A garment can change code without changing how it looks
Apparel classification turns on construction, fibre weight, the intended wearer and, for footwear, the material of the upper and sole. It can also turn on the material itself, where a garment is plastic, coated or rubber rather than textile. Small specification changes move a product across headings, and fast fashion makes thousands of these decisions every week.
Construction usually decides the chapter: knitted or crocheted garments mostly sit in Chapter 61, woven garments in Chapter 62, and the duty can differ. There are exceptions written into the chapter notes, for example a fitted bra goes to heading 6212.
The chief-weight fibre rule governs the heading. A few percentage points of polyester swapped into a cotton blend can move the product to a new code and duty rate.
Fast-fashion ranges add hundreds of SKUs per week. Every line needs an accurate code before it ships, which overwhelms manual classification.
HMRC can issue penalties of up to £2,500 per incorrect commodity code, plus back-duty demands going back four years. Across thousands of SKUs the exposure is severe.
The detail that decides the duty
A jersey top that is 95% cotton and 5% elastane. The same style re-cut in a woven poplin. A trainer with a textile upper and a rubber sole. Each looks like a simple product, yet each demands precise data and expert judgement to land on the correct HS code.
How we classify clothing and footwear
A rigorous, three-stage process built on deep textile expertise and designed to keep up with fast-fashion volume without letting errors reach your supply chain.
Analysis.
We apply the General Rules of Interpretation in order, review the chapter and section notes (Chapters 61, 62, 64 and 65, and others where a garment is not textile), and check established rulings to confirm how each garment, shoe or accessory should be coded, including how retail sets are treated under GRI 3.
Data collection.
We capture the data points that affect the code. The most common are construction (knitted or woven), full fibre composition by weight, garment type, the intended wearer by gender and age, and for footwear the upper and outer-sole materials. What is needed varies by product.
Verification and monitoring.
Codes from TTVerified are backed by a specialist customs expert before delivery. We then monitor tariff and trade-agreement changes so codes can be kept current, and every classification carries an audit trail of the inputs and the decision.
How boohoo classified 20,000 SKUs with 100% compliance
When boohoo needed to ship a vast fast-fashion range from the UK to the United States at speed, it turned to TariffTel to classify every line accurately — in just four months.
Classifying tens of thousands of fashion lines accurately and at speed is exactly the kind of challenge TariffTel was built for. Construction, composition and the intended wearer are captured for every SKU, with the audit trail to back it up.
Every apparel category, classified
From knitted basics to woven tailoring, footwear to hats, gloves and belts. TariffTel's experts handle the full spectrum of fashion classifications across Chapters 61 to 65 and beyond.
Built for the speed and detail of fashion
From a quick lookup with TTExplore to full programme delivery with Managed Services, we understand apparel classification at a level generic tools simply do not reach.
Fashion classification questions
Common questions from fashion brands, retailers and exporters about apparel and footwear tariff classification.
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Stop guessing your fashion tariff codes.
Join boohoo, Primark and leading fashion brands who trust TariffTel for accurate, expert-backed HS codes across clothing, footwear and accessories, at fast-fashion scale.