HS Classification (v2)
Objective and outcome
The HS Classification lens assigns each product in your workspace a Harmonized System code, with the reasoning behind it saved to the record. A confirmed HS code is the foundation for every other lens, since Country of Origin, Section 232, free trade agreements, and Duties all read it.
You can accept classification suggestions from Trade Readiness as you work a product through all its attributes. This lens exists for the other mode of work: when you have a large number of classifications to clear and want a focused surface built for that volume. The outcome is every product classified, with the code and its justification on file and defensible.
Before you start
You need a workspace with an import destination and products loaded. Nothing else is a prerequisite. HS codes are an output of this lens, not something you have to supply.
Required data
What the lens can return depends on what you provide.
| Tier | What to provide | What you get back |
|---|---|---|
| Good | A goods description, even a short one, and your import destination. | A suggested classification to national tariff depth, with the reasoning and sources behind it. Descriptions too sparse to classify are flagged as vague and enriched before classification rather than guessed at. Low-confidence items route to review. |
| Better | Add material composition, end use or function, customer segment, and links to the product's suppliers. | Sharper classifications and far fewer vague flags. Supplier and use context resolve the descriptions that otherwise get misread, so more products classify cleanly without review. |
| Best | Add any HS codes you already hold, for every destination you ship to, plus dimensions, unit price, and a product image. | Full national-depth classification for every destination, near-complete auto-classification, and the code you hold for each destination checked for likely misclassification. |
Filling the gaps. A description too sparse to classify is detected as vague and enriched with a targeted web search, using your supplier context, into a fuller customs-ready description you can accept. Where a detail is still missing, Altana asks you for the specific attribute that would settle the code. See Data Requirements for the full picture across every lens.
Running the analysis
Classification runs when you trigger it. Use Recalculate predictions to start the analysis across the lens. It takes a few minutes, progress is shown at the top of the lens, and you can cancel a run in progress. Existing suggestions stay available while a new run is going.
Run it after you load new products, after you enrich a batch of goods descriptions, or when you want to pick up any other changes to the underlying data.
The flow
- Recalculate predictions to generate suggestions across the lens.
- Read the status bar for how many products are already ready from a classification perspective and how many have a suggested code waiting.
- Check the Findings column to see what Altana concluded on each product and why it needs you, if it does.
- Resolve vague goods descriptions first. Where a description is flagged, run the description enrichment and re-run the classification. A better description is the cheapest way to a better code.
- Accept the confident suggestions, individually or in bulk.
- Work the rest in the side sheet. Read the reasoning, review the alternatives, answer the questions Altana raises, or enter your own code.
- Send anything you want a second opinion on to manager review.
Key features
Findings
The Findings column surfaces what Altana concluded for each product directly in the table, so you can triage without opening every row. It shows when a classification is complete and on file, when there is a suggestion and what the suggested code is, and when a suggestion is low confidence and needs review.
Vague goods detection and description enrichment
A goods description too sparse to classify reliably is flagged in its own column. Where the flag is raised, the recommended next step is description enrichment: Altana proposes a fuller, customs-ready description built from a targeted web search using your supplier context. Accept or edit it, then re-run the classification against it.
A vague description is one of the reason codes behind a product needing review, so clearing these first tends to clear a batch of review items with it.
GRI reasoning
Every suggested code comes with its General Rules of Interpretation reasoning, and so do the alternatives, so you can compare candidates on their reasoning rather than on the code alone. The reasoning carries forward to what is saved on file, so the code on the record keeps the justification behind it as audit history.
Manager review
Manager review routes a classification to a second person before it is treated as settled. It works two ways.
- Set for a user. A manager or tenant administrator can turn it on for a specific user, which is useful for someone new to classification. Anything that user accepts moves to complete but is flagged In review automatically.
- Raised by anyone. Any user can set a product to In review themselves when a determination is hard and they want their manager to look at it.
A manager reviews what is in review and marks it reviewed or rejected. Review status is visible as a column, so the queue is just a filter on the lens.
The side sheet and the guide box
Opening a product gives you the same side sheet you see in Trade Readiness: what is on file for the attribute, starting with the goods description that drives the classification, and the guide box with Altana's suggestion, its confidence, the reasoning, the alternatives, and the questions worth answering. See Trade Readiness for the shared mechanics and Trade Agent for how the guide box works.
Status reference
| Status | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Complete | A code is on file with its reasoning. The product is ready from a classification perspective. | Nothing, unless you want a second opinion, in which case send it to manager review. |
| Suggestion available | Altana has a high-confidence code waiting for you. | Accept it from the table or the side sheet, individually or in bulk. |
| Needs review | A person has to be in the loop. Confidence is low, the goods description was flagged as vague, or a detail is missing. | Open the product. Enrich the description if it is flagged, answer the questions in the guide box, choose an alternative, or enter your own code. |
| In review | The classification has been sent for manager review, either automatically for that user or because someone raised it. | A manager marks it reviewed or rejected. |
FAQ
Why are there no suggestions yet? Classification runs when you trigger it. Use Recalculate predictions.
How long does a run take, and can I stop it? A few minutes. Progress shows at the top of the lens and you can cancel a run in progress. Suggestions from an earlier run stay available in the meantime.
What is the fastest way to improve a low-confidence code? Improve the goods description. Where a description is flagged as vague, run the enrichment, accept or edit the result, and re-run. Adding material composition, end use, and supplier links helps for the same reason.
Can I see the reasoning before I accept a code? Yes. The reasoning is available on the suggested code and on the alternatives, so you can compare before committing.
Who can turn on manager review for a user? A manager or tenant administrator, at the user level. Separately, any user can send an individual product to review themselves.
Do I need to use this lens, or can I classify from Trade Readiness? Either. Trade Readiness surfaces classification suggestions alongside every other attribute for a product. Use this lens when you have volume to clear and want a surface built for it.
Can I override a suggested code? Yes, in the side sheet or in the table, individually or in bulk. Overrides are validated before they save.