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Paperwork, not a product
Customs forms and harmonized tariff codes
A customs declaration stands or falls on three fields: a description specific enough to identify what is inside, a separate value against every item, and the total gross weight with the unit it is measured in. Underneath that sits the classification code, an international six-digit Harmonized System number that the United States extends to ten digits for its own tariff. We should be direct about our position here, since SMKlog sells domestic parcel labels only and files no customs paperwork, generates no declarations and cannot ship a package out of the country.
USPS fields quotedUSITC schedule citedRead 2026-07-28
Description does the work
Most clearance delays trace back to a description too vague to classify, not to a missing form.
What a declaration has to carry
USPS sets out the requirements in its own words, and they are stricter than the one-line descriptions people habitually write. These are the fields that get a shipment stopped when they are done badly.
- A real description of every item. USPS states that every item in your package needs an appropriately detailed description on the customs form, covering what it is, what it is made of and what it is for. Gift, sample and goods are not descriptions.
- A value against each item separately. USPS states that you must include a separate and specific value for all items in your shipment. One combined figure for a mixed box is a common reason for a query.
- Total gross weight with its unit. USPS states that you must include the total gross weight of the package and the unit of calculation, meaning pounds or kilograms. Gross means the packed weight, box included.
- A classification code. USPS says it will provide an HS Code for your customs form during processing, and is equally clear that you remain responsible for accurately describing the item you are shipping. The code is derived from your description, so a poor description produces a poor code.
Quoted from usps.com/international/customs-forms.htm, read 2026-07-28.
How the code is built and where to find it
The Harmonized System is an international numbering scheme that stops at six digits. Countries then add their own digits underneath for tariff and statistical purposes, and the United States takes it to ten.
| Element | What it is |
|---|---|
| First six digits | The international Harmonized System subheading, shared by every country that uses the system |
| The United States code | USPS states the United States uses a 10-digit code to classify products, built on that six-digit base |
| Who publishes the US schedule | The United States International Trade Commission |
| Current edition at the time of writing | 2026 HTS Revision 12, published on July 21, 2026 |
| Where the searchable schedule lives | hts.usitc.gov, which is the interactive version of the same document |
The method for finding a code is unglamorous and it works: describe the product in plain terms, search the schedule for the material and the function, then read the chapter notes around the candidate heading before settling. Chapter notes routinely exclude things that look like an obvious fit, which is where most self-classification goes wrong. We do not guess codes for anyone, and neither should a page that has never seen the item.
The forms themselves
Two routes exist through USPS, and the difference between them is where the form is produced rather than what it asks for.
- Produced by software. USPS states that its express and package international products require a complete and computer-generated customs form, and that Click-N-Ship prints one during the shipping flow. A form generated this way carries the barcodes the network expects.
- Filled in at a counter. USPS directs customers who are not shipping online to complete PS Form 2976-R at the Post Office. It asks for the same information and takes considerably longer with a queue behind you.
- A commercial invoice for courier shipments. FedEx states that commercial invoices and certificates of origin prepared and submitted online speed up clearance and reduce delays. This document sits alongside the transport label rather than replacing the declaration.
Restricted and prohibited goods sit underneath all of this, and they differ by destination as well as by carrier. Our shipping restrictions page covers what we will and will not carry domestically, which is a useful floor even when the shipment is going somewhere we cannot serve.
Where our label fits in a cross-border order
Plenty of international orders begin with a purely domestic movement, usually to a consolidator or a forwarder holding a United States address. No declaration is involved in that leg, no code is needed, and it prices like any other parcel.
| Carrier | Service | Price | Transit window returned |
|---|---|---|---|
| FedEx | Ground Economy | $15.64 | 6-7 business days |
| UPS | Ground Saver | $15.71 | Not supplied |
| USPS | Ground Advantage | $15.73 | 8-9 business days |
| UPS | Ground | $20.02 | 2-3 business days |
| UPS | 3 Day Select | $22.23 | 5-6 business days |
Three of those five landed within nine cents of each other, which happens more often on middleweight boxes than people expect and makes the transit window the deciding column rather than the price. Once the parcel reaches the forwarder, the declaration, the code and the duty are somebody else's job, and our guide to international services covers who does what from that point.
Getting the declaration right first time
Do not round values downward
Undervaluing a shipment to spare a buyer some duty is fraud in most jurisdictions and voids any protection on the parcel. It also fails at the first inspection, because the declared figure and a packing slip inside the box rarely match.
Keep a record of the code you used
Classification decisions get questioned months later, and reconstructing your reasoning from memory is unpleasant. A line in a spreadsheet naming the heading and the date you checked it is enough.
Customs paperwork, answered
What is a harmonized tariff code?
It is a product classification number used by customs authorities. The first six digits are the international Harmonized System subheading shared between countries, and the United States extends that to a 10-digit code for its own tariff. The schedule is published by the United States International Trade Commission and searchable at hts.usitc.gov.
How do I find the right code for my product?
Describe the item plainly, search the schedule on the material and the function, then read the chapter notes around any candidate heading before you commit. Those notes routinely exclude things that look like a natural fit, and skipping them is where most self-classification goes wrong. We do not assign codes for shipments.
Which USPS customs form do I need?
USPS requires a complete and computer-generated customs form for its express and package international products, and Click-N-Ship produces one during the shipping flow. Customers who are not shipping online are directed to fill out PS Form 2976-R at the Post Office, which asks for the same information.
Does SMKlog handle customs paperwork?
No. We sell domestic parcel labels and nothing else, so we generate no declarations, file nothing with any customs authority and cannot produce a label for a shipment leaving the United States. This page exists to answer the question accurately, not to sell anything attached to it.