What is a UK commodity code?

The 10-digit number that classifies goods on a UK customs declaration. The first 6 digits are the worldwide HS code, digits 7 and 8 follow the EU Combined Nomenclature that the UK kept after leaving the EU, and digits 9 and 10 are the UK's own split. The duty rate, import VAT and any licence or quota hang off the full 10 digits.

How do I check whether a commodity code is valid?

Paste the 10 digits above. The checker looks the line up in the UK Integrated Online Tariff data held here and tells you whether it exists, whether it is declarable (some lines are headings that cannot go on a declaration) and what it describes. For the current duty and VAT measures follow the GOV.UK link on the result, because measures change more often than the code list.

Is a commodity code the same as an HS code?

The first 6 digits are. An HS code stops at 6 digits and is the same in every country. A UK commodity code adds 4 more digits that only apply in the UK. If you only have the HS code, open its page here and pick the UK line that matches your product from the United Kingdom section.

What about Northern Ireland?

Goods moving into Northern Ireland are declared under the EU TARIC, which shares the first 8 digits with the UK commodity code but can differ in the last 2 and in the measures. The EU CN lines are shown on each code page next to the UK ones.

Where do I get a code I can rely on legally?

From HMRC, through an Advance Tariff Ruling. It is free, binding for three years and the only answer that protects you if customs disagree later. Use this checker to arrive at a candidate code and read its neighbours first, so the ruling request is precise.

UK Commodity Code Checker - Verify a 10-Digit Commodity Code (Free)

UK commodity code checker

Paste a 10-digit commodity code to see whether it exists in the UK tariff, whether it can go on a declaration, and what it covers. Or type a product name to find the code from scratch.

How a UK commodity code is built

Digits	Layer	Example: 6109 10 00 10
6109 10	HS subheading, shared worldwide	T-shirts and vests, knitted, of cotton
00	Combined Nomenclature split (EU origin, kept by the UK)	No further split at this level
10	UK national split	Men's or boys'

The same first six digits appear on a US HTS number and an EU CN code, which is why every code page on this site starts at the subheading and lists the UK, EU and US lines beneath it. Only the full ten digits carry a UK duty rate.

What the checker does and does not do

It checks the code list, from the UK Integrated Online Tariff published under the Open Government Licence, refreshed weekly. A valid result means the line exists and can be declared.
It does not quote the duty. Rates, import VAT, preferential origin, anti-dumping and quota measures change between the weekly refreshes and depend on origin and date. Every result links to the GOV.UK page where the live measures are shown.
It does not classify for you. Whether your product belongs under that line is a question of material, function and the General Interpretative Rules. Read the neighbouring lines before you settle on one.

Three checks before you use a code

The chapter makes sense. The first two digits name the chapter; a battery charger in chapter 61 (knitted clothing) is a typo, however valid the rest looks.
The line is declarable. Headings that group other lines show up in the tariff but are rejected by CDS at declaration time. The checker marks them.
The measures match your trade. A code can be valid and still carry a licence requirement, an excise measure or a supplementary unit you did not expect. Open the GOV.UK page and read the import measures for your country of origin.

Where codes go wrong

Most rejected declarations come from one of four habits: copying the supplier's export code (their country's extension, not the UK's), reusing a code from before a tariff update, taking the first search hit without reading the "other" lines that follow it, and declaring a TARIC code in Great Britain where the UK tariff diverges in the last two digits. For goods into Northern Ireland the EU TARIC applies instead, and the EU lines on each code page are there for that case.

When to ask HMRC

If the duty at stake is real money, or two lines both seem to fit, apply for an Advance Tariff Ruling. It is free, takes HMRC up to 120 days, and binds both sides for three years. Arrive with a candidate code and the reasoning, which is what this site is for.

Not a customs ruling. Classification is determined by the importing country's customs authority and depends on the exact product. This page is reference information from official published schedules, not legal advice. For a binding decision, request a ruling (US: CBP CROSS · UK: HMRC ATaR · EU: BTI).

UK commodity code checker

How a UK commodity code is built

What the checker does and does not do

Three checks before you use a code

Where codes go wrong

When to ask HMRC

Quick answers