Getting started with HS code lookup and trade-flow analysis
The HS code is the international commodity classification system: the first six digits are globally harmonized and later digits are country-specific extensions. Use six digits for cross-country comparison and 8–10 digits to pin down a single product line.
How the hierarchy reads
- The first 2 digits are the chapter — e.g. 87 covers vehicles and parts.
- The first 4 digits are the heading — e.g. 8708 is motor-vehicle parts.
- The first 6 digits are the subheading and are globally comparable.
- 8 digits and beyond are national tariff lines — don't compare them across countries.
Choosing digit depth
Use six digits for market sizing — the sample is large and comparable across countries. Use 8–10 digits for prospecting, which narrows "auto parts" down to "brake pads" and cuts irrelevant buyers. If a 10-digit query returns too little, fall back to six digits and filter on product-description keywords instead.
From a code to buyers and suppliers
One code plus one target country lists the companies that actually imported that category in the past 12 months, along with their current suppliers. That beats a purchased list because it comes from filed shipments rather than self-declared business scope.
Try it yourself
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