Where to check a fact before you order

What it is

The US tariff schedule: every heading, the duty rate attached to it, and the notes that decide which rate applies.

When you need it

Before you ask for a landed cost on an import, and before you accept the HS code a supplier gives you. This is the source, not a summary of it.

Have this ready

Fibre content (e.g. 100% cotton), knit or woven, garment type, gender, and whether it is a singlet or a t-shirt.

Search by keyword, then read the chapter notes — the notes often change the answer more than the heading does.

What it is

Searchable database of rulings US Customs has issued on real products. If something similar has been ruled on, that ruling is the strongest evidence you can hand a broker.

When you need it

When two people disagree about a classification, or when your product is unusual — a blend, a garment-dyed finish, a lined body.

Have this ready

A plain description of the goods in trade language, plus any similar ruling number you have already found.

A ruling on a similar garment is persuasive, not binding, for your shipment. It is still better than an opinion.

What it is

Entry requirements, importer obligations, broker licensing, de minimis rules and the forms an entry needs.

When you need it

Your first import, or the first time you consider declaring a value different from the invoice.

Have this ready

Nothing — read first. The undervaluation section is the one to read before anyone suggests it.

Written for importers of record, which is what you become the moment your name is on the entry.

What it is

The EU equivalent: classification, duty rates, anti-dumping measures and import controls by member state.

When you need it

Any shipment landing in the EU. The UK, EU and US do not classify or rate apparel identically.

Have this ready

The same specification list as for HTS, plus the destination country.

If you sell into several EU countries, the rate is the same but the VAT treatment and labelling language requirements are not.

What it is

The US rules on fibre content, country of origin and care labelling — the document to read is "Threading Your Way Through the Labeling Requirements Under the Textile and Wool Acts".

When you need it

Before you approve a care label or a private-label neck label for the US market. This is the one place where a mistake is a compliance problem rather than a design problem.

Have this ready

The fibre composition of the actual fabric, not the one on the supplier’s marketing sheet.

FTC blocks some non-US traffic, so the page may not open from outside the US. If it does not, ask your US contact to pull the document, or use a US-based browser.

What it is

Market-by-market guides: import requirements, labelling, standards and distribution practice, written by US commercial staff in each country.

When you need it

Entering a market you have not shipped to. It tells you what will be asked for at the border before you find out the hard way.

Have this ready

The destination country and the product category.

Useful for the questions that are not about duty: labelling, testing, packaging and who the buyers are.