Pick the HS code from GRI and China explanatory practice — not from ‘what duty is cheapest’.
Tariff classification assigns the HS code that sets duty, VAT at import, licence triggers and often statistical supervision. Misclassification is a frequent audit finding. Advance classification rulings can reduce uncertainty. This wiki is classification. Valuation and rules of origin complete the duty triangle. Export licences/controls are a parallel dual-use stack — link live export-licence pages rather than merging them here.
4 questions before you choose the route.
This page identifies the right question and evidence. It does not determine the legal outcome on a reader’s facts.
What is the product essential character?
GRI.
GRIChina explanatory notes checked?
Practice.
NotesLicence/control list hit?
Overlay.
LicenceValue method ready?
Valuation related pages.
ValueWorking rule: Map the regulated role before marketing or launch in China.
The signal ledger.
These facts move the question beyond a label and into a product, money-flow and control analysis.
Bring a compact evidence docket—not a pitch deck.
Give a compliance team or counsel the operating facts that reveal the perimeter.
Questions people ask before they build.
Short answers for orientation. The right result can change with the service model and current rules.
Can we change HS after import?
Amendments/adjustments exist with limits and risk. Counsel on open entries.
Where is origin?
Open /rules-of-origin-in-china.
Primary authorities
Reviewed sources support orientation, not a fact-specific assessment.