The Harmonised Commodity Description and Coding System or simply the Harmonised System was created by the World Customs Organisation and it is intended to have many uses. It consists of about 5.000 groups of commodities each one of which is classified under a six-digit number. The commodities are arranged in a rational structure and precise rules help in them being classified in an identical manner.
The Harmonised System is used by 177 countries and economic unions as the basis of their tariffs and for the collection of trade statistics. More than 98% of goods moving worldwide are classified on the basis of the Harmonised System.