Schedule B is the official schedule of commodity classifications to be used by shippers in reporting export shipments from the United States. It is used in compiling official statistics on the export of merchandise from the United States.

Based on the Harmonized System, Schedule B contains 98 chapters grouped into 22 sections. Chapters 1 through 97 contain classifications that apply to international exports, and Chapter 98 contains special classification provisions that apply only to the U.S. exports.

The Schedule B commodity number is to be reported on the Shipper's Export Declaration form, Automated Export System (AES), or any other electronic medium along with a detailed description of the item to verify the Schedule B number (Foreign Trade Statistics Regulations, 15, CFR Part 30).

The Harmonized System is used as the basis for export classifications and import classifications. For commodities that fall into Chapters 1 through 97, the U.S. exporter may use the HTSUSA number or the Schedule B number. An importer, however, may not use the Schedule B number instead of the HTSUSA number.

There are millions of export transactions occurring each year and they are classified under approximately 9,000 Schedule B commodity codes. Every item that is exported is assigned a unique 10-digit identification code (commodity code) from Schedule B.

The simplest and most accurate way of finding a product's Schedule B number is to search the Schedule B database on The Official Export Guide's web site, http://www.officialexportguide.com/. The following provides a sample walk through of a Schedule B query.

The Official Export Guide online provides a completely searchable Schedule B database. Finding information within the commodity classifications of Schedule B is easy and can be quickly accomplished through the Basic Search, Advanced Search or Browse Schedule B Tabs. You can search by keyword and select among the results, or you can enter a 4, 6 or 10-digit commodity code and go directly to that heading within Schedule B. Multiple keywords can be entered on the search line. Keyword searching employs "fuzzy matching" logic and wild card searching.

The screen-shots below demonstrate the Basic Search capabilities of the Official Export Guide online.

The Search Results page displays the results of the query, and clicking on any of the links will take you directly to the specified chapter and section in Schedule B.

Searches that are run on a regular basis can be stored in the My Saved Searches Tab. There is an option at the top of every Search Results page to "Save This Search." Each saved search can be named with a descriptive name for later reference and access.

The Browse Schedule B Tab is used to review at the chapter, heading, or subheading level. A navigation tree on the left lets you move quickly from place to place within all of Schedule B. Click on the + and - symbols to expand and collapse the sections and chapters, and click on a heading number to go directly to the desired heading. When browsing a single chapter, use the + and - symbols to expand and collapse each heading.