DAITK looks up what a tariff code costs to import into Canada. It does not decide
what code your product is, and it will not help you choose one.
What it does
Takes an HS or Canadian tariff code you already have
Takes the country the goods ship from
Returns the base duty rate for that code and origin
Adds surtax orders registered in the Canada Gazette
Flags quota safeguards and whether the quota is consumed
Flags SIMA anti-dumping measures and the exporters enrolled under them
Links every figure to the government page it came from
What it will not do
Tell you which code your product is
Suggest a code from a description, a photo or a part number
Choose between two codes that might both fit
Confirm that a code your supplier gave you is correct
Advise on rules of origin or whether goods qualify for a preference
Replace a customs broker or a CBSA ruling
Why the line is drawn there
Classification is a judgement about physical goods — what a thing is made of, what it does,
how it is put together. Two products that look identical can sit under different codes, and the
difference can be worth tens of thousands of dollars on a container.
That judgement is what licensed customs brokers carry errors and omissions insurance for. It is
their professional responsibility, and it is not something a lookup service can take on. We answer
a narrower question, and we answer it against published sources you can check yourself.
Bring your own HS code. Get it from your supplier, your customs broker, or a CBSA
advance ruling. Once you have it, DAITK tells you what the published measures do with it.
No broker? We use Carson International — say hi from us at Dibblee.
Where to get a code
Your supplier — ask for the 6-digit HS, not their full
national code. The first six digits are international and mean the same thing in every country;
the rest are their country’s and will not resolve here.
Your customs broker — the classification is what you are paying them for.
If you do not have one, we use Carson International.
Say hi from us at Dibblee.
CBSA — an advance ruling
gives you a binding classification before you import.
One place the line gets thin
If you give a code that has no Canadian line — a US HTS number, say — DAITK falls back
to the 6-digit international part and prices there, returning hs_fallback to say what it
dropped. That is not classification: it is answering the part of your code that is internationally
defined. But it means the answer covers several Canadian lines rather than one, and which of them
applies is a classification question we are not answering. The response says so.
And the usual caveat
Research tool only. Figures are compiled by machine from published government
sources and are for planning and comparison. Under no circumstances should anyone rely on them
without consulting a licensed customs broker.