Trade Classification for Global Commerce

Trade Classification for Global Commerce

TL;DR: Every product crossing a border needs a code. HS, UNSPSC, ECCN, HTS, CN, TARIC - six systems for one shipment. WorldOfTaxonomy connects all trade classification systems so you can search, translate, and find gaps in one place.

The trade classification landscape

graph TB
  subgraph Global["Global Standards"]
    HS["HS 2022\n6,960 codes"]
    UNSPSC["UNSPSC v24\n77,337 codes"]
    CPC["CPC v2.1\n4,596 codes"]
    SITC["SITC Rev 4\n77 codes"]
    BEC["BEC Rev 5\n29 codes"]
  end
  subgraph US["United States"]
    HTS["HTS\nUS tariff"]
    SCHB["Schedule B\nUS exports"]
    ECCN["ECCN\nExport controls"]
  end
  subgraph EU["European Union"]
    CN["CN 2024\nCombined Nomenclature"]
    TARIC["TARIC\nIntegrated tariff"]
  end
  subgraph Regional["Regional Blocs"]
    AHTN["AHTN\nASEAN"]
    NCM["NCM\nMERCOSUR"]
    AFCFTA["AfCFTA\nAfrica"]
    GCC["GCC CET\nGulf States"]
  end
  HS --> HTS
  HS --> SCHB
  HS --> CN
  CN --> TARIC
  HS --> AHTN
  HS --> NCM
  HS --> AFCFTA
  HS --> GCC

Six codes, one product

A US exporter shipping lithium-ion batteries to Germany needs:

graph LR
  PROD["Lithium-Ion\nBatteries"] --> SCHB["Schedule B\nUS export declaration"]
  PROD --> HTS2["HTS\nif re-imported"]
  PROD --> HS2["HS\ninternational"]
  PROD --> CN2["CN/TARIC\nEU customs entry"]
  PROD --> ECCN2["ECCN\nexport license check"]
  PROD --> UNSPSC2["UNSPSC\nprocurement system"]
  style PROD fill:#E11D48,color:#fff

Some are derived from HS (Schedule B, HTS, CN) but with different extensions. Others (UNSPSC, ECCN) use entirely different classification logic.

HS as the hub

The Harmonized System is maintained by the World Customs Organization and used by 200+ countries. It is the de facto hub for all trade classification crosswalks.

graph TD
  HS["HS 2022\n(global hub)"]
  HTS3["HTS (US)"] --> HS
  CN3["CN (EU)"] --> HS
  AHTN3["AHTN (ASEAN)"] --> HS
  NCM3["NCM (MERCOSUR)"] --> HS
  AFCFTA3["AfCFTA (Africa)"] --> HS
  GCC3["GCC CET (Gulf)"] --> HS
  ECOWAS3["ECOWAS CET"] --> HS
  UKTARIFF["UK Trade Tariff"] --> HS

National tariff schedules extend HS with additional digits. The first 6 digits of any national code map back to the HS system. Translation between national tariff schedules routes through HS:

HTS (US) -> HS 2022 -> CN (EU) -> TARIC (EU with trade measures)

Search across all trade systems

curl "https://wot.aixcelerator.ai/api/v1/search?q=lithium+battery&grouped=true"

Returns matching codes across HS, UNSPSC, Schedule B, HTS, ECCN, and other systems in one response.

Translate between systems

curl "https://wot.aixcelerator.ai/api/v1/systems/hs_2022/nodes/8507.60/translations"

Find gaps in coverage

curl "https://wot.aixcelerator.ai/api/v1/diff?a=hs_2022&b=unspsc_v24"

Compliance use cases

Products classified as civilian under HS might fall under export controls in ECCN. The graph surfaces these cross-system connections that are invisible when looking at each system in isolation.

Regional tariff systems

All HS-based, all with regional extensions and preferential rate structures. Having them in the same graph as HS makes it possible to trace classification from the global level down to the regional and national levels.