HSN code finder

What an HSN code is

HSN stands for Harmonised System of Nomenclature: a numbering of goods used by customs offices around the world, so that a bag of basmati rice or a smartphone has the same number in Chennai and in Rotterdam. India uses it for GST too. Every product you sell sits somewhere in this tree, and the code tells the tax office, your buyer and your billing software what it is.

Services have their own list, the Services Accounting Code (SAC). SAC codes all start with 99: 9963 is food and accommodation services, 9965 goods transport, 9983 professional and technical services.

How a code is built

A code grows from left to right. The first two digits are the chapter (10 is cereals, 85 is electrical machinery). Four digits make the heading (1006 is rice). Six digits make the sub-heading, the level shared worldwide (1006 30 is semi-milled or wholly milled rice). India adds two more for the tariff item: 1006 30 20 is basmati rice. Many 8-digit rows simply say "Other": they mean "everything else under the line above", which is why the finder always shows the whole family, not just the last line.

How many digits your bill needs

Since 1 April 2021 (Notification 78/2020-Central Tax), a business with a turnover of up to ₹5 crore in the previous year writes at least 4 digits on invoices to registered buyers; on bills to consumers it is optional. Above ₹5 crore, 6 digits are needed on every invoice. Exporters and importers use the full 8 digits, because customs works at that level. Writing more digits than needed is never wrong, so if you know the 6-digit code, use it.

Finding the GST rate

The code alone does not always settle the rate. Since 22 September 2025, GST on goods follows Notification 9/2025-Integrated Tax (Rate): Schedule I at 5%, Schedule II at 18%, Schedule III at 40%, Schedule IV at 3% (gold, silver, jewellery), plus small schedules for rough diamonds and similar goods. Exempt goods are listed in Notification 10/2025. Each entry names codes and describes the goods, and the description often carries a condition: "pre-packaged and labelled", "of sale value not exceeding ₹2,500 per piece", "other than fresh or chilled".

So the finder shows every entry that names your code, word for word, with its rate. Read them and pick the one that describes what you sell. If no entry names the code, the general rule applies: Schedule II, entry 639, "Goods which are not specified in Schedule I, III, IV, V, VI or VII", at 18%.

Selvi's provision store

Selvi runs a provision store in Kallakurichi and is setting up billing software in 2026. She searches arisi and lands on heading 1006, rice. The card shows two entries: rice pre-packaged and labelled is 5% (Schedule I), and rice other than pre-packaged and labelled is exempt. She sells both, loose rice from sacks and branded 5 kg bags, so she makes two items in her software: loose rice at 0%, branded bags at 5%, both with HSN 1006. For vellam (jaggery) she finds 1701, and the same rule: packed and labelled at 5%, loose exempt. She taps Add to my list on each code, and her list is ready the next time she adds a product.

Services: SAC codes

Service rates are set by description in Notification 11/2017-Central Tax (Rate), as amended, rather than by code. Most services are 18%. Some have lower rates with conditions, such as restaurant service and goods transport by a transport agency. The finder gives you the right SAC code; check the rate entry for your service before you bill.

Common mistakes

Picking a code by the word "Other" without reading its parent line. Using the 8-digit code of a cousin product that happens to share a word. Assuming one rate for a whole chapter: chapter 85 alone has entries at 5%, 18% and 40%. And keeping an old rate from before September 2025: the 12% and 28% slabs are gone for most goods. When in doubt, the notification's own words decide.