{"source":"https://traddal.com/resources/writing-product-descriptions","title":"Product descriptions for customs","description":"The test customs applies, what to include by product type, and the vague terms that get a shipment held.","robots":"index, follow","updated":"2026-11-06T10:34:48.198Z","breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Resources","url":"https://traddal.com/resources"},{"name":"HS codes","url":"https://traddal.com/resources/hs-codes"},{"name":"Product descriptions","url":"https://traddal.com/resources/writing-product-descriptions"}],"facts":[],"lede":"The test customs applies, what to include by product type, and the vague terms that get a shipment held.","sections":[{"id":"overview","title":"","body":[{"type":"prose","text":"A description passes if a customs officer can identify the goods and classify them without asking you anything. The EU's rule says it has to be [plain language, precise enough for customs to identify the goods](https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2021-03/guidance_acceptable_goods_description_en.pdf). In the US, the invoice needs a [detailed description with the name each item is known by, plus its grade or quality](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-19/section-141.86). Your marketing copy and your SKU name won't meet either test."}]},{"id":"say-what-it-is-what-it-s-made-of-and-what-it-s-for","title":"Say what it is, what it's made of, and what it's for","body":[{"type":"prose","text":"Those three cover most goods. Add the state of the goods if that changes the code (raw, frozen, unassembled), and say who it's for if the tariff divides by that (men's, women's, children's)."},{"type":"table","caption":"Say what it is, what it's made of, and what it's for","columns":[{"header":"Vague"},{"header":"Precise enough"}],"rows":[[{"text":"Clothing","inline":true},{"text":"Men's woven cotton shirts, long sleeve","inline":true}],[{"text":"Parts","inline":true},{"text":"Replacement hydraulic pump seals, nitrile rubber, for forklift trucks","inline":true}],[{"text":"Sample","inline":true},{"text":"Sample of knitted wool beanie hat, not for resale","inline":true}],[{"text":"Electronics","inline":true},{"text":"Bluetooth wireless over-ear headphones with microphone","inline":true}],[{"text":"Gift","inline":true},{"text":"Hand-painted ceramic tea set, 6 cups and a pot","inline":true}],[{"text":"Accessories","inline":true},{"text":"Leather belts for women, with metal buckle","inline":true}],[{"text":"Spare part","inline":true},{"text":"Brake pads for passenger cars","inline":true}],[{"text":"Supplement","inline":true},{"text":"Vitamin D3 tablets, 60 per bottle, for retail sale","inline":true}]],"records":[{"Vague":"Clothing","Precise enough":"Men's woven cotton shirts, long sleeve"},{"Vague":"Parts","Precise enough":"Replacement hydraulic pump seals, nitrile rubber, for forklift trucks"},{"Vague":"Sample","Precise enough":"Sample of knitted wool beanie hat, not for resale"},{"Vague":"Electronics","Precise enough":"Bluetooth wireless over-ear headphones with microphone"},{"Vague":"Gift","Precise enough":"Hand-painted ceramic tea set, 6 cups and a pot"},{"Vague":"Accessories","Precise enough":"Leather belts for women, with metal buckle"},{"Vague":"Spare part","Precise enough":"Brake pads for passenger cars"},{"Vague":"Supplement","Precise enough":"Vitamin D3 tablets, 60 per bottle, for retail sale"}]},{"type":"prose","text":"The EU keeps a [non-exhaustive list of generic terms](https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2021-03/guidance_acceptable_goods_description_en.pdf), and it says \"consolidated\", \"general cargo\", \"parts\" and \"freight of all kinds\" can't be accepted. That guidance gives \"gifts\" a suggested replacement: say what the gift is. Vague wording can bring a physical exam, and the shipment waits while that happens."}]},{"id":"extra-detail-by-product-type","title":"Extra detail by product type","body":[{"type":"table","caption":"Extra detail by product type","columns":[{"header":"Goods"},{"header":"What the tariff turns on"}],"rows":[[{"text":"Textiles and clothing","inline":true},{"text":"Fibre content by percentage, knitted or woven, gender and age group","inline":true}],[{"text":"Footwear","inline":true},{"text":"Upper and sole material, height, what it's for","inline":true}],[{"text":"Food","inline":true},{"text":"Ingredients by percentage, how preserved, retail or bulk packing","inline":true}],[{"text":"Chemicals and cosmetics","inline":true},{"text":"CAS number, function, packed for retail or not","inline":true}],[{"text":"Machinery","inline":true},{"text":"What it does, how it's powered, and what comes with it","inline":true}],[{"text":"Electronics","inline":true},{"text":"Function, whether it transmits, whether it's a complete device or a part","inline":true}],[{"text":"Plastics and metals","inline":true},{"text":"Exact material, and the form it's in (sheet, tube, finished article)","inline":true}],[{"text":"Tyres","inline":true},{"text":"[Everything on the sidewall](https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/assets/documents/2020-Feb/ICP-Classification-of-Tires-2014-Final.pdf), which CBP recommends you list on the invoice","inline":true}]],"records":[{"Goods":"Textiles and clothing","What the tariff turns on":"Fibre content by percentage, knitted or woven, gender and age group"},{"Goods":"Footwear","What the tariff turns on":"Upper and sole material, height, what it's for"},{"Goods":"Food","What the tariff turns on":"Ingredients by percentage, how preserved, retail or bulk packing"},{"Goods":"Chemicals and cosmetics","What the tariff turns on":"CAS number, function, packed for retail or not"},{"Goods":"Machinery","What the tariff turns on":"What it does, how it's powered, and what comes with it"},{"Goods":"Electronics","What the tariff turns on":"Function, whether it transmits, whether it's a complete device or a part"},{"Goods":"Plastics and metals","What the tariff turns on":"Exact material, and the form it's in (sheet, tube, finished article)"},{"Goods":"Tyres","What the tariff turns on":"Everything on the sidewall, which CBP recommends you list on the invoice"}]},{"type":"prose","text":"Where classification depends on the materials, the US asks for a [breakdown of each component's value or weight](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-19/section-141.87). Certain classes of goods have [their own required invoice content](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-19/section-141.89), so check that section before your first shipment of a new product. For machines, CBP says [invoices should say what's included, and spares should be identified as spares](https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/documents/icp080_3.pdf)."}]},{"id":"the-same-line-before-and-after","title":"The same line, before and after","body":[{"type":"prose","text":"As an illustration, a line that reads `SKU 4471 Luxe Glow Serum x 200, $1,800` tells customs nothing. It could be a cosmetic, a medicine or a toy. Compare:\n\n> 200 glass bottles of facial serum, 30 ml each, cosmetic use, containing hyaluronic acid and vitamin C. For retail sale. Not a medicine. HS 3304.99. Made in South Korea. Unit price $9.00, line total $1,800.00.\n\nNow the officer has the function, the state, the packing and the claim, and can see that 200 x $9.00 adds up. Don't put in claims you can't back: \"not a medicine\" only works if your marketing doesn't say otherwise, because regulators read that too."}]},{"id":"keep-the-description-the-same-everywhere","title":"Keep the description the same everywhere","body":[{"type":"prose","text":"Your [commercial invoice](/resources/commercial-invoices), packing list and waybill should tell one story. Differences between them are a common reason for a query at the border, and the carrier's system takes its data from whichever document it got first. A pre-loading security filing like [ICS2](/resources/eu-ics2) reads that description before the goods fly. If your catalogue has hundreds of lines, it's worth writing the customs description once, as a field in your product data, and not leaving it to whoever raises the waybill.\n\nUse the [HS code classifier](/tools/hs-code-classifier) to see whether your description is enough to get to a code. If it can't get there, an officer probably won't either."}]}],"sources":["[European Commission: Guidance on acceptable and unacceptable terms for the description of goods](https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2021-03/guidance_acceptable_goods_description_en.pdf), checked 5 November 2026","[eCFR: 19 CFR 141.86, contents of invoices](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-19/section-141.86), checked 5 November 2026","[eCFR: 19 CFR 141.87, breakdown on component materials](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-19/section-141.87), checked 5 November 2026","[eCFR: 19 CFR 141.89, additional information for certain classes of merchandise](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-19/section-141.89), checked 5 November 2026","[CBP: Gloves, mittens and mitts, informed compliance publication](https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/assets/documents/2020-Feb/icp029_3.pdf), checked 5 November 2026","[CBP: Machine tools, informed compliance publication](https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/documents/icp080_3.pdf), checked 5 November 2026","[CBP: Tires, informed compliance publication](https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/assets/documents/2020-Feb/ICP-Classification-of-Tires-2014-Final.pdf), checked 5 November 2026"],"guide":{"slug":"writing-product-descriptions","kind":"topic","section":"HS codes"},"markdown":"https://traddal.com/resources/writing-product-descriptions.md"}