HS code, CN code and TARIC code: what is the difference?

Last updated 26 August 2026

People often use HS code, commodity code and TARIC code as if they mean the same thing. They belong to the same classification family, but the number of digits tells you how far the classification has gone.

Name	Digits	What it does
HS subheading	6	International product classification under the Harmonized System
CN code	8	EU classification for customs duty and trade statistics
TARIC code	10	EU code used with the integrated tariff measures

HS code

The Harmonized System is maintained internationally by the World Customs Organization. The first six digits create a common product language used by many customs territories. That makes an HS code useful for trade data and an early product search, but six digits are often not enough for an EU customs declaration.

CN code

The EU Combined Nomenclature develops the HS structure to eight digits. The Commission publishes an updated version every year. CN classification determines the conventional duty rate and supports EU trade statistics. A code copied from an old declaration can therefore be wrong even when the product has not changed.

TARIC code

TARIC adds two more digits and brings the code together with EU measures. Those measures can include tariff preferences, quotas, suspensions, anti dumping duties, safeguards, licences, prohibitions and document codes. TARIC is updated daily and does not include national VAT or excise rates.

What does commodity code mean?

Commodity code is a broad working term. In an EU import discussion it may refer to the eight digit CN code, the ten digit TARIC code or an even more detailed national extension. Ask how many digits are required and which declaration system will receive the code. That removes much of the ambiguity.

A safer lookup process

Write down what the product is, what it does, what it is made from and how it is presented at import.
Read the relevant section notes, chapter notes and classification rules. A search result is a starting point, not the legal reasoning.
Select the current eight digit CN code, then inspect the full TARIC measures for the origin and declaration date.
Keep the product evidence and reasoning with the master data. Record why similar looking alternatives were rejected.
Consider Binding Tariff Information when a material or recurring classification needs legal certainty.

Three common mistakes

Using a supplier code without checking it. The supplier may be using another country's tariff extension or describing a different product specification.
Stopping at six digits. The EU subdivisions can change the rate or measures that apply.
Treating a code as permanent. Nomenclatures and product facts change. Classification records need dates and version control.

Official sources

The product itself must support the code. A code finder cannot replace specifications, classification rules and a review of the measures that applied on the declaration date.