Harmonized System
Name: Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS, Harmonized System)
Reference: What is the Harmonized System (HS)? by World Customs Organization (WCO).
Need to Act?
- Used by more than 200 countries: list maintained by WCO.
- The set of codes may not be covering all products with economic significance, for instance forest products.
Description
Important for international trade and as a source of income for many countries.
For its use in the determination of customs and excise duties, see the Singapore Trade Classification, Customs & Excise Duties 2012.
Availability
See Position of Contracting Parties to the HS and non-Contracting Party Administrations (Situation as of October 2016).
See also
- https://unstats.un.org/unsd/tradekb/Knowledgebase/50018/Harmonized-Commodity-Description-and-Coding-Systems-HS
- https://www.foreign-trade.com/reference/hscode.htm
Call to Action - #ACT4SDGs
- More countries should adobt the Harmonized System.
- The system should be regularly checked for sufficient coverage (see also Classification in the Interaction Dictionary).