Tariff Classification, the right code, defended.
Your commodity code decides your duty rate, your controls and your licences, and getting it wrong can costs you for years. Gaston Schul classifies your goods, backs the code with Binding Tariff Information where it helps, and corrects the ones that are wrong, across Europe under one operating model.
CLASSIFICATION EXPLAINED
What tariff classification is, and why the code rules everything.
Tariff classification is assigning your goods the correct commodity code, the number customs uses to set your duty rate, import VAT, controls and licences. Done well, it means classifying what the goods actually are, not what the invoice says they are. Looking a code up in a tool is the easy part; choosing the right one when a product could sit in two headings, and defending it if customs disagrees, is the work, classification as a service, not a search box.
OUR SERVICES
Classification, done properly.
One independent partner to classify your goods, prove the code, and fix the ones that are wrong, under one operating model across Europe.
Your products are classified to the correct commodity (HS) code, with the reasoning recorded, so the duty rate, controls and licences that follow are right from the start.
Where certainty matters, we apply for a Binding Tariff Information ruling, a decision that is legally binding on customs across the EU, so your code cannot be challenged shipment by shipment.
Your existing codes are checked systematically against your products, so misclassifications are found before an audit finds them, and corrected.
Where a code is wrong, we reclassify the product and put the correction to customs, with the record to support it.
We check whether your goods attract anti-dumping, countervailing or safeguard duties, so a surprise charge never lands at the border.
For large or changing catalogues, we classify and maintain your product master data, so every new line is coded consistently, not guessed.
WHY IT MATTERS
One number. Four consequences.
The commodity code looks like an administrative detail. It is the single line on a declaration that decides the most.
- It sets your duty rate. The code determines the percentage you pay. A product sitting one heading away can carry a materially different rate, and you pay the difference on every shipment.
- It triggers controls and licences. Whether your goods need a licence, a certificate, or fall under export controls is decided by the code. Get it wrong and you either over-comply or, worse, miss a control. And the pain is not only an audit later: a wrong code can stop your goods at the border today, where they sit accruing demurrage and storage charges while you fix the paperwork and your customer waits.
- It scopes CBAM, EUDR and anti-dumping. Whether new rules like CBAM and EUDR apply to your product, and whether anti-dumping duty bites, is read off the code first. Misclassify and you misjudge your exposure.
- It is the first thing an audit checks. Misclassification is the most common finding in a customs audit, and customs can look back three years, longer where an offence is involved. In our experience, the codes that cause trouble are the ones nobody has reviewed since the product launched.
The combination of onsite support and deep customs knowledge makes Gaston Schul an invaluable partner. Their tailored support helps us turn regulatory requirements into workable solutions.
Four steps.
One classification you can defend.
From the product in front of us to a code that holds up, on every shipment and in an audit.
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1
Understand the product
What the product actually is, in technical detail.
- Materials, function, composition and how the product is used
- The technical detail that decides a borderline heading
- Your existing codes gathered for review
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2
Determine the code
The right heading, with the reasoning written down.
- The General Rules of Interpretation applied, not guesswork
- Borderline cases resolved and the choice justified
- Controls, licences and duty rate confirmed against the code
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3
Secure it
Certainty where it is worth having.
- Binding Tariff Information (BTI) applied for where it helps
- Corrections lodged with customs where a code was wrong
- Overpaid duty reclaimed within the time limits
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4
Maintain
Classification that keeps up with your catalogue.
- New products classified consistently as they launch
- Codes reviewed when the tariff or the rules change
RELATED SERVICES
Where classification connects.
Duty Optimisation
Correct classification is the first lever of duty saving. We turn the right code into a lower duty bill, and reclaim what you have overpaid.
Trade Agreements & Origin
The code sets the duty rate; origin can lower it further. Prove preferential origin and claim the rate your goods qualify for.
Trade Compliance
Classification underpins your controls, licences and screening. Keep it right and your compliance holds.
Authorisations & Licensing
Correct codes underpin the authorisations and special procedures your operation runs on.
Import Declarations
The code is checked before every import declaration is filed, so errors are caught before the border, not after.
Customs Technology
Classify and maintain your product master data in one place, so every line is coded consistently.
RESOURCES
Guides & Downloads
Downloadable guides, checklists, insights and tools delivered straight to your mailbox.
Download your Duty Refund guide
RELATED NEWS
Customs & Trade. Controlled.
Gaston Schul does more than assign a code. We connect it all and run it as one. That is what one full-service operating model gives you, across all your customs and trade in Europe: the clarity of a code you can defend, the control it gives over your duty, and the confidence that an audit holds no surprises.
GET IN TOUCH
From classification questions to clear answers.
Tell us what you import and we will tell you whether your codes are right, and what it means for your duty. No obligation, just a clear answer from someone who knows customs.
Tariff classification FAQs
Tariff classification: frequently asked questions
Tariff classification is assigning your goods the correct commodity code under the Harmonized System, the number customs uses to set your duty rate, import VAT, controls and licences. It is the first decision in every declaration, and Gaston Schul classifies your goods, records the reasoning, and stands behind the code.
You either overpay or underpay, on every shipment, until it is found. Underpay and customs can recover the difference and add a penalty, looking back three years and longer where an offence is involved. Overpay and the money is simply gone unless you reclaim it. A wrong code is rarely a one-off cost, which is why reviewing them pays off.
Often, yes, and that is exactly where classification gets difficult. A product can appear to fit two headings, and the right one is decided by the General Rules of Interpretation, the material, the function and how it is used. We resolve the borderline cases and record why, so the choice holds if customs asks.
A BTI is a ruling from customs that is legally binding on them across the EU, usually for three years. It is worth having when a code is high-value, borderline or challenged, because it removes the argument shipment by shipment. We tell you where a BTI is worth the effort and apply for it, and where it is not needed.
No, and this catches people out. The EU (and Northern Ireland) issues Binding Tariff Information (BTI); Great Britain issues its own Advance Tariff Ruling (ATaR) since Brexit. A code can be the same, but the ruling that protects it is a separate application in each. We handle both sides so your classification is secured wherever you trade.
Often, yes, within the time limits. Where a review finds a product was on too high a code, we correct it and file the repayment claim to recover the overpaid duty. The sooner it is found, the more of the refund is still in time.
Yes. Our own teams cover 14 European markets, with an alliance network reaching further, all under one operating model, so your products are classified to one consistent standard across Europe rather than differently in each country.
B
A tool returns a code; it does not stand behind it. A law firm will give you an opinion and leave you to apply it. We classify, lodge the BTI, correct the declarations and defend the code in an audit. And we are independent, privately owned, with no parent company over us and no outside shareholders, so the answer serves your business, not a sales target.