HS code tariff lookup
Type a 6-digit HS code or describe your product. Get the current US base rate, recent actions affecting it, and a plain-English summary. Free, no account.
How HS codes map to tariff rates
Every product traded across borders sits somewhere in the Harmonized System, a shared international numbering scheme. The first 6 digits (HS-6) name the product category, for example 851713 for smartphones. The US then extends this to 8 or 10 digits for its own tariff lines, and each line carries a base duty rate, the normal rate for most trading partners.
On top of the base rate, extra duties can apply from specific trade actions: Section 301 lists, Section 232 duties on steel, aluminum, autos and more, and antidumping or countervailing duty orders. Those extras change often and they stack, so the base rate alone rarely tells the full story. This page shows both: the base rate from the structured schedule, and the recent published actions that may add to it.
This page stays at the HS-6 category level. The exact 8 or 10 digit classification of your goods, and what you owe on a specific entry, is work for you and your licensed customs broker.
Using this data programmatically
One public endpoint, no key. Free tier: 100 lookups per day per IP address. Past the limit you get a 429 and can retry the next day.
GET /api/hs-lookup?hs6=851713 GET /api/hs-lookup?q=smartphones from China
Both return JSON with the HS-6 code, description, base rate block, line table, effective date, source action, summary, and up to 3 related recent actions. For automated agents, a minimal MCP server ships in this repo:
npx ./mcp-server --hs 851713
It exposes one tool, tariff_lookup(hs_code), which calls the endpoint above and returns the same JSON. See mcp-server/README.md for client config.
FAQ
Is this lookup free?
Yes. Every lookup on this page is free and needs no account. Rate monitoring (an email the day a rate changes) is part of the paid plan.
What does DETECTED mean?
Detected means the item was found the same day in a published document, but the structured duty rate is not confirmed yet. It is a heads-up, not settled truth.
What does CONFIRMED mean?
Confirmed means the item matches the official structured tariff schedule. Structured data updates days to weeks after legal changes, so the notice effective date is the legal truth date.
Why only 6 digits?
HS-6 is the international product-category level, and it is the right granularity for watching. Eight and ten digit determinations depend on exact product characteristics and entry specifics. We stay at HS-6 and leave the precise classification to you and your broker.
Where does the rate come from?
The base rate comes from the structured US tariff schedule. Recent actions come from published Federal Register trade notices from the last 30 days. Each result links its official source, and the full result is always free.