QUICK ANSWER A Schedule B number is a 10-digit code that classifies a US export for trade-statistics reporting. It shares the first six digits with the international HS code, then adds four US export-specific digits. You use it on the Electronic Export Information filed in AES, generally required when a single Schedule B item in a shipment is worth more than $2,500 or when the goods need an export license.
A Schedule B number is the export twin of the HTS code: same six-digit HS root, different last four, used to report what leaves the country rather than to tax what enters it. If you export from the US, or re-export goods you imported, this is the number your filing runs on. Here is what it is, when it is required, and how to find yours.
The Census Bureau system behind the number
Schedule B is the US export classification system, administered by the Census Bureau. Every Schedule B number is ten digits, built on the international six-digit HS code, and it exists to collect statistics on what the United States ships abroad. It is the export counterpart to the HTS code used on imports, and the two are close relatives, not the same list.
Schedule B vs HTS code
Both are ten digits and both start from the same HS root, so the confusion is understandable. The split is direction.
Schedule B vs HTS
| Schedule B | HTS code | |
|---|---|---|
| Direction | US exports | US imports |
| Purpose | Trade-statistics reporting | Sets the import duty rate |
| Administered by | Census Bureau | US International Trade Commission |
| Shared root | First 6 HS digits | First 6 HS digits |
For goods coming into the US you classify under an HTS code; for the same goods leaving the US you report a Schedule B number. Importers often meet Schedule B first when they re-export or return goods.
TAKEAWAY Schedule B is for exports, HTS is for imports, and they share only the first six HS digits. Do not reuse your full ten-digit import HTS code as a Schedule B number. The last four digits differ, and copying them straight across is a common export-filing error.
How a Schedule B number is structured
The ten digits narrow from broad to specific, the same way an HTS code does. The first two digits are the chapter, digits three and four the heading, and five and six the subheading, which together complete the global HS code. The final four digits are the US export detail that make it a Schedule B number. Because the export list is organized for statistics rather than duty, a product's Schedule B number can differ in those last digits from its HTS code.
When you need a Schedule B number
You report a Schedule B number on the Electronic Export Information filed through the Automated Export System. In general, an EEI filing is required when the value of a single Schedule B commodity in a shipment exceeds $2,500, or whenever the goods require an export license regardless of value. Below that threshold and with no license involved, many shipments do not trigger an EEI, but the classification still matters for accuracy and for any customer or carrier that asks for it.
Finding your Schedule B number
Use the free Schedule B search tool published by the Census Bureau, which walks you from a plain-language product description to a code. Work from the chapter down, reading the notes, and pick the most specific match. If you already know your product's HTS code, the first six digits carry straight over to Schedule B, so you are only confirming the last four for the export side.
Schedule B vs ECCN
These get confused because both classify exports, but they answer different questions. A Schedule B number is for statistics and is assigned by Census. An Export Control Classification Number (ECCN) is a separate code under the Commerce Control List that decides whether an export needs a license for control reasons, administered by the Bureau of Industry and Security. Most everyday commercial goods are not controlled and ship under an EAR99 designation, but the ECCN question is distinct from Schedule B and is answered separately.
How Platton supports classification
Platton is a freight forwarder for US importers, and classification support runs across both directions of a shipment.
One classification review, both sides
The customs compliance review that checks your HTS code on the way in also supports the Schedule B side when goods re-export, so the same team keeps both classifications consistent.
Re-export and drawback handled cleanly
When imported goods are re-exported, the Schedule B classification feeds a duty drawback claim to recover duty already paid, and getting the codes right is what makes that claim hold up.
Documentation kept consistent
We keep the import HTS and the export Schedule B aligned across your paperwork, so a mismatch between what you imported and what you report exporting does not surface as a filing problem.
The exporter of record stays in charge
We provide the review and the guidance; the classification and the export filing responsibility remain with the exporter of record, as the export rules require.
Get a compliance-reviewed import quote
Common Questions About Schedule B Numbers
What is a Schedule B number used for?
It classifies a US export for trade-statistics reporting and is entered on the Electronic Export Information filed through AES. The Census Bureau uses Schedule B data to compile US export figures, and customers, freight forwarders, and carriers may ask for the number on export documents. It is the export equivalent of the HTS code that sets duty on imports.
What is the difference between Schedule B and an HTS code?
Both are ten digits and share the first six HS digits, but a Schedule B number classifies goods leaving the US for statistics, while an HTS code classifies goods entering the US and sets their duty rate. Schedule B is administered by the Census Bureau; the HTS by the US International Trade Commission. Use HTS for imports and Schedule B for exports.
When do I need to file a Schedule B number?
You report it on the EEI in AES, generally required when a single Schedule B commodity in a shipment is valued over $2,500, or whenever the goods need an export license regardless of value. Many low-value shipments with no license requirement do not trigger an EEI, but you still classify the goods correctly for the documents that accompany the export.
Is an ECCN the same as a Schedule B number?
No. A Schedule B number is a statistics code assigned by the Census Bureau. An ECCN is an export-control code on the Commerce Control List that determines whether an export needs a license, administered by the Bureau of Industry and Security. Most commercial goods are uncontrolled and ship as EAR99, but you determine the ECCN separately from the Schedule B classification.
Can I use my HTS code as a Schedule B number?
Only the first six digits carry over, because both are built on the same HS root. The last four digits differ, since the HTS is organized for import duty and Schedule B for export statistics. So you can start from your HTS code, but you confirm the correct last four digits on the Schedule B side rather than assuming the full ten-digit number is identical.
Related Customs Guides
HTS and HS codes: the import side of classification, and where duty comes from.
Duty drawback: recovering duty when imported goods are re-exported.
How US import customs clearance works: the entry process on the import side.
