Schedule B Lookup: Find Your Export Code and When HTS Works

Key Points

• A Schedule B number is a ten-digit export classification code, and its first six digits come from the Harmonized System.
• The Census Bureau's Schedule B search tool is the official place to look up the number for an exported product.
• Export data is reported through Electronic Export Information (EEI) filed in the Automated Export System (AES) under the Foreign Trade Regulations, 15 CFR part 30.
• An HTS number may be substituted on an export filing, except where Census lists that HTS number as not valid for export.
• Always confirm the six-digit heading first, because that part is shared with the HTS and most foreign tariff schedules.

On this page

1. How a Schedule B number is built
2. Schedule B lookup walk-through for one product
3. When you can use the HTS number instead
4. When an export filing is required
5. Common lookup mistakes
6. What importers should do
7. Key references

To find a Schedule B number, search your product description in the Census Bureau Schedule B search tool, follow the results down to the most specific ten-digit line that fits, and use that number on your export filing. You may use the matching HTS number instead, unless Census lists it as not valid for export.

The links in this article go to the primary documents: the regulations, agency pages, and official tariff schedule pages themselves. Read the source.

How a Schedule B number is built

A Schedule B number has ten digits. The structure works like this:

• First six digits: the Harmonized System (HS) heading and subheading, the same international framework behind the Harmonized Tariff Schedule and most foreign tariff schedules.
• Last four digits: the U.S. statistical breakdown that Census uses to track exports.

Because the first six digits are shared, a correct HS classification carries across your import and export paperwork. The last four digits are where the export and import schedules can diverge. For a side-by-side comparison, see HTS vs Schedule B: Which Number Goes on Import and Export Filings.

Schedule B lookup walk-through for one product

Take a stainless steel, vacuum-insulated water bottle with a screw-on lid, sold at retail. Here is how a lookup runs.

Step 1: Describe the product by what it is and what it is made of

Write down the material, the function, and the form. Here that is: stainless steel, vacuum insulated, drinking bottle, household use. Skip brand names and marketing terms.

Step 2: Search with plain keywords

Enter terms such as "vacuum bottle" or "insulated bottle" in the Census search tool. If the first term returns nothing useful, try the product's function or the material. Different keywords surface different branches of the schedule.

Step 3: Read the hierarchy, not just the top hit

Open the candidate result and read the chapter, the heading, and the indented lines above it. Check that your product matches the heading text and is not excluded by a chapter or section note. Vacuum-insulated vessels, for example, are usually handled differently from ordinary metal tableware, so the heading wording matters.

Step 4: Choose the most specific ten-digit line

Under the right six-digit subheading, pick the ten-digit line that fits your product. Many headings end in an "other" line, so use it only when no more specific line applies.

Step 5: Record your reasoning

Save the search terms, the chosen number, and a short note on why it fits. If you are asked later why you reported that code, you have the answer in one place.

When you can use the HTS number instead

An HTS number may be substituted on an export filing, with one exception: Census lists certain HTS numbers as not valid for export. If your HTS number is not on that list, it is acceptable to report it in place of the Schedule B number.

This is useful when you already classified the product for import or for a supplier's records and want a single code. Before you rely on it:

• Confirm the HTS number is a full ten digits and is not flagged as invalid for export by Census.
• Make sure the HTS line describes the product as you export it, in its current condition.
• Keep your internal classification record consistent, so one product is not coded two different ways without a reason.

When in doubt, run the Schedule B lookup. It takes a few minutes and removes the question.

When an export filing is required

The Foreign Trade Regulations, 15 CFR part 30, govern export reporting. Where a filing is required, the exporter or its authorized agent submits EEI through the Automated Export System (AES). The Schedule B (or accepted HTS) number is a core data element of that filing, along with the value, quantity, destination, and parties.

Not every shipment needs EEI. Whether one is required depends on factors such as the value of the goods under a given commodity number, whether the shipment needs an export license, and the destination. Read the regulation itself, or the Census Foreign Trade Regulations page, to see how your shipments are treated rather than assuming a rule of thumb.

Common lookup mistakes

• Stopping at the first search hit. The top result may match a keyword but not the product.
• Using an import classification without checking. The six digits usually match, but the final four may not.
• Ignoring the "other" trap. A residual line is correct only if no named line fits.
• Classifying by the supplier's description. Classify the item as shipped, not as listed on a catalog page.
• Not revisiting codes. Schedules are revised, so a number that worked in the past should be rechecked against the current Census tool.

Exporters who also recover duties on exported goods should keep classification consistent across both workflows. See How to Apply for Duty Drawback: ACE Claim, Privileges, Records for how records connect.

What importers should do

• Run every new export product through the Census Schedule B search tool and save your search terms and reasoning.
• If you substitute an HTS number, check that Census does not list it as not valid for export.
• Compare your export code with your import classification for the same product, and document any difference in the last four digits.
• Check the Foreign Trade Regulations to confirm which of your shipments need EEI in AES.

Key references

• Census Bureau Schedule B: the official search tool and schedule for export classification numbers.
• Census Foreign Trade Regulations: Census's page on export reporting rules and guidance.
• 15 CFR part 30: the Foreign Trade Regulations covering EEI filing in AES.
• Harmonized Tariff Schedule: the official U.S. import tariff schedule, whose first six digits match Schedule B.
• HTS vs Schedule B: Which Number Goes on Import and Export Filings: the companion explainer on the two numbering systems.