and the function: “cotton shirt”, “steel bolt”, “ground turmeric”.
- Check the heading and chapter shown with each result. If the chapter is wrong, the code is wrong, however close the words look.
- Pick the most specific subheading. Use “other” lines only when nothing more specific fits.
- Confirm the 8-digit line before you ship, and use the same code on your invoice, packing list and shipping bill. A wrong code can mean the wrong duty, a lost trade deal benefit or a held shipment.
Browse by chapter
- : Animals; live
- : Meat and edible meat offal
- : Fish and crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates
- : Dairy produce; birds' eggs; natural honey; edible products of animal origin, not elsewhere specified or included
- : Animal originated products; not elsewhere specified or included
- : Trees and other plants, live; bulbs, roots and the like; cut flowers and ornamental foliage
- : Vegetables and certain roots and tubers; edible
- : Fruit and nuts, edible; peel of citrus fruit or melons
- : Coffee, tea, mate and spices
- : Cereals
- : Products of the milling industry; malt, starches, inulin, wheat gluten
- : Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits; miscellaneous grains, seeds and fruit, industrial or medicinal plants; straw and fodder
- : Lac; gums, resins and other vegetable saps and extracts
- : Vegetable plaiting materials; vegetable products not elsewhere specified or included
- : Animal, vegetable or microbial fats and oils and their cleavage products; prepared edible fats; animal or vegetable waxes
- : Meat, fish, crustaceans, molluscs or other aquatic invertebrates, or insects; preparations thereof
- : Sugars and sugar confectionery
- : Cocoa and cocoa preparations
- : Preparations of cereals, flour, starch or milk; pastrycooks' products
- : Preparations of vegetables, fruit, nuts or other parts of plants
- : Miscellaneous edible preparations
- : Beverages, spirits and vinegar
- : Food industries, residues and wastes thereof; prepared animal fodder
- : Tobacco and manufactured tobacco substitutes; products, whether or not containing nicotine, intended for inhalation without combustion; other nicotine containing products intended for the intake of nicotine into the human body
- : Salt; sulphur; earths, stone; plastering materials, lime and cement
- : Ores, slag and ash
- : Mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their distillation; bituminous substances; mineral waxes
- : Inorganic chemicals; organic and inorganic compounds of precious metals; of rare earth metals, of radio-active elements and of isotopes
- : Organic chemicals
- : Pharmaceutical products
- : Fertilizers
- : Tanning or dyeing extracts; tannins and their derivatives; dyes, pigments and other colouring matter; paints, varnishes; putty, other mastics; inks
- : Essential oils and resinoids; perfumery, cosmetic or toilet preparations
- : Soap, organic surface-active agents; washing, lubricating, polishing or scouring preparations; artificial or prepared waxes, candles and similar articles, modelling pastes, dental waxes and dental preparations with a basis of plaster
- : Albuminoidal substances; modified starches; glues; enzymes
- : Explosives; pyrotechnic products; matches; pyrophoric alloys; certain combustible preparations
- : Photographic or cinematographic goods
- : Chemical products n.e.c.
- : Plastics and articles thereof
- : Rubber and articles thereof
- : Raw hides and skins (other than furskins) and leather
- : Articles of leather; saddlery and harness; travel goods, handbags and similar containers; articles of animal gut (other than silk-worm gut)
- : Furskins and artificial fur; manufactures thereof
- : Wood and articles of wood; wood charcoal
- : Cork and articles of cork
- : Manufactures of straw, esparto or other plaiting materials; basketware and wickerwork
- : Pulp of wood or other fibrous cellulosic material; recovered (waste and scrap) paper or paperboard
- : Paper and paperboard; articles of paper pulp, of paper or paperboard
- : Printed books, newspapers, pictures and other products of the printing industry; manuscripts, typescripts and plans
- : Silk
- : Wool, fine or coarse animal hair; horsehair yarn and woven fabric
- : Cotton
- : Vegetable textile fibres; paper yarn and woven fabrics of paper yarn
- : Man-made filaments; strip and the like of man-made textile materials
- : Man-made staple fibres
- : Wadding, felt and nonwovens, special yarns; twine, cordage, ropes and cables and articles thereof
- : Carpets and other textile floor coverings
- : Fabrics; special woven fabrics, tufted textile fabrics, lace, tapestries, trimmings, embroidery
- : Textile fabrics; impregnated, coated, covered or laminated; textile articles of a kind suitable for industrial use
- : Fabrics; knitted or crocheted
- : Apparel and clothing accessories; knitted or crocheted
- : Apparel and clothing accessories; not knitted or crocheted
- : Textiles, made up articles; sets; worn clothing and worn textile articles; rags
- : Footwear; gaiters and the like; parts of such articles
- : Headgear and parts thereof
- : Umbrellas, sun umbrellas, walking-sticks, seat sticks, whips, riding crops; and parts thereof
- : Feathers and down, prepared; and articles made of feather or of down; artificial flowers; articles of human hair
- : Stone, plaster, cement, asbestos, mica or similar materials; articles thereof
- : Ceramic products
- : Glass and glassware
- : Natural, cultured pearls; precious, semi-precious stones; precious metals, metals clad with precious metal, and articles thereof; imitation jewellery; coin
- : Iron and steel
- : Iron or steel articles
- : Copper and articles thereof
- : Nickel and articles thereof
- : Aluminium and articles thereof
- : Lead and articles thereof
- : Zinc and articles thereof
- : Tin; articles thereof
- : Metals; n.e.c., cermets and articles thereof
- : Tools, implements, cutlery, spoons and forks, of base metal; parts thereof, of base metal
- : Metal; miscellaneous products of base metal
- : Machinery and mechanical appliances, boilers, nuclear reactors; parts thereof
- : Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof; sound recorders and reproducers; television image and sound recorders and reproducers, parts and accessories of such articles
- : Railway, tramway locomotives, rolling-stock and parts thereof; railway or tramway track fixtures and fittings and parts thereof; mechanical (including electro-mechanical) traffic signalling equipment of all kinds
- : Vehicles; other than railway or tramway rolling stock, and parts and accessories thereof
- : Aircraft, spacecraft, and parts thereof
- : Ships, boats and floating structures
- : Optical, photographic, cinematographic, measuring, checking, medical or surgical instruments and apparatus; parts and accessories
- : Clocks and watches and parts thereof
- : Musical instruments; parts and accessories of such articles
- : Arms and ammunition; parts and accessories thereof
- : Furniture; bedding, mattresses, mattress supports, cushions and similar stuffed furnishings; lamps and lighting fittings, n.e.c.; illuminated signs, illuminated name-plates and the like; prefabricated buildings
- : Toys, games and sports requisites; parts and accessories thereof
- : Miscellaneous manufactured articles
- : Works of art; collectors' pieces and antiques
- : Commodities not specified according to kind
Common questions
What is an HSN code?
HSN stands for Harmonized System of Nomenclature, the international product classification run by the World Customs Organization. The first 6 digits are the same in almost every country. India adds 2 more digits to make the 8-digit ITC-HS code used on shipping bills, bills of entry and GST invoices.
What is the difference between HS, HSN and ITC-HS codes?
They are the same system at different lengths. HS is the international 6-digit code. HSN is the common Indian name for it. ITC-HS is India's 8-digit version published by DGFT for exports and imports, and the customs tariff uses the same 8 digits.
How many digits do I need on an export invoice?
Use the full 8-digit ITC-HS code on the shipping bill and on your export invoice, so they match. On GST tax invoices, businesses with turnover up to ₹5 crore show at least 4 digits and larger businesses at least 6 digits.
Why does my buyer's country use a different code?
Only the first 6 digits are international. The UK and the US add digits to make 10-digit commodity codes, and the EU uses 8-digit CN and 10-digit TARIC codes. Give your buyer the 6-digit HS code and let them confirm their national line.
Can I rely on this finder for customs?
Use it to find the right chapter, heading and 8-digit line quickly. Classification depends on what the product is made of and what it does, and tariff lines change with each Finance Act, so confirm the line with the DGFT ITC (HS) schedule or your customs broker before you file.
Is my product free to export?
Most goods are 'Free' to export from India, but some need a licence (Restricted), go only through state trading enterprises, or cannot be exported (Prohibited). The finder shows the policy for chapters 40 to 98 from DGFT's 2024 draft 8-digit export schedule. Check DGFT's current Schedule-II before shipping anything marked restricted or prohibited, and for chapters 1 to 39.
What does the ministry next to each code mean?
In December 2025 DPIIT mapped every 8-digit HS code to the ministry or department responsible for it, such as the Ministry of Textiles or the Department of Pharmaceuticals. It tells you which part of government makes policy for your product, runs its schemes and quality rules, and represents it in trade negotiations.
Found your code? Price the shipment
Corridor Terminal turns a product and a trade lane into a full landed cost, duty included, then a quote and proforma invoice.
Open the landed cost calculatorFirst shipment guideSources: India's 8-digit lines and nodal ministries from the DPIIT Guidebook on Mapping of Harmonized System of Nomenclature (HSN) Codes, December 2025. International HS 2022 nomenclature from the World Customs Organization via UN Comtrade (open data). Plain-English names are Corridor Terminal's own.