HTS Number Duty Rate Lookup: Enter a 10-Digit Code, Get the Rate
Rates resolved live from the machine-readable Harmonized Tariff Schedule (23,193 ten-digit lines across 96 data-bearing chapters, USITC export generated 2026-10-19).
You have a code like 6109.10.00.12 on an invoice. What you actually need is three numbers - what you pay normally, what you pay with a preference claim, and the statutory ceiling - plus the fee floor. This page is the direct-answer path to all of them, and every figure it quotes is resolved from the same dataset our tools query.
What the ten digits mean before you look one up
The first six digits are the international HS heading shared by every trading country; digits seven and eight pin the US subheading; the final two are statistical suffixes unique to the US schedule. That anatomy matters for lookup discipline: searching a six-digit stem returns dozens of ten-digit lines whose rates may differ wildly, so a duty-rate search is only as good as its deepest digit. Our ten-digit suffix guide dissects real families where sibling suffixes span 3% to 163.8% under one heading.
Reading the three rate columns for one code
Take cotton knit T-shirt line 6109.10.00.12 - the same anatomy every line follows:
| Column | Value for 6109.10.00.12 | Who pays it |
|---|---|---|
| General | 16.5% | Any origin without a preference claim |
| Special | Free — 14 partner programs (AU, BH, CL, CO, IL, JO, KR, MA, OM, P, PA, PE, S, SG) | Qualifying FTA-partner shipments with proof of origin |
| Column 2 | 90% | Non-NTR countries (statutory ceiling) |
Values recomputed from the machine-readable schedule behind our HS code browser at generation time. The family splits into 15 statistical siblings under stem 6109.10.00, all reading 16.5%.
From rate to dollars: pricing the shipment
A 16.5% rate on a $10,000 declared value is $1,650 of duty - but the border invoice will be higher: MPF adds the $34.58 FY2027 minimum on formal entries, HMF another 0.125% for ocean freight, and Chapter 99 measures (Section 301, AD/CVD) can dwarf the base rate for China-origin or remedy-covered goods. The landed-cost calculator performs that complete stack from the same code; the lookup gives you the rate line, the calculator prices the box.
Common lookup mistakes that cost real money
- Stopping at eight digits. The stem finds the family; the suffix picks the exact rate line - and filing mismatches trigger entry corrections either way.
- Trusting cached screenshots. Rates move with Presidential proclamations and Chapter 99 actions; price against the current extract.
- Ignoring the Special column. On this very line, a qualifying claim turns 16.5% into Free - run the FTA eligibility checker before assuming.
- Skipping remedies screening. Base rate plus Section 301 is still not the whole story for remedy-covered products; screen the code in the AD/CVD lookup.
Worked examples across the schedule
| Ten-digit line | Description | General rate |
|---|---|---|
| 6109.10.00.12 | T-shirts, knitted, of cotton | 16.5% |
| 8429.11.00 | Track-laying bulldozer machinery (8-digit family head) | Free |
| 0402.99.90.00 | Milk powder, other, in solid form | 46.3¢/kg + 14.9% |
All values resolved from the current extract at generation time; the compound row shows why a "percentage-only" mental model misprices dairy, cheese and many chemical lines.
That compound example is worth a second look: 46.3 cents per kilogram plus 14.9% means the duty depends on how much your shipment weighs, not just what it is worth. Roughly a fifth of the schedule's lines carry some specific or compound component, and quoting them as percentages understates the bill on dense, cheap goods.
The Special column string, decoded safely
The parenthetical after "Free" lists exactly which preference programs carry the reduction on this line - fourteen partner-program symbols plus one-letter Caribbean-preference markers in the example above. Reading it correctly matters commercially: a Free Special rate claimed without a qualifying certificate of origin is an assessment risk, not a discount. Rather than memorizing symbol tables, run the code-and-country pair through the FTA eligibility checker, which decodes the same symbols with eligibility logic attached and cites the governing general note for each.
Programmatic access when lookups need to scale
Teams pricing hundreds of lines a day should not copy-paste codes one at a time. The same dataset behind this page is exposed through the public REST API: anonymous read-only endpoints return ten-digit HTS lines with their General rates plus matching Chapter 99 layers, no key required within fair use, and metered keys exist for teams that want quota accounting. The API reference documents every response field with live examples, and the data vintage is pinned in each response so downstream systems can detect refreshes deterministically.
From lookup to filing: keeping the digits honest
The rate you look up is only as accurate as the code behind it. Customs valuation starts from the transaction value of the merchandise, but the code determines everything downstream - duty rate, remedy exposure, PGA flags, even which partner agency reviews the entry. Importers who classify in haste routinely discover the error at liquidation, when corrections cost more than the original margin. Build the habit early: resolve the full ten-digit line here, verify the suffix against your actual merchandise, and archive the lookup alongside your classification worksheet.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I look up the duty rate for a specific 10-digit HTS code?
- Paste the full ten-digit code into our free HTS lookup - it resolves the line instantly and shows the General (MFN) rate, the Special (FTA-preference) rate and the Column 2 statutory rate side by side. Example: 6109.10.00.12, cotton knit T-shirts, reads 16.5% general, Free under any of 14 partner programs, 90% Column 2. All 23,193 lines of the official schedule are covered, no signup.
- Where can I enter an HTS number and see the landed cost?
- Our tariff calculator takes the same HTS number plus a declared value and origin country, then returns the estimated duty in dollars including stacked Chapter 99 layers and the MPF/HMF fee floor. The lookup tells you the rate; the calculator prices your shipment.
- What is the difference between the General and Special rate for one HTS line?
- General is the statutory MFN rate every WTO partner nominally faces; Special lists the reduced or free rates granted under US free-trade agreements and preference programs, keyed by program symbols - KR for Korea, SG for Singapore and twelve more; Column 2 holds the statutory non-NTR ceiling. You pay the General rate unless your product qualifies for a Special program claim - eligibility, not just the symbol, decides.
- Why does my HTS number show several nearly identical codes?
- The last two digits are statistical suffixes: they split one rate line for trade-data purposes (by size, feature, or grading) while carrying the same duty rate. They still matter - filing the wrong suffix creates entry discrepancies - so match the suffix to your exact merchandise, not just the eight-digit stem.
Sources: USITC Harmonized Tariff Schedule