If you export a product and want to know who buys it abroad, the HS code is the cleanest place to start: it is the same product language in every customs system. The catch that most guides skip is this — an HS code tells you which countries import your product, but whether you can see which companies import it depends on whether that country publishes company-level customs records. Many don't. This guide covers the full path and what to do at each fork.
Last updated: October 2026.
The short version
- Classify your product to a 6-digit HS code.
- Rank markets by import value and growth using free trade statistics.
- Find company names — from customs or shipment records where they are public, and from trade-show lists, marketplaces, maps and directories where they are not.
- Verify the company, the contact and the email address before you write to anyone.
Step 1: Get the 6-digit HS code right
The Harmonized System (HS) is the international product-classification system maintained by the World Customs Organization. According to the U.S. International Trade Administration, it is applied by more than 200 countries and economies, and its nomenclature has 21 sections, 96 chapters, over 1,200 headings and over 5,000 subheadings (source). Each product is identified by a 6-digit code made of a chapter, a heading and a subheading.
Only those first six digits are shared worldwide. Countries add their own digits after that: the EU's Combined Nomenclature uses 8 digits, and the United States uses 8 digits for tariffs and 10 for statistics. A 10-digit code from one country's tariff schedule will therefore not match another country's records, so always search across countries with the 6-digit code.
Two practical tips:
- Classify by what the product is — material, form, processing — not by how you market it. Nuts are a good example: walnuts in shell and shelled walnuts sit under different 6-digit subheadings (0802.31 and 0802.32).
- Check the code against the importing country's official tariff schedule or ask your freight forwarder or customs broker. The same product description can be classified differently if one detail changes.
HS 2022 is the current (seventh) edition. The next revision is currently scheduled to take effect on 1 January 2028, according to a 2024 UN Statistics Division presentation, so check which edition a database uses when you compare years.
Step 2: Rank import markets with free trade statistics
Two free sources cover most of what an exporter needs at country level:
- UN Comtrade — the UN's database of official international trade statistics, searchable by HS code, reporting country and trading partner.
- ITC Trade Map — built by the International Trade Centre from national customs statistics, with country-level flows and market shares by HS code.
Search your 6-digit code, set the flow to imports, and rank countries by import value. Then look at four things: the three-to-five-year trend, which countries already supply that market (are suppliers from your region present?), the average unit value (value divided by quantity) to see where your price sits, and how concentrated supply is.
Treat the numbers as directional. Two countries often report the same trade flow differently, because of valuation methods, timing and classification. Trade between China and Central Asia is a recent example: Chinese customs data put it at a record $106.3 billion in 2025 (Times of Central Asia), while national statistics from the Central Asian side differ (Eurasianet).
Step 3: Find the companies
This is where the path forks.
Where company-level records are public. In some countries, shipment-level import records that name the consignee are republished by commercial data providers. These can show who imported a given HS code, from whom, and how often — but coverage differs sharply by country, access is usually paid, and the data can lag. Official EU statistics (Eurostat), by contrast, are aggregated by country and product, not by company.
Where they are not. Most exporters will need other sources that still map to your product category:
- Trade-show exhibitor and visitor lists, filtered by product category. Exhibitors are companies that already spend money to find suppliers or customers in your category.
- B2B marketplace listings — sellers, importers and wholesalers who list the products you make.
- Maps and local directories — search "importer", "wholesaler" or "distributor" plus your product in the target city. Many regional importers have a thin website but a complete map listing.
- Industry association member lists, which are often public.
- Company websites — a product page that lists items under your HS category is a better fit signal than a company's size.
Whichever route you take, use customs data as a hint, not as proof. An importer that bought your product category last year may have changed business since, or may buy only from fixed suppliers.
Step 4: Verify before you write
Before outreach, confirm three things: the company is active and actually deals in your category (check its website), you have a contact in the right role (purchasing, category or sourcing), and the email address is deliverable and belongs to that company. The last point is easy to get wrong — our guide on verifying business emails before cold outreach explains how. If you plan to contact importers in Europe, read Is B2B cold emailing legal under GDPR? first.
Common mistakes
- Searching with a national 8–10 digit code in a different country's database.
- Reading import volume as demand for your price tier. A large importer of premium goods may not be a fit for a budget product — check unit values.
- Starting with the biggest importers only. Large importers usually have established supplier panels; mid-size importers and regional distributors are often a more realistic first target.
- Using old records without re-checking that the company and contact still exist.
Where Whalentro fits
Whalentro's trade-intelligence module lets you look up HS codes and see import volume by country (steps 1 and 2), and its buyer search then finds companies and contacts from company websites, trade-show lists, marketplaces and Google Maps (steps 3 and 4), labelling each result by source and confidence. It does not claim shipment-level customs records for every country; where those records are not public, it works from the other sources above.
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FAQ
What is an HS code?
An HS (Harmonized System) code is a standardized numerical code for classifying traded goods. The first six digits are the same in more than 200 countries and economies; countries add further digits for tariffs and statistics.
Can I find importers by HS code for free?
At country level, yes: UN Comtrade and ITC Trade Map show which countries import a product and in what volume. At company level, free sources are limited to countries and portals that publish company records, so most exporters combine trade statistics with trade-show lists, marketplaces and maps.
How many digits of the HS code should I use?
Use six digits whenever you compare countries. Digits seven to ten are national and differ between customs systems.
Is it legal to contact companies found through customs data?
Customs records may be public in some jurisdictions, but contacting people is governed by separate marketing and data-protection rules, such as GDPR in Europe. This is not legal advice — check the rules for each target country.
Why do two countries report different values for the same trade flow?
Valuation methods (for example, import values often include freight and insurance while export values do not), reporting timing, product classification and unrecorded trade can all create gaps between what the exporting and importing countries report.