Customs Release: HS Code Interpretation and Domestic and Foreign Code Search

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Industry Encyclopedia

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Time of issue：

2025-05-29 17:11

In international trade, HS codes have both a globally common "commonality" in the first six digits and a nationally different "personality" in the extended digits. Therefore, foreign trade enterprises, especially those mainly engaged in exports, must not only master China's commodity codes but also study the HS coding system of the target country/region to ensure accurate commodity classification and avoid trade risks caused by coding differences.

ASEAN is short for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), established on August 8, 1967, in Bangkok, Thailand. As of May 2025, ASEAN has 10 member states: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar, and Vietnam.

Since the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area ( CAFTA ) was fully established, economic and trade exchanges between China and ASEAN have become increasingly close. In 2024, China's total trade value with ASEAN reached 698.99 billion yuan, making them each other's largest trading partners for five consecutive years.

ASEAN countries HS code have uniformly adopted the ASEAN Harmonised Tariff Nomenclature (AHTN). The first eight digits of the HS codes used by all ASEAN member countries are the same. Therefore, we only need to know the HS code of a certain commodity in one ASEAN country to know the corresponding eight-digit HS code in other ASEAN countries.

The bilateral trade volume between Vietnam and China has been among the top in ASEAN for many years. Furthermore, the HS code query channel provided on the Vietnam Customs website is relatively convenient. Next, we will take white chocolate as an example to see how to query its eight-digit HS code in ASEAN countries through the official website of the Vietnamese Customs.

Enter the Vietnam Customs website You can select the language in the upper right corner; the British flag icon represents English. Click the "Tariff - HS code" link below the icon to enter the HS code query page.

White chocolate is not listed separately in China's tariff schedule and is classified under "Other sugar confectionery not containing cocoa" as 1704900000, i.e., the first six digits of the commodity code are 170490. These six digits are universally used worldwide. Therefore, enter 170490 in the search box and check the options below: Preferential import, Asean - China (ACFTA), Hiệp định RCEP: Trung Quốc, and Normal import. After entering the verification code, click the search button.

The results appear below the search button. Vietnam (ASEAN) has a separate HS code for white chocolate: 17049020. The tariff rates for white chocolate in Vietnam are: preferential rate 20%, China-ASEAN FTA rate 0%, RCEP (China) rate 12%, and normal rate 30%.

The European Union (EU) is a regional integration organization that combines political and economic entities and has significant global influence. It currently has 27 member states, including Germany, France, and Italy, encompassing most European countries.

In 2024, China's total trade value with the EU reached 559.15 billion yuan, ranking second among trading partners, after ASEAN. The EU adopts a "customs union" measure, eliminating tariffs and quantitative restrictions on commodity trade among member states, allowing goods to flow freely among them. The customs union also adopts uniform tariff rates and trade policies for imports from outside the union; regardless of which member state the goods enter, the same tariff will be levied.

The European Commission's Customs Union has its official website. After entering, select "Online services and databases for Customs" under the "Online services" section at the top. Click the "TARIC - EU Customs Tariff" link on the new page to enter the EU's HS code query interface.

Enter the first six digits of the white chocolate code, 170490, in the "Goods code" section and click the "Retrieve Measures" button below to see all the complete HS codes under item 170490 in the EU.

It is not difficult to find that Europe's preference for sweets is also reflected in the EU's HS codes: 170490 (other sugar confectionery not containing cocoa) is subdivided into many extended HS codes in the EU, with licorice candy, hard candy, and toffee having separate listings. White chocolate also has a separate listing, specifically 17049030.

Trade between China and Japan has always been close. In 2024, Japan was among China's top ten trading partners and Ningbo port's top ten trading partners.

After entering the Japanese Customs website, click the "Tariff Schedule" link in the "Reference Information" section of the "Pickup" area in the middle of the website. On the left side of the new page, select the tariff schedule with the latest date.

The first six digits of the HS code for white chocolate are 170490, which is in Chapter 17, so open the corresponding link.

The complete HS code for white chocolate was found under item 170490, specifically 170490230.

In recent years, with the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement signing, the import and export value between China and India, especially the export value, has seen rapid growth. In 2024, China's total export trade value to India was 857.4 billion yuan, ranking eighth among trading partners; while Ningbo port's export trade value to India was 74.6 billion yuan, ranking fourth among trading partners.

After entering the Indian Customs website, select "Customs" in the left menu, and then click the "Customs Duty Calculator" link in the " Online Services " area on the right.

After entering the verification code, click "Trade Guide on Imports" on the page that appears.

This will bring up the Indian HS code query interface. Enter the first six digits of the white chocolate HS code, 170490, in the "CTH" field and click the Search button below to see all the corresponding HS code information.

It can be seen that in India's HS code system, soft candy, hard candy, and toffee each have their own independent codes, but white chocolate does not. Therefore, white chocolate should be classified under "other sugar confectionery" as 17049090.

END

As a universal language in international trade, a thorough understanding of the HS code system is crucial for foreign trade enterprises to reduce trade costs, improve customs clearance efficiency, and avoid classification risks. Especially in the current complex and ever-changing international trade environment, only by deeply understanding the "sameness" and "differences" of HS codes in various countries and accurately grasping the key differences can enterprises steadily advance in fierce market competition.