What Are HS Codes?
The Harmonized System (HS) is a standardized international system for classifying traded products. Maintained by the World Customs Organization (WCO), it's used by customs authorities in over 200 countries to determine tariff rates and enforce trade regulations.
For art shipments, getting the HS code right is critical. An incorrect classification can result in customs delays, unexpected duties, or even seizure of the artwork at the border.
Chapter 97: Works of Art
Most fine art falls under Chapter 97 of the Harmonized System. Here are the key subheadings:
9701 — Paintings and Drawings
- 9701.10 — Paintings, drawings and pastels, executed entirely by hand
- 9701.90 — Other (collages, decorative plaques)
This covers oil paintings, watercolors, acrylics, pastels, pen and ink drawings, and mixed media works executed by hand.
9702 — Original Engravings and Prints
- 9702.00 — Original engravings, prints and lithographs
This includes etchings, woodcuts, lithographs, serigraphs, and other printmaking techniques. The key qualifier is "original" — reproductions fall under Chapter 49.
9703 — Original Sculptures
- 9703.00 — Original sculptures and statuary, in any material
Bronze, marble, wood, ceramic, glass, and other sculptural works. The work must be original — mass-produced replicas are classified differently.
Other Common Classifications
Not all art fits neatly into Chapter 97:
| Medium | HS Code | Chapter |
|---|---|---|
| Art photographs (limited edition) | 4911.91 | 49 |
| Commercial prints / posters | 4911.99 | 49 |
| Ceramics (artistic) | 6913.10 | 69 |
| Art glass | 7013.99 | 70 |
| Tapestries (hand-woven) | 5805.00 | 58 |
| Antiques (100+ years) | 9706.00 | 97 |
Common Mistakes
1. Classifying prints as paintings. A giclée reproduction of a painting is NOT 9701.10. Our classifier tests for reproductions ahead of every other medium rule and returns 4911.99 for a giclée — signing and numbering an edition does not turn a reproduction into an original work. 4911.91 is the code for photographs, which is a different question from whether a print is limited.
One rule outranks it: age. Antiques are tested first, so a giclée dated more than a hundred years ago returns 9706.00 rather than 4911.99 — the tariff treats a century-old printed image as an antique, not as a reproduction of one. Ahead of even that sits a check for an empty medium field: a record with no medium entered returns no code at all, whatever its date.
2. Forgetting the "original" qualifier. Chapter 97 codes are reserved for original works. A bronze cast from an existing mold may qualify if it's part of a limited edition by the original sculptor, but mass-produced decorative items do not.
3. Ignoring country-specific extensions. The first 6 digits of HS codes are internationally standardized, but countries add 2-4 additional digits for their own classification. Always verify the full code for your destination country.
How Gilded Art Works Helps
Gilded Art Works suggests an HS code from the artwork medium you enter. The classifier returns one of the ten codes in the tables above — the Chapter 97 headings plus the common Chapter 49, 58, 69 and 70 exceptions — and it will not guess beyond them.
That last part is the point. Mixed media with no stated support, and digital or screen-based work, are exactly the cases where a classifier that always returns an answer returns a wrong one. Ours marks those lines review and prints no code, so the question reaches your broker before it reaches a customs officer. An unclassified line is a phone call. A confidently misdeclared one is a penalty.
When you generate customs documentation, the code prints on the line it belongs to, inside a commercial invoice carrying shipper and consignee blocks, declared values and a signed declaration. Nothing in the document branches on carrier — it is one layout, and each of UPS, FedEx and DHL still requires its own entry to be filed in its own system by you or your broker. Generate a customs document now — and for everything else the shipment needs, see our 2026 customs documentation checklist.