Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about Dutycode and HS code classification.
A Harmonized System (HS) code is a 6-digit international product code used by customs authorities in over 200 countries to classify goods for import and export. They determine which duties and taxes apply to your shipment.
Since the US eliminated its de minimis exemption threshold in early 2025, all goods shipped into the US now require HS codes — even small parcels. The EU and UK have required them for cross-border declarations for years. Without accurate codes, shipments can be held at customs, returned, or fined.
Dutycode sends your product information (title, description, product type, vendor, and tags) to Claude AI by Anthropic, which generates a 6-digit HS code along with a confidence score and plain-English rationale explaining why that code applies. It then looks up the country-specific extensions — EU CN8, UK commodity code, US HTS code — from our local database of 51,000+ codes.
Products receiving 80%+ confidence are typically reliable for most standard goods. We recommend reviewing any result below 70% with a licensed customs broker before using it in formal import/export declarations. Every classification includes a rationale field explaining the reasoning so you can verify it yourself.
Yes. When you classify products, Dutycode writes the HS code to the customs.hs_code product metafield on each classified product (namespace: customs, key: hs_code). The Shopify CSV export format can be imported directly into Shopify Taxes & Duties.
Three formats: standard CSV (for customs brokers and freight forwarders), Shopify CSV (compatible with Shopify Taxes & Duties import), and colour-coded Excel (for internal review or sharing with logistics partners).
No. Dutycode only reads your product catalog — titles, descriptions, types, tags, and vendor. It never accesses orders, customers, payment data, or any personal information about your buyers.
Currently EU (CN8 8-digit codes), UK (commodity codes), and US (HTS 10-digit codes). More markets are planned.
If the AI-generated HS code doesn't exist in our tariff database, the confidence score is capped at 60% and a note is added to the rationale. This helps you identify codes that need manual review before use.
Dutycode monitors EU, UK, and US tariff databases for updates. When the tariff database is refreshed, you receive an email notification so you can review and re-classify any affected products. Products classified before the latest tariff update are marked with a stale badge in your dashboard.
All data is stored in the EU (Railway europe-west4 / Google Cloud Belgium). We use encrypted connections (TLS) for all data in transit. We never sell or share your data with third parties except as described in our Privacy Policy.
You can uninstall Dutycode from your Shopify admin at any time. Your plan cancels at the end of the current billing period. All your data is deleted within 30 days of uninstall.
Email support@dutycode.app — we respond within 1 business day.