Monkeys and Harmonized Tariff Schedule

If classifying product within the harmonized tariff schedule was so easy that a monkey could do it, where are all those monkey classifiers? Fact is, classifying product correctly takes a certain amount of expertise. There are 21 sections, 96 chapters, 1,228 headings (4 digit codes) and 5,612 sub-headings (6 digit HS codes). Countries like the U.S. expand these 6 digit codes for a more detailed classification and getting it right the first time is essential to ensure that the supply chain is compliant.