Check the HS code your supplier gives
Check the product, tariff year and country behind a supplier HS code. Use this checklist before reusing it for an EU import.
By Lucas Duys. Published 2026-11-04.
Treat a supplier's HS code as a starting point. Check that it covers the exact goods you will import and the current EU tariff. A code printed on an invoice does not show how the supplier chose it. The classification depends on the goods, the heading text and the relevant notes [1].
Check these facts with the supplier
Send the invoice line and model number with these questions. Ask for documents that identify the goods, not just another code.
| Check | Ask the supplier for |
|---|---|
| Exact product | Model, version and a matching datasheet or photo. |
| Tariff used | Country, tariff year and the full code as used there. |
| Material | Composition and any relevant material percentages. |
| Function | What the product does and how it works. |
| Condition | Whether it arrives complete, unfinished, unassembled or in a set. |
| Reason for the code | The heading description and notes used to choose it. |
If the reply refers to a different model, keep the code unresolved. Ask which facts also apply to the goods on your invoice. A similar product name is not enough to make that link.
Compare the code with the goods
The EU Combined Nomenclature adds detail to the six-digit HS structure and uses eight-digit CN codes. It is updated each year [2]. A supplier's extra digits may belong to another country's tariff. Do not copy them into an EU classification without checking the EU subdivision.
Read the heading and relevant section and chapter notes first. Then compare subheadings at the same level [1]. The code structure guide explains those levels. Finding a matching word in a code search does not finish this check.
Keep the reason with the line
For example, a supplier sends one code for two product variants. Their datasheets show different materials. Record the difference and check whether the tariff distinguishes those materials before reusing either code. This is a review trigger, not a classification result.
Keep the supplier's reply, product evidence, tariff date and reasoning beside the invoice line. Mark any missing fact clearly for the declarant. If the question remains unresolved, the guide to binding tariff information explains the next route to examine.
Sources
- 1Combined Nomenclature 2026, General Rules for interpretation, Official Journal of the European Union, 2025-10-31. Read 2026-11-04.
- 2The Combined Nomenclature, European Commission, Taxation and Customs Union. Read 2026-11-04.
See Athren suggest your product’s code.
Athren suggests codes when the shipment facts are clear. It drafts questions for missing facts. Your declarant reviews the result.
